Note: Someone in an RV group recommended that I post this here,
complementing your NG for having many great ideas.

We travel pretty regularly in our RV, and have recently bought a winter home
in AZ. When we're away for up to two months, our house plants (in WA)
somehow survive, with a good soaking when we leave, along with placing them
so they'll get enough light, but not burn up. They're awfully thirsty by
the time we come home.

Now that we expect to be gone for longer periods, we need some kind of
automatic, indoor watering system. We need to shut off our house water
while we're gone, to avoid potential disaster, since our house is somewhat
remote. In other words, whatever we get will need to be battery operated
(winter power outages are common) and draw water from buckets/tank/whatever.
So far, what I've found doesn't have enough capacity to do the job. We
simply have
too many plants, which will suck up a lot of water in three to five months.
It's not practical to have someone go to our house, nor do we want to impose
that on anyone, especially when they wouldn't have water to use for
themselves (not to mention our complicated alarm system).

Does anyone here use an automatic system, or have a brainstorm for how we
could keep these poor plants happy? Some of them are decades old... we'd
hate to do them in. Thanks for your input.

Unc

"uncle k" wrote in message

Now that we expect to be gone for longer periods, we need some kind of
automatic, indoor watering system. We need to shut off our house water
while we're gone, to avoid potential disaster, since our house is somewhat
remote. In other words, whatever we get will need to be battery operated
(winter power outages are common) and draw water from
buckets/tank/whatever.
So far, what I've found doesn't have enough capacity to do the job. We
simply have
too many plants, which will suck up a lot of water in three to five
months.


Perhaps this could be rigged up to each plant.
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...2,2280&p=45922

"uncle k" wrote in message
nk.net...
Note: Someone in an RV group recommended that I post this here,
complementing your NG for having many great ideas.

We travel pretty regularly in our RV, and have recently bought a winter
home
in AZ. When we're away for up to two months, our house plants (in WA)
somehow survive, with a good soaking when we leave, along with placing
them
so they'll get enough light, but not burn up. They're awfully thirsty by
the time we come home.

Now that we expect to be gone for longer periods, we need some kind of
automatic, indoor watering system. We need to shut off our house water
while we're gone, to avoid potential disaster, since our house is somewhat
remote. In other words, whatever we get will need to be battery operated
(winter power outages are common) and draw water from
buckets/tank/whatever.
So far, what I've found doesn't have enough capacity to do the job. We
simply have
too many plants, which will suck up a lot of water in three to five
months.
It's not practical to have someone go to our house, nor do we want to
impose
that on anyone, especially when they wouldn't have water to use for
themselves (not to mention our complicated alarm system).

Does anyone here use an automatic system, or have a brainstorm for how we
could keep these poor plants happy? Some of them are decades old... we'd
hate to do them in. Thanks for your input.

Unc

there are companies that specialize in taking care of closed houses;
watering plants, flushing toilets, running sinks to fill the traps, checking
for plumbing leaks filling your basement, etc.

regards,
charlie
cave creek, az

I've read about a method - never tried it - of draping a strip of cloth
from a container of water onto the soil. Supposedly the water wicks
from the container down onto the plant. Doesn't sound reliable.

If I were to devise a method, I'd try rigging a small pump, on a timer.
Micro tubing like used with irrigation systems outdoors might be ok.
Put plants and the whole rig in garage or shower (where spills won't
matter). Could even use a submersible pump, such as is used for garden
ponds. There is probably a ready made thingy for what you want, but
have never seen one.

Dedicated RV'ers take the whole house with them - picnic tables, patio
lights, landscaping, flag poles, etc, etc, etc )

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
newsD9Ee.236$eg4.182@trndny01...

Perhaps this could be rigged up to each plant.
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...2,2280&p=45922

I like the general idea, and there may be a way to modify such a system to
do the job. Some plants can live in water, but others would croak if they
got too much. Thanks.

