How to Keep Your Plants Watered While You’re Away: 8 Vacation-Proof Hacks

Heading out of town but worried about your plants? With the right tricks, they’ll thrive while you relax.”

Wondering how to keep plants watered while on vacation? I struggled with this until I found the perfect solution. Here’s my best secret.

It’s that time of year again.

Dipladenia time.

My favorite plants that I share with you every year that last forever and bloom all through the summer.

I should have clarified that they USUALLY last and bloom all through the summer. I’ve bought them for years and watched them bloom and grow and taken care of them and trimmed them back and clipped the edges and they are still smiling and showing up with extra flowers until the first cold snap in September.

Except.

Except for the year they didn’t.

The year they looked like this.

It was one of the hottest driest summers on record in Texas and we didn’t get any rain and we were traveling quite a bit so we couldn’t water as much as we normally did and we don’t have a built-in watering system for these pots.

So everything suffered. The grass dried up. The boxwoods looked like they had just taken a trip across the Sahara desert. Even the hardiest plants on the block, the nandinas and the mondo grass were struggling and the Dipladenias? They didn’t have a prayer.

When we brought in all the new Dipladenias for this year, I had visions of these dried-up up pitiful leaves dancing ’round my head.

So I decided to take action. I researched ideas and solutions for keeping potted plants alive when you have to travel during the summer for vacation—-when you can’t water as much as you need to.

And I came up with this solution (and the BEST secret to make them work even better).

How To Keep Plants Watered While On Vacation

These plant watering spikes.

I read up on all the solutions and I found ideas like a mini drip irrigation system and watering globes and watering bags.

But for me and my house?

I think these plant watering spikes were the easiest, simplest most cost-effective way (with over 2,000 reviews on Amazon) to consistently deliver water to my potted Dipladenias outside.

You can see the plant watering spikes here (and they are under $20 right now).

|| terracotta plant spikes ||

They came in a box like this

I actually ordered two boxes because there are six in each box and I have about a dozen potted plants on the two porches.

I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never used anything like this before and they were pretty substantial, so I think they would work best with larger plant pots. The spikes are 6″ long and they were perfect for my outdoor potted plants, but I think they might be a little overwhelming for smaller potted indoor house plants.

|| terracotta plant spikes ||

Why do the plant spikes work?

The reason why they work?

Science.

I didn’t really pay that much attention in physics, so I can’t explain the science of how they work, but they do. The spikes are made out of a thick terracotta.

I think the secret is in the thickness of the terracotta. If they were slimmer, the water would disperse much more quickly; however, because they are so thick, it takes about 3-4 days for an entire 20-oz water bottle to empty directly into the root of the plants.

|| terracotta plant spikes ||

How to install the plant spikes

Installing the plant spikes is so easy that if you blink you’ll miss it.

You just take the plant spike and stick it into the side of the plant (aiming it at the roots).

Make sure the plant spike is inserted all the way into the plant so that the maximum amount of water can ooze out of the terracotta spike into the roots.

Now the plant spikes are amazing.

But do you know what makes them even more amazing and doubles the watering time?

FROZEN WATER BOTTLES.

Yep.

We just use regular water bottles and fill them up about 3/4 of the way full (the water expands when they freeze, so you don’t want to fill them up all the way to the top) and then freeze them.

We have two sets, so we are freezing a set while we are using the other set.

You just take the frozen water bottle and flip it upside down in the terra cotta spike. It slowly melts and drips the water into the soil.

That’s it.

Do the plant spikes actually work?

I’ve been using them now once it started getting hot and they are really working well.

I started with the smaller 4 oz. water bottles and I had to add water every couple of days, so I’m using frozen 20 oz. water bottles now and it stretches it to 4-5 days. I have my calendar set to add water on Mondays and Fridays before the weekend in case we go out of town.

For now, we aren’t watering the Dipladenias any more than that, but I think we may add extra water if the temperatures get over 100.

Here are some tips on how to take care of Dipladenia:

1. 1. It’s perfect for porches because the direct Texas sunlight is too much for it. Dipladenia prefers bright, indirect light. It can tolerate some direct sunlight, but too much can burn the leaves.
   2. Water Dipladenia thoroughly once a week, or more frequently in hot weather–this is the key to keeping Dipladenia alive during the hot summer months. Make sure the soil is well-drained and does not become waterlogged. Allow the top inch of soil to dry out before watering again
   3. Prune all the tendrils that grow up. This will help to promote bushier growth and more flowers. Trim back any leggy or straggly stems and remove dead or yellowing leaves. I also pinch off the blooming flowers and this helps more flowers to show up.
   4. Dipladenia prefers a humid environment so on extra hot days, misting it with a spray bottle really helps.

I think that terracotta plant spikes with frozen water bottles like this are an amazing insurance policy against a hot Texas summer and gets the water directly where it needs to go for plants like this.

Right in the roots.

And even better—rather than overwhelming the roots, instead the water drips out slowly over time so the roots are always hydrated.

And now we can leave for a couple of days and I don’t have to worry because I know the plants are taken care of.

And hopefully?

There won’t be any more plants that look like this.

And more plants that look like this.

Here’s to easy, simple organic solutions for prettier blooms.

Because this summer?

The plants and I are both staying hydrated.

What do you think? Have you ever tried these before? Have you tried the frozen water bottles? I’d love to know all the tips.

PS You can see the terracotta plant spikes here.

Tried one of these tips? Share your plant-sitter-free success story with us!