7 Tips to Keep Plants Alive While You Are Away
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1. When you’re headed off on a trip, move your indoor plants out of direct sunlight – near windows with sheer curtains will give enough light without burning foliage.

2. Use a potting mix with moisture-retaining polymer gels, crystals or chemicals (or add polymers to the mix). These compounds retain water for later use by thirsty plants.

3. If your house is in a very hot area, take your pot plants to the coolest room in the house – this will probably be the bathroom. Cooler temperatures will prevent your plants from drying out as quickly, but be careful not to starve them of light for too long.

4. Move outdoor pots close together, so the plants will provide each other with shade and humidity.

5. Delicate outdoor plants need protection. In winter, use glass or plastic covers or cloches. In warm weather, use ‘tents’ made of shadecloth and stakes. Make sure you allow reasonable air circulation to prevent fungal problems developing.

6. To conserve water in outdoor pots, add saucers, then move them to a location sheltered from the wind and cluster them together.

7. Temporarily bury potted plants to their rims in a protected garden bed and mulch well.

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