I have lots of plants around my house - I haven't the faintest idea what
most of them are! - including a 3ft palm-tree thing - all of which are doing
very well. I'm obviously "good" with houseplants.

However, I'm going away for nearly four weeks in June and no longer have
someone I can ask to pop in and water them once/twice a week.

Some of them have been with me for a while, and I'm quite attached to them -
is it feasible to put them outside for the duration? On the basis that the
outside temperature is in the teens during June?

Presumably I should put them where they are shaded from direct sun, but get
the rain, and perhaps in standing water so they don't dry out.

Any comments greatfully accepted.

Thanks

Barb

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"Barb" wrote in message
news
I have lots of plants around my house - I haven't the faintest idea what
most of them are! - including a 3ft palm-tree thing - all of which are
doing
very well. I'm obviously "good" with houseplants.

However, I'm going away for nearly four weeks in June and no longer have
someone I can ask to pop in and water them once/twice a week.

Some of them have been with me for a while, and I'm quite attached to
them -
is it feasible to put them outside for the duration? On the basis that
the
outside temperature is in the teens during June?

Presumably I should put them where they are shaded from direct sun, but
get
the rain, and perhaps in standing water so they don't dry out.

Any comments greatfully accepted.

Thanks

Barb


Are you not having someone in to clear the mail off your doorstep? Or are
you going to return to the situation whereby you are unable to open the
front door ;-)

We were away for three months and had :-

A neighbour come in every day to clear the mail.
Family to come and stay from time to time to show 'life' with the curtains.
A daughter who called a couple of times a week to water house plants. She
lives a couple of miles away.
Another daughter who lives nine miles away, also to pop in from time to
time.

Watering house plants. Who does what and when?

We too have a 'palm thingy' (amongst many other plants in the house) and I
made a 'please do not let me dry out' paper, put it on a clip board with a
column for 'I was watered on' for a date 'by' whoever did it :-))

This is once again an example of getting on with your neighbours and helping
them on a tit for tat basis, our immediate neighbours have a big campa van
and shoot of for a few days at a time, 'Mike, Joan, can you look after the
green house please?' but then some people are unable to see this.

Mike

"Barb" wrote in message
news
I have lots of plants around my house - I haven't the faintest idea what
most of them are! - including a 3ft palm-tree thing - all of which are
doing
very well. I'm obviously "good" with houseplants.

However, I'm going away for nearly four weeks in June and no longer have
someone I can ask to pop in and water them once/twice a week.

Some of them have been with me for a while, and I'm quite attached to
them -
is it feasible to put them outside for the duration? On the basis that
the
outside temperature is in the teens during June?

Presumably I should put them where they are shaded from direct sun, but
get
the rain, and perhaps in standing water so they don't dry out.

Any comments greatfully accepted.

Thanks

Barb

Whereabouts are you posting from where you expect temperatures
in the teens, and rain in June ?

For plants that require moist conditions i.e not succulents etc.
Asumming that there's a window in the bathroom and so some
light. This is the same principle as a Wardean case and so should
work for four weeks no problem, providing there's sufficient
light. I used it for two weeks myself years ago. Anyway
- line the bottom of the bath with old newspapers with a bit
of old carpet on top, or maybe just the old carpet depending
how clean it is. Or wads of old newspapaer if you've no old
carpet. Soak the carpet in water and then let it drain for a
while. Water the plants as usual, let them drain and put them
on the damp carpet in the bath. Cover the whole bath in a sheet
of clear polythene, sealing the edges with thick tape or maybe
parcel tape, providing the moisture won't get to the tape.
The three ft plant would need to be staked, and a tennis ball
impaled on the top of the stake, with that plant in the middle
perhaps with the plasic draped over it. The carpt doesn't need
to be soaking - the water will all drain to the plughole end
in any case. Just a bit damp so as to provide continual
moisture.

If they don't all fit, stake other plants around the edges
of the pots with tall plant sticks with something to blunt
the ends, give them a good watering, and then place a clear
plastic bag over them, sealing it around the pot with an elastic
band or whatever.

In this way, there should be no water loss overall from any
of the plants.



michael adams

Barb wrote:
I have lots of plants around my house - I haven't the faintest idea what
most of them are! - including a 3ft palm-tree thing - all of which are doing
very well. I'm obviously "good" with houseplants.

However, I'm going away for nearly four weeks in June and no longer have
someone I can ask to pop in and water them once/twice a week.

Some of them have been with me for a while, and I'm quite attached to them -
is it feasible to put them outside for the duration? On the basis that the
outside temperature is in the teens during June?

I don't know where you live, Barb but in some parts of UK there are
still frosts in June.

Presumably I should put them where they are shaded from direct sun, but get
the rain, and perhaps in standing water so they don't dry out.

