Water for indoor Ficus while on Vacation.

W3rk

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I'll be taking a vacation for close to a full week, maybe more later this winter. I have about 7 Ficus that I'm overwintering inside and that's far too long of a period for them to go without water for.

I've seen a couple of different options for ways to keep the soil wet/roots from drying out. One would be to thoroughly soak each one then wrap the pots in a plastic bag and tie it off/seal it around the base of the trunk to keep moisture in. Another looks like one large tray or a bunch of smaller ones that I can fill with water and leave them standing in it. I was looking for thoughts from anyone who has tried these or any similar methods. Thanks.
 

leatherback

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If I am out of office for christmas / new year, my plants get watered well in the morning. Then in the afternoon I water till water runs in the tray below, really saturating the soil. Then I top up the tray to the rim and swith the heater low. That takes care of them for a week easily.

Defoliating & pruning a few days beforehand is an other alternative, which focusses on redusing evaporation
 

penumbra

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Several of my figs and other tropical bonsai are in trays with egg crating (for fluorescent light fixtures) and use wicks that go into bottom of tray where water is in reserve. The water wicks into the pots keeping it just moist with no plants sitting in water. I set this up about a month ago and have not needed to water anything individually. I just keep water in the tray below the level of the crating.
A simpler solution is to have a bottle, like a 2 liter bottle for pop, sitting next to plants with wicks going from bottle to plants.
The wicking was cheap, from Amazon. The crating is $26 for a 24 x 48" sheet from Lowes.
The crating rests on sections of pvc pipe.
 

Atom#28

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Anecdotal: I just returned to work after a 7 day battle with the flu....a week without water and my little office ficus in a 7"x5" rectangle is not only looking healthy, it pushed new growth as the soil dried!
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Ficus in particular survive the occasional drought with no problem. The larger the tree the more drought resistant it is. Worst case, the tree will drop some leaves. But they will leaf out again fairly quickly once water is available. My large ficus, got forgotten on the attic stairs one winter, went 3 months with zero water. Bounced back without loosing any major branches. A few twigs were lost, but all major branches were fine. A week should be no problem for a Ficus.
 

sorce

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What's the location of your trees?

I'd argue the spores of root rot would find their way into a wickly saturated root system with access to the air they travel on before going underwater to get to a submerged root.
Hence the keep em submerged idea.

If your trees are in front of the boiler and hot water heater, you won't be able to go thru with no water.

$40

Sorce
 

penumbra

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I am not really clear on what you are saying sorce, but I have had other plants in a tent using wicking system similar to that described for nearly a year with no problems. These plants go for months at a time using only the water in the bottom of they trays. Also I would add that none of these plants are saturated but soil is evenly just moist. I also let the tray go dry now and again under a watchful eye. There are different wicks available in porosity and in size to control the transference of water from the reservoir to the pot. One common method to slow the water is tying knots in the wick. These wicks are designed precisely for this use. There is also a fabric that works in a similar fashion. I have this in use too and actually prefer it but it costs a little more than the wicks. Using the fabric you cut to a size about double that of the tray and fold it over the grid which is on stilts and over the top of the grid. The bottom of this material is in the water and the pots sit on top. If the pots are flat on the bottom you don't even need a wick. If they are footed you use a very small wick to bridge the air space. As to root rot, it has only happened to me once when the seedlings themselves carried the root rot into the grow tent. I put peroxide water in the trays and it took care of it. I do use peroxide water about once a month or so. Sets me back about 25 cents to do 4 large and 4 small trays.
Anyway, its just a suggestion and a lot of people are using it successfully. It is fun to create different self watering scenarios for your various plants. I am certainly not discrediting the method you elude to but I wish you described it a bit. I am sure there is a use for it somewhere in collection of plants and I honestly would like to know more about the bin, pump, timer and tubing method as I have all of these things from many years of aquarium keeping from dart frogs to marine reefs.
 
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sorce

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I am not really clear on what you are saying

Just physics, nature, and the movement of the root rot pathogen.

Not that a way can work better or another, or one doesn't work.

It's just a matter of situation, of which, we don't have all the information.

Sorce
 

sorce

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Like let's say, wifey has a plant upstairs where the intake to the forced air system is, and it has root rot.

The pathogen will be blown out of every vent in the house and is more likely to get to a wicked system, than a submerged root mass.

If it is a forced air system, depending on soil composition, 7 dry days could certainly spell death.

We need more info..

But....

For $40....do it..."right"?

Sorce
 

It's Kev

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@sorce my ficus normally get dunked, or I make my taps to drip and put them under that. Also, dunked roots don’t rot as easy as constantly mushy roots, so yeah, I’m with ya on the dunking.
 

Kdavis1109

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I am not really clear on what you are saying sorce, but I have had other plants in a tent using wicking system similar to that described for nearly a year with no problems. These plants go for months at a time using only the water in the bottom of they trays. Also I would add that none of these plants are saturated but soil is evenly just moist. I also let the tray go dry now and again under a watchful eye. There are different wicks available in porosity and in size to control the transference of water from the reservoir to the pot. One common method to slow the water is tying knots in the wick. These wicks are designed precisely for this use. There is also a fabric that works in a similar fashion. I have this in use too and actually prefer it but it costs a little more than the wicks. Using the fabric you cut to a size about double that of the tray and fold it over the grid which is on stilts and over the top of the grid. The bottom of this material is in the water and the pots sit on top. If the pots are flat on the bottom you don't even need a wick. If they are footed you use a very small wick to bridge the air space. As to root rot, it has only happened to me once when the seedlings themselves carried the root rot into the grow tent. I put peroxide water in the trays and it took care of it. I do use peroxide water about once a month or so. Sets me back about 25 cents to do 4 large and 4 small trays.
Anyway, its just a suggestion and a lot of people are using it successfully. It is fun to create different self watering scenarios for your various plants. I am certainly not discrediting the method you elude to but I wish you described it a bit. I am sure there is a use for it somewhere in collection of plants and I honestly would like to know more about the bin, pump, timer and tubing method as I have all of these things from many years of aquarium keeping from dart frogs to marine reefs.

I'm very curious about your peroxide treatment for your ficus. What is the ratio of peroxide to water and how can I translate your ratio to smaller containers?
 

W3rk

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I'm very curious about your peroxide treatment for your ficus. What is the ratio of peroxide to water and how can I translate your ratio to smaller containers?
I'm not who you're asking, but I use Hydrogen Peroxide sometimes. It's already only a 3% concentration off the shelf. But I'll mix that anywhere from 10-50% with straight water.
 
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