Vacation waterings

leigh_1 · June 12, 2011

So, I'm going on a 2 week vacation in July and I have 8 tomato plants in containers on my balcony. I would like them to survive without watering. So I've came up with this plan:
1) I will use peat moss and vermiculite in my potting mix. They both retain water. I will give plants a good soak before I leave.
2) I will prevent evaporation. I'll use transparent cling film and tuck it all around the plant as mulch. Water vapor will condense into liquid and go back into the pot.
I'm going to try this method on one plant before my vacation.
What do you think about my plan? Will it work? Am I missing something obvious, as usual?

tam91 · June 12, 2011

I think two weeks will be way too long, and they will be dead. In the summer, I water my plants in containers pretty much every day - and I have 18 gallon containers.

There wouldn't be that much condensation, to water the plants. Plus, if you have the cling film there, rain wouldn't get to the plants, giving them even less chance I'd think.

There are other ways, that hopefully people will chime in with the details. You could set up a soaker hose on a timer for one. I think there are ways to have a big tub of water, and wicks set up into the containers. I think a different method will give them a better chance.

leigh_1 · June 12, 2011

Hi Tracy, thank you for answering me.
Here is my reasoning behind this: if no water is escaping, it's a closed system, and the soil will be as moist as I left it.
Rain would be of no use since my balcony has a roof.
I'm aware that there are other options, and I have friend and family that could help me with watering.
But if this works, I don't have to rely on anybody for my plants to survive. And I could water less often. And it's cheap.
Here is my experimental plant with cling film mulch: 2 days without watering in full sun; no signs of wilting:

wmontanez · June 12, 2011

That's cool. I normally for a short trip I use an empty coke bottle fill it water and stick it in the pot. It wicks moisture slowly. But for longer periods I would try a hybrid of your method above. I imagine the bottle with plastic secured with a rubber band around the neck of the bottle.

Elliot · June 13, 2011

The larger the plants are the more water they will need. Tomato plants in the height of the summer often need to be watered twice a day or they will wilt. I would recommend that you hire someone in your area to come by every day and water them.

**nctomatoman** · June 13, 2011

Leigh, it isn't about preventing moisture loss by covering the soil....the moisture is used by the rapidly growing plants. As others here have said, tomato plants in containers, once the conditions become warm or hot and the plants grow rapidly, require very regular watering. I've got 150 tomatoes in pots....and they get water pretty much every day at this point (and I mean no nozzle on the hose, faucet wide open, 10-15 seconds of water). So....my view is that if you want to return to live plants, someone is going to have to water them pretty regularly for you. Believe me - my tomato growing addiction has impacted vacation plans many summers!

RayR · June 13, 2011

The roots need oxygen too, covering the soil tightly with plastic can't be good for that.
Could encourage bad fungal and bacterial growth too.

nctomatoman is right, someone needs to be there to water.

You might also look into Vacation by Natural Indistries.
Never used it myself, but it looks interesting.

desertlzbn · June 13, 2011

You can get a drip irrigation kit for about twenty bucks at the ol home depto. Add a simple hose end timer, no worries about your plants dieing.

beeman · June 13, 2011

I am trying something new that I've just found.
http://http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=62803&cat=2,2280,54307&ap=1
I planted a Big Beef tomato in the greenhouse some weeks ago, only watered the plant using a pop bottle. It's amazing how little water the plant needs. It's up to two trusses and setting fruit and has only had two bottles full.
Last year I over watered and screwed up the plants, so this year I decided this might be a good idea, it really works.

BigBrownDogHouse · June 13, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

So....my view is that if you want to return to live plants, someone is going to have to water them pretty regularly for you. Believe me - my tomato growing addiction has impacted vacation plans many summers!

And it helps too if that person knows what they are doing. A few too many vacations we returned to dead plants only to have the folks watching the garden say that it rained last Sunday so they didn't think they needed to water. Rained last Sunday...we returned the following Saturday.

One friend couldn't figure out how to connect the garden hose so they watered my tomatoes with cups of water. You can imagine how they looked when we got home.

Another neighbor watered everything on the one side of the house that HIS garden hose could reach and didn't worry about the rest. That was another classic!

We leave in a few weeks for vacation and I have entrusted my garden to a friend who is also a gardener. He has to travel a little further but he doesn't mind, I know it will be taken care of and I will do the same for him.

Best of luck to you and I would really try to find someone to stop in and do the watering themselves....someone trustworthy.

Might put your mind a little more at ease instead of worrying about your little ones.

tam91 · June 13, 2011

BBDH - let me know if you're ever in a bind re. watering on vacation also.

leigh_1 · June 18, 2011

Hi! Thank you for all the answers so far. I promise that I will not hurt any tomatoes during my no watering experiment. If something goes wrong, I will stop the experiment immediately:)
Anyway, here is my tomato plant after 1 week of no watering:

It looks great! It's about to flower:) I plan to do same experiment with bigger plant in bigger pot. But, for now, there was no signs of wilting, even in the hottest sun. I can see condensation on the cling film all the time. I noticed a little rocket seedling trying to get out from underneath the film, but it soon wilted.
I will report back after 2 weeks of no watering.

