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As the hot weather continues and hosepipe bans come into place, it's getting harder and harder to keep our plants happy and hydrated. Luckily, all is not lost, and if you're off on your holidays, this watering trick will prove particularly helpful.
Knowing how to water your garden plants properly is a key element to caring for any outdoor space; however, when the weather is hot and dry, it can feel like no matter what you do, your plot suffers. And although your plants don't need to be watered every day during a heatwave, it is hard to keep on top of watering your pots enough to keep them alive.
With that in mind, we were thankful to find this genius trick from garden design expert and influencer Ish at @gardening.with.ish on Instagram. And the best part? It only costs £2.50.
Who said shoe storage only has one purpose? This In/outdoor/grey show tray is exactly what Ish uses to help water his plants. 71 by 35cm.
This generous watering can features a removable sprinkler rose for when you also need to water your plants directly.
This professional tray is sold as a pack of 2, to double your watering efforts. Each measures 30 by 52.4 by 4cm.
Figuring out how to look after your garden whilst you're on holiday can be a real challenge, especially when temperatures are consistently high. Finding ways for your plants to look after themselves is well worth it.
"If your potted plants are struggling to beat the heat, then you may need to find a clever way to keep them watered, but a little bit more low-maintenance," starts Ish.
"Well, I have a solution for you, and it involves a £2.50 shoe tray from IKEA, known as the BAGGMUKK. Now, I used this last year, and it was an absolute saviour, and all I do is just put my plants on this tray. It's great as well if you're away for a few days and you can't keep them watered, cos let's face it, potted plants are drying out so quickly at the moment," he continues.
As much as we love patio container plants, they do tend to dry out quicker than other plants in the garden, so giving them this extra attention is needed.
Using Ish's potted plant IKEA watering hack
"Then all I do is just fill it up with water at the top. Now there are a few benefits from this. First of all, it'll slowly water your plants from underneath by soaking it up in the soil, which means it's not going to dry out," explains Ish.
This trick is also ideal if you're worried about keeping your houseplants alive whilst you're on holiday too.
"But another little hint that you may not know is that if you water your plants from underneath and not directly on top, it does directly reduce the amount of weed growth as well. So a little bit of a double bonus here," he adds.
"It means that now these will stay hydrated for a few days, as opposed to once every few days I'm worried about them drying out and I can leave them, let them grow," Ish finishes.
Now, when you're completing your July gardening jobs and planting out your potted plants, they'll be in great shape instead of dried or withered up.
A great way to keep your garden watered without much effort from yourself is through rainscaping. That way, your space is designed to water itself and also collect rainwater for when hosepipe bans come in.
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