Norminn wrote:

I've read about a method - never tried it - of draping a strip of cloth
from a container of water onto the soil. Supposedly the water wicks
from the container down onto the plant. Doesn't sound reliable.

If I were to devise a method, I'd try rigging a small pump, on a timer.
Micro tubing like used with irrigation systems outdoors might be ok.
Put plants and the whole rig in garage or shower (where spills won't
matter). Could even use a submersible pump, such as is used for garden
ponds. There is probably a ready made thingy for what you want, but
have never seen one.

Dedicated RV'ers take the whole house with them - picnic tables, patio
lights, landscaping, flag poles, etc, etc, etc )

Say Uncle K Did I mention some of the ideas may be, well, "different"??

Lou

"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
news:dbrag1
...............
there are companies that specialize in taking care of closed houses;
watering plants, flushing toilets, running sinks to fill the traps,
checking for plumbing leaks filling your basement, etc.

This is an excellent service, in AZ, but our house plants there are made of
silk. The outdoor plants require no care. We also have good neighbors who
can take care of anything that comes up. We are very fortunate to be shaded
from the afternoon sun, so all we do is seal the drains and leave buckets
and jugs of water all over the place.

The climate in western WA doesn't cry out for such a service... the toilet
water will still be there when we return, and the outside takes care of
itself. We really have leaving for an extended period down to a science,
but the probability of being gone three months +, instead of one or two, is
a death sentence for our plants.

This would be easy, if I were willing to leave the house water on while we
were gone. I've seen what an undetected leak can do - it's not pretty. Our
friends and family are too far away to impose this detail on them, and I'm
not fond of the idea of handing the key to a somewhat remote residence to a
complete stranger.

I'm convinced that the exact product I was hoping for doesn't exist. It's
modification time. The parts and pieces are out there - it's just a matter
of coming up with something that'll work.

Unc

wrote in message ...
.....................
Say Uncle K Did I mention some of the ideas may be, well, "different"??

Lou

Now you tell me. That's fine. It's a different kind of question. Besides,
it's kind of peaceful here, without all the politics and flaming so common
to many groups.

Unc

"Norminn" wrote in message
...
I've read about a method - never tried it - of draping a strip of cloth
from a container of water onto the soil. Supposedly the water wicks from
the container down onto the plant. Doesn't sound reliable.

If I were to devise a method, I'd try rigging a small pump, on a timer.
Micro tubing like used with irrigation systems outdoors might be ok. Put
plants and the whole rig in garage or shower (where spills won't matter).
Could even use a submersible pump, such as is used for garden ponds.
There is probably a ready made thingy for what you want, but have never
seen one.

Agreed.

Dedicated RV'ers take the whole house with them - picnic tables, patio
lights, landscaping, flag poles, etc, etc, etc )


Har har. All I need is golf clubs. Either I'm not dedicated enough, or
perhaps it's that we have enough house plants to fill the RV, leaving no
room for my wife's excessive shoe collection. We actually do take a few of
them with us. They seem to be the happiest ones. Some of them are so
mature they simply couldn't be moved, like a six-stemmed, 30' philodendron.

Unc

"uncle k" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
news:dbrag1
...............
there are companies that specialize in taking care of closed houses;
watering plants, flushing toilets, running sinks to fill the traps,
checking for plumbing leaks filling your basement, etc.

This is an excellent service, in AZ, but our house plants there are made
of silk. The outdoor plants require no care. We also have good neighbors
who can take care of anything that comes up. We are very fortunate to be
shaded from the afternoon sun, so all we do is seal the drains and leave
buckets and jugs of water all over the place.

The climate in western WA doesn't cry out for such a service... the toilet
water will still be there when we return, and the outside takes care of
itself. We really have leaving for an extended period down to a science,
but the probability of being gone three months +, instead of one or two,
is a death sentence for our plants.

This would be easy, if I were willing to leave the house water on while we
were gone. I've seen what an undetected leak can do - it's not pretty.
Our friends and family are too far away to impose this detail on them, and
I'm not fond of the idea of handing the key to a somewhat remote residence
to a complete stranger.

