How to water plants while on vacation, by trip length

Pick your method by trip length

The longer you are gone, the more water the plant needs within reach of its roots. Match the method to the trip.^[1]

Trip length	What to do	Good to know
2 to 4 days	Water deeply. Move pots out of direct sun.	Almost every herb is fine.
5 to 7 days	Add a bathtub with a towel, a pebble tray, or watering globes.	Globes run dry fast in small pots.
2 weeks	Use a wick from a jar, self-watering pots, or a clear bag tent.	Test your setup first.
3 to 4 weeks	Use a wick from a big jar or bucket, or a bag tent.	Fill self-watering pots the day you go. Test first.
Over 4 weeks	Get a plant sitter to visit once a week, or take the plants to their home.	Pests like fungus gnats and aphids build up on stressed plants.

Every longer trip starts with the weekend steps below.

Weekend trips: water deeply and move out of the sun

Most herbs in a normal pot are fine for 2 to 4 days after a deep watering. Water until it runs out the bottom. Let it drain, then empty the saucer so the roots do not sit in water.

Next, pull the pots a few feet back from a hot, sunny window. Keep them away from heaters and AC vents too. Less sun and heat means the plant uses less water.

Set the pots close together, since plants side by side keep the air around them damp. Put thirsty herbs next to thirsty herbs, the same way you would group herbs that share a pot. A shut-up house gets warm in summer, and warm pots dry fast. Plan for the hottest day of the trip.

One week away: the bathtub, a pebble tray, or watering globes

For about a week, give the pots a shallow supply of water to drink from below.

The bathtub or sink trick

Lay an old towel in the tub and add about 2 inches of water. Set the pots on the towel. This keeps them going about a week longer than normal.^[1]

The pots need drainage holes. The room also needs light, so pick a bathroom with a window or leave the light on. A week in the dark is hard on basil.

Do not stretch it past a week. After that the mix stays soggy, and soggy mix is how root rot starts. Leave rosemary, thyme and succulents out of the tub.

Pebble tray

A pebble tray does the same job for 1 or 2 pots that will not fit in the tub. Fill a deep saucer with pebbles, then add water. Set the pot on top and water it well before you go.

Do watering globes work?

Yes, for a few days to about a week in a medium or large pot. In a small pot or a dry, loose mix, a globe can empty overnight.

Water the pot first so the mix is damp. Poke a hole with a pencil so soil does not plug the stem. Then fill the globe and push the stem firmly into the hole. Aqua Globes are the best-known brand.

Terra cotta watering spikes work the same way with an old wine bottle. Soak the spike in water first. The free version is a plastic bottle with 2 or 3 small holes in the cap. It drains fast in loose mix.

Test any of these at home for 3 days first.

How to water plants while away for 2 weeks

For 2 weeks, each plant needs its own water supply. Use a wick from a jar, a self-watering pot, or a clear bag that holds the moisture in.

Wick watering from a jar

A wick is a cord that pulls water from a jar into the pot, a little at a time. It is the cheapest method, and the easiest to test at home.

1. Fill a bowl, jar or bucket with water. Set it on a table or chair a bit higher than the pots. Do not put it between the plants and their light.^[1]
2. Soak the wick, then water the pots so everything starts out wet.
3. Push one end of the wick 2 to 3 inches into the mix. Drop the other end to the bottom of the jar.
4. Use a jar big enough for the whole trip. The wick stops once the water drops below its end.^[2]

Acrylic yarn works well for small pots.^[2] Cotton rope, a cotton shoelace or a strip of old T-shirt also work. A bigger jar lasts longer, which is how the same setup covers 3 or 4 weeks.

Self-watering pots

A self-watering pot has a water tank in the base that feeds the mix from below. Fill the tank the day you leave. An 8-inch self-watering pot is a good size for one herb.

These pots suit thirsty herbs like basil, mint, parsley and chives. Skip them for rosemary, thyme and lavender, since the mix never gets to dry.

The mix matters too. Self-watering pots need a light mix that is at least half perlite, the white grains that let air into soil.^[2] That keeps the roots from staying too wet. Our guide on which potting mix to use has more.

The clear plastic bag tent

A clear plastic bag over the plant traps the water the leaves give off. It drips back into the pot, so a bag can hold moisture for weeks.

1. Water the plant and let it drain.
2. Push 3 or 4 chopsticks into the mix to keep the plastic off the leaves.
3. Slip a large clear bag over the plant and pot, and close it at the bottom.
4. Set it in bright light, but out of direct sun. In the sun, a closed bag cooks the plant.

The limits are weak light and mold. Keep herbs in a bag for no more than about a month. Check for fuzz on the soil when you get back. If you find it, here is how to remove mold from houseplant soil. Rosemary, thyme, lavender and succulents do not belong in a bag. They hate damp, still air.