Elliot · June 19, 2011

I live in an area where the town rulese are you only allowed to water your lawn or garden every other day. they make an exception to hand watering. Would a drip hose on a time violate this ruling ?

rnewste · June 19, 2011

leigh,

Best of luck with your experiment. Sounds like the best one can do given the circumstances.

BTW, I LOVE the composition of your photograph!! Stunning color and contrast.

Raybo

leigh_1 · June 19, 2011

Yes, my balcony walls are painted in orange, and this color works great as a background for green foliage. Terracota pots blend right in and become invisible.

June 12, 2011	#1
leigh_1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: C Posts: 6	Vacation waterings So, I'm going on a 2 week vacation in July and I have 8 tomato plants in containers on my balcony. I would like them to survive without watering. So I've came up with this plan: 1) I will use peat moss and vermiculite in my potting mix. They both retain water. I will give plants a good soak before I leave. 2) I will prevent evaporation. I'll use transparent cling film and tuck it all around the plant as mulch. Water vapor will condense into liquid and go back into the pot. I'm going to try this method on one plant before my vacation. What do you think about my plan? Will it work? Am I missing something obvious, as usual?

June 12, 2011	#2
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	I think two weeks will be way too long, and they will be dead. In the summer, I water my plants in containers pretty much every day - and I have 18 gallon containers. There wouldn't be that much condensation, to water the plants. Plus, if you have the cling film there, rain wouldn't get to the plants, giving them even less chance I'd think. There are other ways, that hopefully people will chime in with the details. You could set up a soaker hose on a timer for one. I think there are ways to have a big tub of water, and wicks set up into the containers. I think a different method will give them a better chance. __________________ Tracy

June 12, 2011	#4
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	That's cool. I normally for a short trip I use an empty coke bottle fill it water and stick it in the pot. It wicks moisture slowly. But for longer periods I would try a hybrid of your method above. I imagine the bottle with plastic secured with a rubber band around the neck of the bottle. __________________ Wendy

June 13, 2011	#6
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Leigh, it isn't about preventing moisture loss by covering the soil....the moisture is used by the rapidly growing plants. As others here have said, tomato plants in containers, once the conditions become warm or hot and the plants grow rapidly, require very regular watering. I've got 150 tomatoes in pots....and they get water pretty much every day at this point (and I mean no nozzle on the hose, faucet wide open, 10-15 seconds of water). So....my view is that if you want to return to live plants, someone is going to have to water them pretty regularly for you. Believe me - my tomato growing addiction has impacted vacation plans many summers! __________________ Craig

June 13, 2011	#9
beeman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 692	I am trying something new that I've just found. http://http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=62803&cat=2,2280,54307&ap=1 I planted a Big Beef tomato in the greenhouse some weeks ago, only watered the plant using a pop bottle. It's amazing how little water the plant needs. It's up to two trusses and setting fruit and has only had two bottles full. Last year I over watered and screwed up the plants, so this year I decided this might be a good idea, it really works. Last edited by beeman; June 13, 2011 at 09:43 AM. Reason: URL not working

June 13, 2011	#5
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	The larger the plants are the more water they will need. Tomato plants in the height of the summer often need to be watered twice a day or they will wilt. I would recommend that you hire someone in your area to come by every day and water them.

June 13, 2011	#7
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	The roots need oxygen too, covering the soil tightly with plastic can't be good for that. Could encourage bad fungal and bacterial growth too. nctomatoman is right, someone needs to be there to water. You might also look into Vacation by Natural Indistries. Never used it myself, but it looks interesting.

June 13, 2011	#8
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	You can get a drip irrigation kit for about twenty bucks at the ol home depto. Add a simple hose end timer, no worries about your plants dieing.

June 18, 2011	#12
leigh_1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: C Posts: 6	Hi! Thank you for all the answers so far. I promise that I will not hurt any tomatoes during my no watering experiment. If something goes wrong, I will stop the experiment immediately:) Anyway, here is my tomato plant after 1 week of no watering: It looks great! It's about to flower:) I plan to do same experiment with bigger plant in bigger pot. But, for now, there was no signs of wilting, even in the hottest sun. I can see condensation on the cling film all the time. I noticed a little rocket seedling trying to get out from underneath the film, but it soon wilted. I will report back after 2 weeks of no watering.

June 19, 2011	#13
Elliot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hicksville, New York Posts: 503	I live in an area where the town rulese are you only allowed to water your lawn or garden every other day. they make an exception to hand watering. Would a drip hose on a time violate this ruling ?

June 19, 2011	#14
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	leigh, Best of luck with your experiment. Sounds like the best one can do given the circumstances. BTW, I LOVE the composition of your photograph!! Stunning color and contrast. Raybo