Welcome to the 699th Metamorphosis Monday!
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So How Did Those Watering Spikes Work Out?
So how did my plants weather me being away for 2 weeks? Here’s how they looked when I left.
You may remember that I placed clay spikes with bottles filled with water in each of my potted outdoor plants before leaving for my trip.
Here’s how they looked upon my return…not too bad. I had placed all my geraniums here on the front of the house where it’s not quite as sunny as where they normally are on the south side of the house. As expected, the bottles were all completely empty of water when I returned. A few days after I left, it dawned on me that I did a dumb thing. I should have pulled the bench I placed them on, out and away from the house! The bench was partially underneath the eaves while I was gone, which means the plants couldn’t fully benefit from any rain we had while I was away. Arggg. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that when I first placed them here.
You can’t really see it in the photos but I had a lot of dead leaves underneath and one smaller geranium there on the back row in the center of the bench faired worse than the others. It obviously didn’t get a lot of rain because it was the furthest up under the eaves.
My honest feelings on this watering system are that it probably works better for indoor potted plants and if you’re only going to be away for a week or so. I think indoor plants would do well, but outdoor plants receive a lot of sun, which of course dries them out much faster. I just don’t think the bottle/spike method would work that great if you live where the weather is really, really hot. I think the reason my plants did as well as they did is because we did get a little rain while I was away, so that helped when the bottles emptied out, whenever that was.
If you wish to try this with your indoor plants while away, I purchased the clay spikes here: Terracotta Watering Spikes.
Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!
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Metamorphosis Monday
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Your geraniums are gorgeous. They’re my go-to summer container plant. Thanks for hosting and have a lovely week!
Glad that your plants survived you being away Susan, glad they got some rain too. In windy areas, they wouldn’t work well either as the winds dry out pots fast too. I didn’t think it would work great because, although you used large bottles, it still isn’t enough water for larger sized plants, then y’all have hot weather too. So no way was that enough water for over 5 to 7 days. It’s a shame though as the concept is a good one I think, but not for large pots or in really hot or windy areas. Hugs, Brenda
Pretty geraniums. My favorite summer flower. I’m so happy they survived and with a little pruning and TLC they will be back as pretty as before.
I had the spikes in my Amazon cart. Think now I’ll just remove them and go back to my old way of watering my outside plants when I’m away. I bought several sterilite containers and put my clay pots of flowers in them (not the saucers) then add water from the hose. Not to the top, but enough for them to last a week and absorb as much as they need. I also water my large hanging ferns that way. Set them all in the shade on my patio and it works. I just store the containers in my garage with my different seasonal yard art, etc.
Hi Susan! What bottles did you purchase to put into the water spikes? Doesn’t sound like it completely worked but possibly it helped. They looks pretty nestled in between the geraniums! I use a terra cotta spike but with a round globe for an indoor pot of pothos that helps. But I can see how they would not work well outdoor, particularly in the warm temps of summer. I’ve seen some recommendations to use frozen water bottles and poke holes in the bottom so as they gradually thaw, they slowly water the plants. Haven’t tried it myself but it was on a Facebook Gardeners’ group page. Interesting concept. Not sure how long it would last though.
Thanks for hosting, Susan! And a happy first day of summer 🙂
Well, at least the plants weren’t dead, Susan, lol. If Atlanta was as hot as the rest of most of us from central US to east coast, they did pretty well! I’ve gotten our new home to point of sharing before and after moving in with bare necessities from last winter, and it feels like the cottage style I’ve always wanted. I’m so glad we moved again from the condo! Happy to oblige with your request in linking back. Happy summer solstice!
That’s awesome! I really admire you for doing that, Rita. I know moving is not easy. I love cottage style–it’s my fave!
I’m glad your plants survived. I’ve been using those terra cotta water spikes for years. I put wine bottles in them. Like you, I move plants that I can out of the bright sun into a shady area. Some are too heavy to move. The spikes do seem to help them survive. Also, Sweet Hubby sets up a little area with a sprinkler on a timer for one area of the yard. We have irrigation but try not to overdo that during a drought.