$3 Bunnings hack to keep your plants watered while you're away
It can be quite depressing returning home from a long holiday and discovering that your plants haven't exactly thrived while you've been away. Unless you organised a house sitter or planned for someone to take care of them in your absence, chances are you probably just gave your plants some extra water before you left and hoped for the best.
Aussie mum and professional homemaker Sophie Webb recently shared a video on Instagram showcasing her 'hack' for keeping your plants watered while you're away. She created an 'easy drip system' by filling a ziplock bag with water, using a toothpick to poke a tiny hole in it, and placing it in her pot to let the water slowly drip out.
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While Sophie's followers praised the 'brilliant idea' and said they can't wait to try it out, Sydney Plant Guy Jan Gettmann tells Yahoo Lifestyle he wouldn't recommend it.
'The idea in itself isn't bad, but the execution is terrible,' he shares. 'There needs to be some sort of valve or mechanism that controls the flow of water. The bag is just going to empty pretty quickly, causing your plant to sit in too much water, which will lead to root rot.'
Jan explains that one of the best methods to keep your plants healthy while you're away is to install self-watering spikes that slowly release water over a period of time, and can be purchased on Amazon and at Bunnings.
The hardware store sells an Indoor Drip Spike Twin Pack for $3.12, which allows you to simply attach a water bottle to create your own self-watering planter.
'The key aspect here is that you want to be able to control how much water is released and how long the release of water takes. This ensures consistent moisture levels and avoids overwatering and root rot,' he details.
'My understanding is that you can regulate how fast it drips via the little dial, and you can control how much water you use by choosing an appropriately sized bottle.'
Although Jan is yet to try the Bunnings product himself, he's currently experimenting with different brands and encourages others to do the same before going away.
'Every plant has different watering needs based on the species, the size of the plant, the substrate, the pot size, the environment it's in, etc. So the calibration of this system is painful, but it will be more reliable in dispensing water over time compared to the plastic bag, which just empties straight away,' he says. 'Might as well just pour a glass of water over it and not ruin the plastic bag.'
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He adds that he understands not everybody would be willing to go to this amount of effort for their plants, so it all depends on how passionate a grower you are.
'For me, this is my business, so I can't afford my plants to die while I'm away, so this is something I'd only use if I go away for a short amount of time and cannot find someone to help me out,' he continues. 'Sometimes it's not about hacks and tools, but all about community.'
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