House Plants on Vacation – What to Do

When the summer hits many families get away for a little vacation. Before you head out the door you’ll go through the usual… make sure the doors are locked, make arrangements for your mail, have the newspaper picked up, feed the dog, and water the plants…

Water the Plants!

We go through all these instructions and what to do when we are out of town, and just sort of say – Water the plants.

Now you’ve worked hard and you deserve that summer vacation… If you can handle the gas prices.

But you’ve also worked hard throughout the year keeping your plants in great shape. You’ve developed a schedule on watering, grooming and general plant maintenance. Could that all be destroyed in a week or 10 days?

Probably not, but… You probably don’t want to come home to a floor full of Ficus leaves, or Spath leaves hanging on the ground.

Before you pack your bags and hand out your plant care orders, here are a few things that you may want to think about or look out for depending on the plants you have.

Watch the Temperature

Most indoor plants like the same temperatures that you do 68-75 degrees. What kind of temperatures would you have in the house if the air conditioning is turned off? The plants could have temperatures of 80-90 or even 100 degrees and no air movement.

Your plants will probably react by losing some leaves as in the case of Ficus – they don’t like changes. Other plants may decide that some of the older leaves need to drop.

Remember this doesn’t mean that your plants are dying, they’re just trying to adjust to their new environment even if it is only for a few days. It’s sort of like sunburn… your burn, you peel.

If you can keep your home the same temperature or even bump the temperature up a few degrees to keep things balanced your plants will probably like it better.

Watering the Plants

Anyone that has read these Plant Care Tips for any length of time has read of the problems that improper watering can have on your plants.

Try to take a little more time and figure out exactly how much water you put on a plant. Set out a cup marked for each group of plants with instructions on how much water the plants need.

I only speak from experience. Give a watering can to the untrained and your plants will get watered but probably too much.

You don’t want your plants just sitting in a puddle of water for days.

Reaction Plants

What plants are going to react to drastic changes?

Top of the list – Ficus, but not all varieties, “Alii” and some of the newer patented ones will handle changing conditions better than the plain ‘benjamina’. Check out – “How to Care for Your Ficus”

If your Dracaenas dry out you may see some tip burn down the road. The spath leaves may droop and tip burn is also possible on the spaths.

These are not all of the plants just a few.


Here’s a few plants that won’t miss you:

The longer your stay the greater reactions your plants may have. When you leave town please do me a favor. Take whatever steps you can to care for your plants before you leave. Review what needs to be done with whoever is caring for your plants and…

Have a great time and fun vacation, we’ll be right here when you get back.

Have you ever wondered why your corn plant gets brown tips?

Tips To Improve Your Plant Care
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