I'm convinced that the exact product I was hoping for doesn't exist. It's
modification time. The parts and pieces are out there - it's just a
matter of coming up with something that'll work.

Unc


there are very low dose pumps used to feed nutrients to aquariums, which
come from the medical field (drug pumps). these feed from a tank or line
pressure. you can frequently get used dosage pumps on ebay or used from
medical supply places.

If you plan on abandoning your house for 2 months in a row, I recommend
that you check your insurance policy, especially if you are in an area
subject to freezing. In my area insurance policies require empty houses to
be checked once every 48 hours for possible water leaks, break-ins and loss
of heat in winter, if they are going to be empty for a week or more. If you
cannot provide evidence that this was done and a problem occurred, they may
not cover the damages that happen.

It may be simpler to arrange for a house-sitter to visit the house on a
regular basis and water the plants at the same time, even if you have to pay
something for the service.


"uncle k" wrote in message
nk.net...
Note: Someone in an RV group recommended that I post this here,
complementing your NG for having many great ideas.

We travel pretty regularly in our RV, and have recently bought a winter
home
in AZ. When we're away for up to two months, our house plants (in WA)
somehow survive, with a good soaking when we leave, along with placing
them
so they'll get enough light, but not burn up. They're awfully thirsty by
the time we come home.

Now that we expect to be gone for longer periods, we need some kind of
automatic, indoor watering system. We need to shut off our house water
while we're gone, to avoid potential disaster, since our house is somewhat
remote. In other words, whatever we get will need to be battery operated
(winter power outages are common) and draw water from
buckets/tank/whatever.
So far, what I've found doesn't have enough capacity to do the job. We
simply have
too many plants, which will suck up a lot of water in three to five
months.
It's not practical to have someone go to our house, nor do we want to
impose
that on anyone, especially when they wouldn't have water to use for
themselves (not to mention our complicated alarm system).

Does anyone here use an automatic system, or have a brainstorm for how we
could keep these poor plants happy? Some of them are decades old... we'd
hate to do them in. Thanks for your input.

Unc

"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
there are very low dose pumps used to feed nutrients to aquariums, which
come from the medical field (drug pumps). these feed from a tank or line
pressure. you can frequently get used dosage pumps on ebay or used from
medical supply places.

That's an interesting possibility. Combined with a timer, that might work.
I'm E-Bay challenged, but it might be time for me to check it out. If
nothing else, maybe I could drug my plants into a suspended, transcendental
state, until we get home to care for them.

Unc

"EXT" etonks@sunstormADD-DOT-COM wrote in message
news.com...
If you plan on abandoning your house for 2 months in a row, I recommend
that you check your insurance policy, especially if you are in an area
subject to freezing. In my area insurance policies require empty houses to
be checked once every 48 hours for possible water leaks, break-ins and
loss
of heat in winter, if they are going to be empty for a week or more. If
you
cannot provide evidence that this was done and a problem occurred, they
may
not cover the damages that happen.

It may be simpler to arrange for a house-sitter to visit the house on a
regular basis and water the plants at the same time, even if you have to
pay
something for the service.


I appreciate all of that. I have discussed these things with our insurance
agents and I'm not too concerned. We do have one neighbor who does check on
the place, but the way we leave it, it has always taken care of itself. The
nearest people we would trust with our house are at least 90 miles away. I
just hate to impose on people like that, while we're floating in a pool in
AZ, but it may come to that. If I could just get past keeping our plants
alive in our absence, there isn't anything else of major concern.

I could leave the water on, which means I could buy an OTC automatic
watering system, but that would certainly require another call to the
insurance agent.

Unc

"uncle k" wrote in message
link.net...

"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
there are very low dose pumps used to feed nutrients to aquariums, which
come from the medical field (drug pumps). these feed from a tank or line
pressure. you can frequently get used dosage pumps on ebay or used from
medical supply places.