Standing water is a bad idea for almost all plants.
I wonder if your local paper or newsagents/post office would have ads
from someone who offers to house sit while people are away. Quite a
lot of people do this sort of thing - some advertise in e.g. parish
magazines, too. Obviously, you'd have to take up references but
something of that kind might work for you. OR, do you have a friendly
nursery or florist nearby that would be willing to take them for you in
exchange for a small fee or a bottle of hooch? We've over-wintered
things like Aloes and Agaves for someone who collected them but had no
conservatory. Her 'payment' was her choice - one day a week's work
in the nursery for a few weeks in spring. She liked working here and
she learned a lot, too.
I imagine you're arranging for the post office to hold on to/forward
your mail but if not, how about the person who is picking that up,
checking the plants, too?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Barb wrote:
I have lots of plants around my house - I haven't the faintest idea what
most of them are! - including a 3ft palm-tree thing - all of which are doing
very well. I'm obviously "good" with houseplants.

However, I'm going away for nearly four weeks in June and no longer have
someone I can ask to pop in and water them once/twice a week.

Some of them have been with me for a while, and I'm quite attached to them -
is it feasible to put them outside for the duration? On the basis that the
outside temperature is in the teens during June?


I'm no gardening expert but to answer your question, yes it is feasible
to put at least some of your houseplants outside for a while because
I've done this myself in the past. From memory, I put a Yucca, Dracaena
and cheese plant outside for about 3 weeks one summer and they
survived. In fact, they thrived. The Yucca in particular shot up, and I
actually started to put it out every year in mid summer whether I was
away or not.

Warnings: I really can't guarantee that all houseplants will survive,
and you will need some luck with the weather. Also, I suspect most
houseplants wouldn't appreciate windy spots. One other thing to be wary
of is that when you bring them back inside, they may well have bugs, so
will need a thorough examination/clean.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Barb wrote:
I have lots of plants around my house - I haven't the faintest idea
what
most of them are! - including a 3ft palm-tree thing - all of which are
doing
very well. I'm obviously "good" with houseplants.

However, I'm going away for nearly four weeks in June and no longer
have
someone I can ask to pop in and water them once/twice a week.

Some of them have been with me for a while, and I'm quite attached to
them -
is it feasible to put them outside for the duration? On the basis
that the
outside temperature is in the teens during June?


I'm no gardening expert but to answer your question, yes it is feasible
to put at least some of your houseplants outside for a while because
I've done this myself in the past. From memory, I put a Yucca, Dracaena
and cheese plant outside for about 3 weeks one summer and they
survived. In fact, they thrived. The Yucca in particular shot up, and I
actually started to put it out every year in mid summer whether I was
away or not.

Warnings: I really can't guarantee that all houseplants will survive,
and you will need some luck with the weather. Also, I suspect most
houseplants wouldn't appreciate windy spots. One other thing to be wary
of is that when you bring them back inside, they may well have bugs, so
will need a thorough examination/clean.



In the absence of torrential rain, light showeres will most probably
evaporate away, at a guess around 80% of non succulents plants will
be stone dead within four weeks, if left outside unattended in warm
conditions.
Plants in pots are especially vulnerable as they have only
the compost in the pot to replace moisture being constanly lost
through plant respiration and evaporatation.
While anyone who can confidently forecast torrential rain is
clearly in the wrong job.


michael adams

"Barb" wrote in message
news
I have lots of plants around my house - I haven't the faintest idea what
most of them are! - including a 3ft palm-tree thing - all of which are doing
very well. I'm obviously "good" with houseplants.

However, I'm going away for nearly four weeks in June and no longer have
someone I can ask to pop in and water them once/twice a week.

Some of them have been with me for a while, and I'm quite attached to them -
is it feasible to put them outside for the duration? On the basis that the
outside temperature is in the teens during June?

Presumably I should put them where they are shaded from direct sun, but get
the rain, and perhaps in standing water so they don't dry out.

Any comments greatfully accepted.
Thanks Barb

Some ideas he
http://www.gardenline.usask.ca/plants/holidays.html
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...liday_care.asp

jenny

Not a bad idea of looking after of outside house plants during holidays It is really nice way to spend your time. However I spent my holidays at any hill station or to go abroad. Last summer holidays, I went to a beach. However it is nice way to share your thoughts.

There should be no problem temperature-wise in placing them outdoors during June (that's as long as you're not in an area which can get a frost in the first few days of June).

As others have said, it's the water that is the problem. Four weeks is a long time. Few plants like standing in water, but a lot will cope with it for about a week - so leaving them in about half an inch to an inch of water will work for two weeks away. But after that you need either a plant sitter or an automatic watering system. (Except for succulents which are designed to withstand long periods of drought).

The other problem is slugs - peace lilies, for example, are prime slug food.

Finally, if you set up an automatic watering system indoors (or stack them all in the bath), make sure they are out of view of accessible windows - it's a sure signal to burglars that the house is unoccupied.