How to water plants while on vacation for a month or longer

For 3 to 4 weeks, use a wick from a big jar or bucket, and test it first. For longer than 4 weeks, find a plant sitter.^[1]

Plant sitter. Group every pot in one spot. The week before, measure how much water each pot takes with a cup, and write it down. Put the thirsty herbs at the top of the list, and leave the cup out.

Drip or timer kits. A small pump on a timer draws water from a bucket into each pot. Stand every pot in a tray and run the kit for a week before you leave. Indoors, a leak does more harm than a dry plant.

2 or 3 months. Have a sitter come once a week, or take the plants to their home. Or pick the herbs and freeze them, then start over when you get back. Basil and mint cuttings grow roots in a glass of water in 1 to 2 weeks.

Which herbs need the most help

Basil, mint and watercress dry out first. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage handle a dry week far better than a wet one.

Thirsty herbs. Basil wilts fast when it dries out. Our guide on how to grow basil indoors covers how often to water it. Mint wants damp soil all the time. Our guide to growing mint indoors covers the pots that keep it damp. Parsley and chives sit in the middle.

Herbs that drown. Rosemary dies from too much water far more often than too little. Give it one deep drink and move it out of direct sun. Keep it out of the tub and the bag. Our rosemary care guide covers the rest. Thyme and oregano are the same.

Watercress. It sits in water that needs changing every 1 to 2 days, and no gadget does that. It is fine for a weekend in its tray. For longer, cut it back hard and hand it to a sitter. Our watercress care page shows the setup.

Trim before you go. Cut basil and mint back by up to a third. Fewer leaves use less water, and you keep the harvest. Here is how to freeze the extra herbs.

Your other houseplants. Succulents and cacti are best left dry and alone. Orchids need to dry out between waterings, so skip wicks and baths for them. For the rest, House Plants Expert has care guides for common houseplants.

For the basic needs of each herb, see how to grow herbs indoors.

Test it before you go

Set up your method a week before the trip and run it for 3 days while you are home.

1. Water the pots and set up the wick, globe, tank or bag.
2. Each day, push a finger 1 inch into the mix. It should feel damp, not soggy and not dry.
3. Lift the pot. A pot that feels light is drying out.
4. Note how fast the jar, globe or tank empties. Then size it for the full trip.
5. Fix what failed. Try a bigger jar, a second wick, or a spot farther from the window.

If you travel often: pots that hold water longer

A bigger pot that is glazed or plastic stays moist far longer than a small clay one. A pot 10 inches wide holds many times the mix of a 4-inch pot. The small one can dry out in a few days.

Clay without a glaze pulls water out of the mix, while glazed pots and plastic hold it in. Clay is still right for rosemary. Read more on choosing the best pot for herbs.

When you get home

Check the soil before you water, because dry and wet problems look alike.

Wilted, light pot, dry mix. Stand the pot in 1 to 2 inches of water for 30 minutes, then let it drain. Most herbs perk up within a day.

Yellow leaves, wet mix, sour smell. This can be root rot. Let the mix dry out before you water again.

Fuzzy white or gray on the soil. This tends to show up after a bag tent. Scrape it off and let air reach the plant.

If a plant still looks bad after a few days, go through these reasons indoor herbs die.

Questions & answers

How long can plants go without water?

Most herbs in a normal pot last 2 to 4 days after a deep watering. Basil and mint in small pots dry out sooner, most of all in summer. Rosemary and thyme in big pots last longer.

Can plants survive 2 weeks without water?

Tough herbs like rosemary and thyme often can, in big pots out of direct sun. Basil, mint and watercress cannot. Give them a wick, a self-watering pot or a bag tent.

How do watering globes work?

As the mix dries, air gets into the stem and lets a little water out. Damp mix slows the flow. Dry, loose mix can drain a globe in a day.

What is the best way to water plants while on vacation?

For most trips, use a wick from a jar of water. It costs almost nothing, and with a big jar it lasts 3 to 4 weeks. You can also test it at home before you go.

How do you water plants when away for 3 months?

Ask a sitter to come once a week, or take the plants to their home. If neither works, pick and freeze the herbs before you go. Start fresh from seed or cuttings when you get back.

How do you keep plants watered while on vacation for 5 days?

Water deeply and move the pots out of direct sun. Then stand them on a towel in a bathtub with about 2 inches of water, or on a pebble tray.

References

1. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Vacation Plant Care. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/outdoor-living/vacation-plant-care/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

2. Washington State University Extension, Pacific Northwest Gardener’s Handbook, Chapter 14: Houseplants. https://extension.wsu.edu/pnw-gardeners-handbook/chapter-14-houseplants/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