That's an interesting possibility. Combined with a timer, that might
work. I'm E-Bay challenged, but it might be time for me to check it out.
If nothing else, maybe I could drug my plants into a suspended,
transcendental state, until we get home to care for them.

Unc


they are timer based. used to deliver drugs over a period of time
periodically. with a large enough reservoir, it would suit your purpose. you
could just have a lot of 1/8" drip system tubing running all over the place.
you may require a bunch of them. here's an example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7702378317&category=32 12&ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1

clipped

Dedicated RV'ers take the whole house with them - picnic tables, patio
lights, landscaping, flag poles, etc, etc, etc )



Har har. All I need is golf clubs. Either I'm not dedicated enough, or
perhaps it's that we have enough house plants to fill the RV, leaving no
room for my wife's excessive shoe collection. We actually do take a few of
them with us. They seem to be the happiest ones. Some of them are so
mature they simply couldn't be moved, like a six-stemmed, 30' philodendron.

Unc



You just aren't inspired - yet. Hang a bucket on the front of the RV,
run some wire or bungee cords front to back, and wind Phil around the
bungee cords. May lose some leaves, but they grow fast and it probably
would help keep you under the speed limit. You will be the talk of the
camp ground, after the racoons )

uncle k wrote:
Note: Someone in an RV group recommended that I post this here,
complementing your NG for having many great ideas.

I did a google search on "automatic plant watering timer vacation" and
got loads of hits - it has definitely been invented. Do you have a
sprinkler system? Leave power on? If you have a sprinkler system, you
can add micro drip tubing to existing heads and water the plants whilst
the lawn is watered. Placing plants in garage or other waterproof
place, of course. The tubing and connectors are not reliable enough to
run them into interior living space. Four months with nobody checking
the house? Dangerous. Pay your friend to come down once a month or
hire a local police officer.

"Charles Spitzer" .............
they are timer based. used to deliver drugs over a period of time
periodically. with a large enough reservoir, it would suit your purpose.
you could just have a lot of 1/8" drip system tubing running all over the
place. you may require a bunch of them. here's an example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7702378317&category=32 12&ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1
I expect to group the plants in a couple of areas, near the immovable
plants, depending on how much light they need, so the cluster of hoses is no
big deal. I think this would work, but it's hard to imagine a medical
dripper being designed to deliver a half quart of drugs to a patient, once a
week. Perhaps I could get around that by placing multiple delivery heads in
the plants which drink heavily.

Unc

"Norminn" wrote in message
...

I did a google search on "automatic plant watering timer vacation" and got
loads of hits - it has definitely been invented. Do you have a sprinkler
system? Leave power on? If you have a sprinkler system, you can add
micro drip tubing to existing heads and water the plants whilst the lawn
is watered. Placing plants in garage or other waterproof place, of
course. The tubing and connectors are not reliable enough to run them
into interior living space. Four months with nobody checking the house?
Dangerous. Pay your friend to come down once a month or hire a local
police officer.

The whole idea is to do this without using our house water system. We've
left for up to two months numerous times and never had any problem. I
agree, four months is a stretch. We do leave the power on, to run our
security system, timers, and supply enough heat to keep things from being
damaged by cold or dampness. Even if I have someone go in once a week,
there's no guarantee that a leak wouldn't start the minute they left. One
week, let alone one day, with water running through the floors would be
disasterous. I could put all the loose plants in a kids wading pool or the
like, but a serious leak would fill that in no time.

Unc

For the record, I have seen what a water leak can do to a house, more than a
few times. My folks were gone for just a few days and had one of those
modern, braided supply hoses come loose at its factory-crimped coupling.
Likely or not, it happened. The only reason it was noticed by anyone is
because it was the hot side... all the windows steamed up and a neighbor
noticed it. Fortunately, the water found a way to leak through to the
basement, which has a floor drain. It sure wrecked lots of things, just the
same, and made for a hefty electric bill with the water heater trying to
recover for who knows how many days. Ugly situation, simply avoided by
turning the water and water heater off while you're gone.

