Are you counting down the days until your next vacation, but worried about leaving your beloved garden behind? Whether you’ve spent months cultivating a beautiful flower bed, or have a thriving vegetable patch that requires daily attention, it can be tough to leave it all behind. With a little bit of planning, you can make sure that your garden stays healthy and happy while you’re away.
Preparing Your Garden For Your Absence
Before you leave for your vacation, it’s important to prepare your garden for your absence.
To start your preparations, check your hometown’s weather forecast for however long you will be away. For a weather forecast predicting a hot dry stretch, you want to have at least one, if not two, fifteen to thirty-minute watering sessions in the morning and/or evening. Next, a day or two prior to your departure date, clean any landscape or garden beds and apply a healthy dose of Preen to stop the germination of new unsightly weeds that may pop up in your absence. Lastly, get those pesky chores out of your head and relax during your vacation.
Watering Techniques for Your Garden
One of the biggest challenges to keeping your garden thriving while you’re away is ensuring your plants have enough water. There are several techniques you can use in your absence. You can have a company like Thomas Landscape to install an irrigation system that is equipped with a timer. For an easy do it yourself project there are also timer switches that you can simply attach to any sprinkler or drip hose system. If neither idea seems right for your situation there are products you can apply that will allow you to cut down on the amount of water you may need. One of these products is sold at Thomas Landscape and Garden center and is called hydretain. Otherwise, a simple application of mulch can also add a bit of protection against excessive evaporation.
Enlist Some Help
When going on vacation, one of the best ways to ensure the well-being of your garden is to enlist the help of a friend or neighbor. Reach out to someone who has a green thumb, or is familiar with basic gardening tasks. Before you leave, provide them with clear instructions on watering schedules and plant care. If you don’t have anyone to care for your garden, hiring a garden sitter or service may be your best option.
What to Do When You Return Home
When you come home from your vacation, it is important to take steps to help your garden recover from your absence.
Thoroughly parooze your landscaping for any defects that can easily be trimmed away like slight browning from sunburn or hiccups in your watering schedule. During this time take note of evidence of critters. Insects and animals can easily take over plants without swift action. An additional application of liquid fence to keep out rabbits and deer may be warranted or a quick dose of insecticide if any infestations are spotted.
A light fertilization with a granular product such as 10-6-4 or Hollitone will help any vegetation to bounce back from any upsets it may have had in your time away. Weeds? What weeds? You applied preen any weed growth will be minor and very easily managed with a few quick plucks.
Your garden is a beautiful and important part of your home, so of course you want to make sure it stays healthy and happy while you’re away. By taking a few simple steps to prepare your garden before you leave, and by utilizing the right techniques while you’re gone, you can help your garden thrive even when you’re not there to take care of it yourself.
So go ahead and plan that vacation- your garden will be waiting for you when you get back!