Holiday watering for nepenthes

[neilsingapore]

Can I have some input about holiday watering for nepenthes. Other cp's are no problem, just stand them in a larger reservoir. For smaller nepenthes, I guess you could put the pot in a clear, hole-less plastic bag with water in the bottom but not touching the pot, then tie the bag. But for larger nepenthes, those outside in hot climates etc, any good ideas or suggestions. My wife wouldn't think, 'don't go on holiday' a very suitable response!

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Welcome to the forums!

Depends on how long you plan to be out of the house. If it's for 2-3 days you might just give them a good soaking before you leave. What I do is place them in plastic baggies and water then let them drain good and place them in the bag. For larger plants, and usually the larger pot, water once for a good soak and the pot volume of soil should keep the roots nice and happy for around 5-7 days at most.

 

[agustinfranco]

Hi all:

It is interesting reading the techniques used by you all. I have a question though, If it is hot, wouldn't the heat accumulated in the bag kill the plant?. If you put them in the shade, how long before the plant start to wilt because of the lack of sun?.

Agustin

 

[mindmaze128]

You might try getting a cheap pump and timer and attaching it to a resevoir of some sort (a big bucket). You can then set the timer to turn on the pump once a day or so for like 2 minutes while you're away. You might be able to split the tubing from the pump so that you can water the more than one plant at the same time. I havent acutally done this, but I believe that it can work.

You could also buy one of those garden hose timers that you attach to a water faucet and use that instead.

Jœl

 

[neilsingapore]

Thanks for all the replies. I think the plastic bag method would be best if possible but the pump/hose on a timer system sounds like a great idea also. I don't know how much a water timer would cost, I know an electrical timer doesn't cost that much. Thanks.