The more I think about it, the more I like our silk house plants in AZ.
They are so realistic these days that they defy detection. However, they
are a little weak on cleansing the air and supplying oxygen.

Unc

clipped

The whole idea is to do this without using our house water system. We've
left for up to two months numerous times and never had any problem. I
agree, four months is a stretch. We do leave the power on, to run our
security system, timers, and supply enough heat to keep things from being
damaged by cold or dampness. Even if I have someone go in once a week,
there's no guarantee that a leak wouldn't start the minute they left. One
week, let alone one day, with water running through the floors would be
disasterous. I could put all the loose plants in a kids wading pool or the
like, but a serious leak would fill that in no time.

Unc




My original thought was to use a container (trash can, kiddy pool, etc)
to pump water from, in garage or other waterproof location, using a
limited water supply and battery supply. You said you have a lot of
plants, but no number ... huge planters or a bunch of manageable pots?

Another thought, given the attachment to plants and length of vacations,
would be to build a greenhouse large enough to handle the houseplants
and supply their needs for long periods.

Yes, water leaks are disastrous - we had about three minutes worth from
a broken washer hose. Fortunately, tile and terrazzo floors weren't
damaged and we got a wet vac going before the water damaged cabinets and
baseboards. All day would have trashed our home.

Last resort - a garden club, nursery or friend who would plant-sit if
you haul them somewhere else )

In article et,
"uncle k" wrote:

- Note: Someone in an RV group recommended that I post this here,
- complementing your NG for having many great ideas.
-
- We travel pretty regularly in our RV, and have recently bought a winter home
- in AZ. When we're away for up to two months, our house plants (in WA)
- somehow survive, with a good soaking when we leave, along with placing them
- so they'll get enough light, but not burn up. They're awfully thirsty by
- the time we come home.
-
- Now that we expect to be gone for longer periods, we need some kind of
- automatic, indoor watering system. We need to shut off our house water
- while we're gone, to avoid potential disaster, since our house is somewhat
- remote. In other words, whatever we get will need to be battery operated
- (winter power outages are common) and draw water from buckets/tank/whatever.
- So far, what I've found doesn't have enough capacity to do the job. We
- simply have
- too many plants, which will suck up a lot of water in three to five months.
- It's not practical to have someone go to our house, nor do we want to impose
- that on anyone, especially when they wouldn't have water to use for
- themselves (not to mention our complicated alarm system).
-
- Does anyone here use an automatic system, or have a brainstorm for how we
- could keep these poor plants happy? Some of them are decades old... we'd
- hate to do them in. Thanks for your input.
-
- Unc

Would it be practical to set the plants in the bathtub with plenty of
water? You could also leave a "portable" flourescent light on in that
bathroom for artificial sunlight.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
http://www.intergnat.com/pussygames/

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 17:25:53 GMT, Suzie-Q
wrote:

In article et,
"uncle k" wrote:

- Note: Someone in an RV group recommended that I post this here,
- complementing your NG for having many great ideas.
-
- We travel pretty regularly in our RV, and have recently bought a winter home
- in AZ. When we're away for up to two months, our house plants (in WA)
- somehow survive, with a good soaking when we leave, along with placing them
- so they'll get enough light, but not burn up. They're awfully thirsty by
- the time we come home.
-
- Now that we expect to be gone for longer periods, we need some kind of
- automatic, indoor watering system. We need to shut off our house water
- while we're gone, to avoid potential disaster, since our house is somewhat
- remote. In other words, whatever we get will need to be battery operated
- (winter power outages are common) and draw water from buckets/tank/whatever.
- So far, what I've found doesn't have enough capacity to do the job. We
- simply have
- too many plants, which will suck up a lot of water in three to five months.
- It's not practical to have someone go to our house, nor do we want to impose
- that on anyone, especially when they wouldn't have water to use for
- themselves (not to mention our complicated alarm system).
-
- Does anyone here use an automatic system, or have a brainstorm for how we
- could keep these poor plants happy? Some of them are decades old... we'd
- hate to do them in. Thanks for your input.
-
- Unc

