Plant FAQs: Will My Plants Be OK While I’m On Holiday?

It’s warm, outdoors and indoors are both uncomfortable, and the ice creams are flying off the supermarket freezer shelves - all of which can only mean one thing: it’s time for summer holidays . What better way to appreciate the few months of warmth we have here in the UK than leaving and going on holiday somewhere potentially even hotter? Or enjoying that at least the drizzle is warm from a caravan in the countryside? Whether you’re all inclusive in Egypt, caravanning in North Wales, AirBnB-ing in Europe or in a tent in Devon, chances are your houseplants are staying right where they are. Maybe you’re wondering how to keep them alive from afar. Will you need a plant-sitter? Will they dry to a crisp? Would it work to just water them loads now? Read on to find out!

(And for that last question - it’s a no.)

Not all plants are exactly the same, as of course not all holidays are - so I’ve split the advice by length of holiday and water needs of plants. Without further ado, here is the Sprouts Guide to Abandoning Your Plants to Go On Holiday!

Going Away for a Weekend

A cheeky weekend away is a summer staple, and whether you’re off to a festival, going on a city break or travelling to a family wedding, you’ll want to head off safe in the knowledge that your plants are happy. Let’s break it down by water needs:

• Lowest Water Needs

This section includes cacti, succulents and any other plants that want their soil to totally dry out between waters. These plants will be fine to be left for a long weekend. If you aren’t sure when you last watered, give them a once-over; wrinkly leaves or bone-dry soil are a sign that they’ll benefit from a water before you go. Make sure they’re nice and drenched - but don’t leave them sat in a dish of water or they will be at risk of rotting.

• Middling Water Needs

This section includes easygoing plants like Monstera, Philodendrons, Pothoses - anything where you’d usually wait for the top inch or two of soil to dry before watering each time. With these plants, it’s usually worth giving them a water before you head off for your weekend away, although if you’ve watered them in the last couple of days they will probably be fine too. Make sure they aren’t getting too much direct sun, water as usual, and check on them when you get back.

• Highest Water Needs

In this section are the fussiest plants when it comes to water. Calatheas, Marantas, Fittonias, ferns, and anything that loves to have consistent moisture at all times. If you normally keep the soil on your plant damp to the touch - and the plant is happy with this - it falls into this category. These can be trickier to leave over the weekend, but should be fine if you water right before you go , and remember to check when you arrive back. Make sure they aren’t getting any direct sun, and make sure to top up any humidity trays you might be using. And if you come back and they are a bit wilted, don’t panic - give them a good water and wait a day or two, and they should be able to recover.

Going Away for a Week

A week’s holiday! A proper break from life, but you’re hoping that you’ll be able to come back to living plants and not a desert of crispy leaves and dry soil. You can probably manage this without help, but it may involve moving your plants around a little…

• Lowest Water Needs

Your cacti and succulents will be fine for a week, but it’s a good idea to time it so you water them just before you go. If the weather is forecast to be really hot , watering now will be more important - and in really bright windows it might even be worth moving them a little further back from the sun.

• Middling Water Needs

Definitely water these before you leave and when you get back, and in this case I would also move these to a shadier spot than where you normally keep them, if possible. Grouping the plants all together will raise the humidity and help them not dry out as quickly. This way you can be sure your Aroids and similarly-thirsty plants will cope with your holiday.

• Highest Water Needs

For your most dramatic plant pets, you’ll need to go the extra mile. It might be worth getting someone to pop in just for these in the middle of the week, but if that isn’t a possibility, it’s definitely worth moving the plants. Group this type together somewhere shady, and make sure they are well-watered before you leave. If you don’t already use a humidity tray , it’ll be worth creating one for the week. Get a tray big enough for the plants to sit on, fill with pebbles or grit, and then pour water over. Sit your plants on top and they’ll be kept nice and humid - and dry out more slowly - for the duration. And really do make sure they aren't getting any direct sun in the spot you choose for them as this will dry them out very quickly.

Going Away for Ten Days or More

Lucky you, you’re off on a long holiday! Enjoy yourself - and take those plants off your mind by asking someone trustworthy to water them. Don’t be like my grandma and leave all your plants in full trays of water - you’ll just come back to rotten roots .

• Lowest Water Needs

For a longer holiday, even these might need some help to get through. They should be fine for a couple of weeks - and you can lengthen this by moving them to a spot with less direct sun - but if you’re lucky enough to be going for much longer than two weeks , I’d recommend at least getting someone to check on these. Just make sure they know not to overdo the watering - once is probably enough.

• Middling Water Needs

These will probably need at least checking on every week in summer, so adjust the number of visits you request to the length of your holiday! Again, grouping them together will help them dry out more slowly - and can also be helpful to your visiting waterer so they know which plants have similar needs. For plants in this group that are more easygoing, like a pothos or a philodendron, you may be fine to leave them for a few days longer than a week, but I wouldn’t leave them alone much longer in summer.

• Highest Water Needs

These drama queens will need some attention while you’re away. Even when you’ve slowed down the rate at which they dry out by grouping them, and using a humidity tray, they will need more water - so this is definitely the time to call in those favours! Long holidays can be tough on thirsty plants, so make sure you maximise your chance of success by grouping them, giving them a humidity tray, and getting them a plant sitter , even if they just drop in for five minutes once or twice a week.

Three more pieces of advice to look at before you go on holiday:

• Check the Weather Forecast

You might have checked the weather where you’re travelling to, but have you checked the forecast at home while you’re on holiday? If it’s looking overcast and drizzly, have a little smile to yourself. And not just because of the schadenfreude - less sun means your house plants will dry out more slowly, meaning a higher chance of plant satisfaction. Yippee! And if it’s going to be scorching, this is definitely a sign to move your plants out of the window, into those cooler and shadier spots. You can even pop them in your bath, if you have one (and don’t have housemates who’ll want to use it).

• Leave Good Instructions

If you are getting a plant sitter, make sure they know what they are doing. If that means sourcing a friend who also has plenty of houseplants, or who knows their planty stuff - brilliant! If your friends are all non-plant-experts, give them good instructions. It might even be worth labelling the plants - for example, if you’ve grouped them by type, you could leave a sign saying ‘Water me when my soil is totally dry’ or ‘Water us when our soil is a bit dry on top’. Ask them what reminders will help them the most - a written reminder or a verbal one? On a text message or a notebook in your home? Does the sign need to be by the plants or on the door? Remember, they are doing you a favour, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them! Maybe leaving a treat next to your note will encourage them to read it?

• Self-Watering Pots

If you’re planning a longer holiday that’s still a while away, it may be worth switching to a self-watering system. This way, your planting system will do a lot of the work for you - your plants will take up as much water as they need, and you can leave their reservoirs full. It also makes it easier for your plant-sitter, who can just top up those reservoirs rather than sticking their fingers into the soil. This is especially useful for those dramatic thirsty plants, and will help you even when you’re not on holiday. Plus, you’ll get a good idea of how often you need to top them up. What’s not to love!

So there you have it - your bags are packed, plants in their holiday positions and the plant-sitter duly thanked and instructed. You’ve checked the weather and positioned the plants accordingly. You are All Set.

Just don’t forget your toothbrush!