How to water potted plants while on holidays?

I have at least 20-30 POTTED plants/trees peppered around my brick courtyard and they're all doing well.

Problem is, we'll be going on holidays after Xmas (4 weeks) and am wondering how to water them automatically? In fact, it would be nice to not hose them every 2 days as I do now, so whatever I set up before we go will be a permanent fixture.

Any ideas? If its a timer and irrigation hose, greatly appreciate if you can post appropriate Bunnings links so I can buy them on the weekend. The staff at Bunnings are borderline useless for advice. To be fair, I'm pretty useless myself.

Look forward to some foolproof suggestions.

 

Pierce holes with a skewer in those 2 litre milk bottles and upend them into the plants. Little ones, put some towels in the bath, plants on top and
Put a couple of inches of water in

 

Not really. We're not that close.

 

Will this actually work with pots spaced apart? Think it's more suited to a lawn where you're covering a wider area....more like carpet bombing.

 

Definitely install an auto watering system. Do it well before you leave so you can be sure it works correctly.

You need to consider how big a system you need. Will you need more than one hose line coming off the timer?

I have an automatic battery operated Orbit system with space for 4 add on watering valves - but I just run two valves - so two separate hose lines off it as the plants are around the edges of the block in different directions. Separate valves means that you can have each hose line watering differently - e.g. hose A for 15 minutes and hose B for 30 minutes. Some timers come with the valves already integrated.

Holman and Pope also do various versions of the auto timer.

In addition to the automatic timer, you will need 13mm or 19mm poly pipe, a 100 Kpa pressure reducer, an in-line filter for the timer unit or else one inline filter per poly pipe, pipe joiners and plastic clamps, flexible 4mm riser rubber drip tubing and barbed tubing joiners, in line adjustable tricklers or set flow drippers - on spikes, a hole punch and goof plugs for mistakes).

Then it’s just a matter of attaching the timer to the tap, then the valves if needed, then the pressure reducer and filter. Cut the poly pipe and lay it out behind the pots, use corners, tees etc to create the shape. Then punch holes in the pipe using the special hole punch that usually comes with the goof plugs. Then attach the flexible tubing to the poly pipe with the joiners and the drippers to the tube after making sure there is enough length to reach the centre of the plant pot.

Keep a mug of boiling water to dip the pipe and tube into to soften it when joining.

(Alternatively, if your plant pots aren’t large or spread over a large area you may get away with a prepackaged kit which uses narrow tube instead of the poly pipe as the way of getting water from plant to plant - e.g the Pope Pot Spray Starter Kit - but you might need more than one for the number of plants you have).

Make sure the tap isn’t accidentally turned off as you leave for holidays!

I can take photos of my set up if it’s helpful..

 

OK tx this sounds like a plan...will look into what's reqd (from Bunnings).

 

House sitter.
Not only water your plants but keep the place lived in which keeps it fresh, thieves dont suspect an easy breakin etc etc.
Dont tell datto your going away...

 

Depending on the pots if they are clay or plastic and your location and how much sun they get each day ,but to start with just buy some water crystals waterholding mix then lay that around the root base then sugar cane mulch the top section up too 50mm..If you have a water tank then there are various systems to drip feed plants
some costly some just gravity feeds on simpler flow rate timers..imho..

 

Am considering this too tx - a lot easier to setup bc pots are movable.

 

Hmm a novel idea and I never thought of that but not sure I wanna do this. Where we live is quite secure. But still, its a possibility.

 

Aussie House Sitters

or a friend, family etc.
Its a great idea, I came up with it!

No seriously, we have someone stay here if we are away any longer than 1 week as we have chooks, a dog and many plants/gardens. Its worth even paying someone. We live in a nice area in the hinterlands but also near the beaches so its not hard to find a willing sitter who benefits from free accom for a mini holiday. Novel, but it works.

 

Lac, you look after those little darlings!

Should any perish make sure you afford them a proper cremation.

A ceremony in the lounge room around a coffee table will suffice.

Look , eh, as most here may know, I do have a green thumb or two. So why not try water pellets? They balloon and hold water when plenty is around. Then they release it when things are dry.

 

A few days maybe but we're talking 4 weeks in the blazing sun with virtually no rain.

As much as I like the sensible, work intensive option with tricklers etc, at this point in time, I'm leaning towards @The Y-man's suggestion. If it doesn't work, I guess I'll have to get a refund and invest in @Joynz recommendation.

 

Possibly but some of the plant pots are huge/heavy.....they're basically mini trees. So I think the most viable option is irrigating it myself.

 

Thats the issue I had - lots of trees in pots.