When you go on vacation, asking a neighbor or friend to water your plants can seem like your only option. Yet it can also cause a lot of stress, as you read about hot, dry weather at home and wonder whether your plants, grass, and trees are getting the water they need to remain healthy. You don’t want to call to check in or remind them, yet you worry that you’ll come home to sad plants or even plants that have died.
Take the guesswork and stress out of your vacation with an automatic irrigation system. Flexible drip irrigation systems are easy enough to install on your own, camouflage completely when covered with a bit of mulch, and can be set to water the garden on a timer.
Made of flexible HDPE, irrigation tubing can be wound around a landscaped garden or garden bed, and used to water trees, shrubs, edible plants, and ornamental plants. Simply lay out the irrigation tubing around the garden, stake tubing in place using wire sod staples, then add one emitter for each plant that you want to water. To ensure plants get watered while you’re away on vacation, purchase a timer for your drip irrigation system. Connect the timer to the irrigation system at the base, where it hooks into your water system.
Program the timer to water daily, every other day, or even once a week — whatever meets your gardening needs! The timer will turn on the irrigation system at the appropriate time, so your plants receive water, and ensure the system stops at the desired time. You’ll come home to happy garden plants and can truly relax on your vacation knowing your garden is safe.
