Traveling for work

Indoor Growing Grow Room
1

So, this is something I didn’t consider because I haven’t had to travel for work for close to a decade. But I lost my job due to covid related cuts a couple months ago.

One of my old bosses contacted me over the weekend about a consulting project for a related company. I met with that guy yesterday, and it looks like I’m going to take their project. It’s 3 months, but I should make enough to get me through the whole winter and possibly spring as well.

So I have to take the job even if it means my girls will suffer. There will be some travel involved, but I think I can probably keep it to 3 days here and 3 days there.

So, what do you guys do if you have to leave them unattended for a few days? I may be overwatering, buy my blooming plant takes close to 2 gallons a day in a 5 gallon. I have these things you put on water bottles and the water drips out, but that’s not much water. I suppose larger pots could help, they are in 5 gallons.

Other solutions?

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Bluemat makes an automated watering system. There are others too: I have one I’ve never deployed for ‘just in case’.

3

Wow how cool, it only waters when the plant needs it. I will probably pick one up.

Any lower tech lower cost options?

4

Never tried this but the comments section indicates it works.
For a short trip it should work great and its dirt cheap.

5

After using an AutoPot this last year and seeing how well that works I hate to suggest the low cost watering system that I used when vacationing up to 6 weeks at a time over 10 years time.

It uses a programmable timer, less then $20. A small submersible pump, $20-$25. A length of 1/2 tubing, about .75 cent/foot in short lengths, some zip ties, and these little spaghetti tubing and standoffs.

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image3264×2448 1.11 MB

All together it looks like this

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image3264×2448 1.21 MB

Maybe altogether, $55.

If you decide to try something like this you need to get back to me about potential issues.

You can also get an AutoPot Easy2Go system that requires a $30 Easy2Go kit, some kind of reservoir, theirs cost $25, and a tray to sit your plants in.

6

This looks really cool, will think about, but not sure I want to DIY it. I would get really upset with myself if it fails.

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That will definitely do in a pinch, but I’m not sure I could put enough water bottles in for my big plant for more than a day or 2, she just sucks it up.

I ended up buying this:
https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Irrigation-Houseplants-Programmable-Operation/dp/B0743F4532/ref=psdc_13400251_t3_B008PXHY3A

I really like the set-up Myfriendis410 posted, the passive action is both the reason I like it and the reason I’m afraid to buy it. This one it’s up to me to figure out how to delivery the right amount to each plant, but I will know exactly how much is being watered. Just add more stakes to the bigger plants.

I have a couple water coolers, that I bought because they were good deals, but I never use them. I’ll probably just use one of those as the reservoir, they are both around 20 gallons. So plenty of water for my small garden. The little ones can probably go for close to a week without watering anyway if I saturate the 5 gallon pots they are in before I go anyway, so really I just have the 2 flowering plants to worry about for the next few weeks.

Thanks for the help guys, and for the link that provided the direction.

I imagine this is very similar to the DIY set-up @CMichGrower described, but I’m in a rush, and this is pretty inexpensive and I can start testing it tomorrow.