How about this automatic watering system from Hammacher Schlemmer?
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/70899.asp?promo=search

"Ev Dugan" wrote in message How about this
automatic watering system from Hammacher Schlemmer?
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/70899.asp?promo=search

It looks real nice, but as I mentioned, I'd need at least three of them....
BTW, it sells for $10 less at most other sites, and $20 less at one.

If this unit had a big, industrial-strength brother, it would work. I have
50 plants and may need to auto-water them for up to 150 days.

In article et,
"uncle k" wrote:

The whole idea is to do this without using our house water system. We've
left for up to two months numerous times and never had any problem. I
agree, four months is a stretch. We do leave the power on, to run our
security system, timers, and supply enough heat to keep things from being
damaged by cold or dampness. Even if I have someone go in once a week,
there's no guarantee that a leak wouldn't start the minute they left. One
week, let alone one day, with water running through the floors would be
disasterous. I could put all the loose plants in a kids wading pool or the
like, but a serious leak would fill that in no time.

Just buy a small junk water heater (no leaks but don't need heating
elements) and fill,it 3/4 with water and compressed air head. You then
have a pressurized water supply, but with limited volume (whatever you
put in it).

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

replying to uncle k, Maiden wrote:
Best way to 'keep' your house plants is to water them well for a couple of
days before you leave. Make sure the water drains and not soaking the soil.
Then wrap them in clear plastic garbage bags and seal them. Move them out of
direct sunlight. They will be fine for 2 months.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...ion-15487-.htm

On 3/27/2020 11:14 PM, Maiden wrote:
replying to uncle k, Maiden wrote:
Best way to 'keep' your house plants is to water them well for a couple of
days before you leave. Make sure the water drains and not soaking the soil.
Then wrap them in clear plastic garbage bags and seal them. Move them
out of
direct sunlight. They will be fine for 2 months.


Thanks, we've been waiting 15 years for the solution.

Ed Pawlowski laid this down on his screen :
On 3/27/2020 11:14 PM, Maiden wrote:
replying to uncle k, Maiden wrote:
Best way to 'keep' your house plants is to water them well for a couple of
days before you leave. Make sure the water drains and not soaking the soil.
Then wrap them in clear plastic garbage bags and seal them. Move them out
of
direct sunlight. They will be fine for 2 months.


Thanks, we've been waiting 15 years for the solution.

If it was a potted tree, you may need bigger bags all taped together.

On Sat, 28 Mar 2020 03:14:02 +0000, Maiden
m wrote:

replying to uncle k, Maiden wrote:
Best way to 'keep' your house plants is to water them well for a couple of
days before you leave. Make sure the water drains and not soaking the soil.
Then wrap them in clear plastic garbage bags and seal them. Move them out of
direct sunlight. They will be fine for 2 months.

Ok so you leave for Ontario on April 15 and your plants are in a bag.
I guess that means they will have only been dead for 7 months when
you get back in January.

On Sat, 28 Mar 2020 21:03:36 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 28 Mar 2020 03:14:02 +0000, Maiden
om wrote:

replying to uncle k, Maiden wrote:
Best way to 'keep' your house plants is to water them well for a couple of
days before you leave. Make sure the water drains and not soaking the soil.
Then wrap them in clear plastic garbage bags and seal them. Move them out of
direct sunlight. They will be fine for 2 months.

Ok so you leave for Ontario on April 15 and your plants are in a bag.
I guess that means they will have only been dead for 7 months when
you get back in January.
You don't "seal" the bag.
That said, I look after my friend's place when he heads to Texas at
Christmas and returns about Easter.
I water his plants about 2 times in that time. And his are not bagged.