Just one or two weeks of vacation can be a stress test for houseplants if no one offers to water them regularly during this time. However, since neighbors and friends can't always step in, your potted plants don't necessarily have to suffer. With a bucket full of water and a simple piece of wool, you can build a very simple irrigation system - which also works reliably.
How to water flowers with a wool thread?
To water flowers with a wool thread, you need a bucket of water, thick wool cords made of sheep's wool or cotton and stones as a weight. Dip the cords into the water, attach them to the bottom of the pot with weight and insert them into the water container. The plants then draw water over the cords as needed.
This is how self-watering with wool thread works
And this is how you set up the irrigation system:
- Place the plants to be watered in a circle in a bright but cool room.
- Sun-hungry plants are placed near the window, others move further into the room.
- Heat should be avoided, as large amounts of water evaporate unnecessarily.
- Place a bucket or other large container in the middle.
- Plan around two to three liters per week per plant.
- Cut several matching pieces of wool.
- You will need a string for each pot.
- Slightly thicker cords made from natural materials such as wool or cotton are best.
- Soak the cords in water so that they are well moistened.
- Weigh them down on one side individually with a stone or something similar.
- Now hang the weighted end in the water container.
- The end of the line should be on the ground.
- This means the plant can still draw water even when the container is almost empty.
- Put the other end of the string into the flower pot.
- Weight this end too so it doesn't accidentally slip out.
- Tighten the cord so that it does not sag.
The self-built irrigation system is ready. Now you can go on vacation without any worries, your plants will be taken care of and, thanks to the cord, they will always be able to get as much water as they need. If the soil becomes too dry, it basically pulls the moisture from the bucket into the flower pot.
You need to pay particular attention to these points
For the system to actually work, you must use cords made of real sheep's wool (€8.00 on Amazon) or cotton. However, most conventional balls of wool, such as those used for knitting, are made of synthetic materials and are therefore unsuitable - they do not pass on water. The room also needs to be chosen carefully: it has to be bright enough so that the plants don't suffer from a lack of light - but not so bright that the sun shines directly in and possibly causes extreme heat. Then the plants need a lot more water, while at the same time a large part of the water container evaporates uselessly.
More easy options for holiday watering
However, you can also provide your plants with enough water over the holiday in other ways. Plants that require little water (such as thick-leaved plants, cacti, etc.), for example, basically only need to be watered thoroughly before departure. To do this, dip the root ball in a bucket of water and wait until no more air bubbles appear. The roots will then be saturated with water and will no longer need water for two to three weeks. You can also simply place plants that need more water in a bathtub filled with a little water. However, it should be bright enough in the bathroom and the plant pots must have holes in the bottom.
Tip
Another tried and tested method is to insert upturned PET bottles filled with water into the flower pot.