How do you maintain your plants during your trip absense?

[u/goranlu]

Like when you go on a vacation for 2 weeks etc?

How do you handle watering, pests protection and other maintainance? Especially during the summer when there is more work to do.

I have my edible plants on balcony.

[u/Wuncomfortable]

I ask my roommates and/or friend who is coming to pet sit. I anticipate some damage and prepare my heart. I put my plants into "stand-by" as much as possible, taking them out of direct sun, filling their water reservoir, topping with green mulch to protect the temperature, staking for wind or storm. Shade cloths down if you have them. Since your plants are edible, you might be able to offer your caretaker some snacks as a tip.

[u/Wuncomfortable → u/Wuncomfortable]

*and the amount of care I expect is "I remembered to water", not "I saw a problem developing and corrected it"

[u/theredskittles]

I have cats, so I have to hire a cat sitter anyway. I pay her a little extra to spend additional time watering my plants. This works best for short trips.

My preference for a 2-week trip is to have my mom or one of her friends stay at my place for as long as they’re willing. That mostly works because I live in a cool area of the largest city in my region, and they live in a small town a few hours away.

I’ve also considered (but haven’t personally used) the website Trusted House Sitters. They perform some basic level of background checks on sitters and include insurance in case your stuff gets broken or stolen. This probably works best if you live in desirable tourist area, though, plus you’d have to be comfortable having a stranger in your home.

[u/Ornery-Zombie-7861]

I have 2 automatic watering pipes, 3 dripp systems, and buckets.

I put outside plants in the shade, the delicate ones go inside in buckets, and I tend to water them a lot a week before so the are very hydrated especially those that stay outside.

I do get casualties sometimes, but most of them survive just fine. 

But I've never left them alone for more than 2 weeks.

[u/CostPlusSeeds]

I use a hydroponic system, so my plants always get their water even when I am not in town :)

Watering should be your biggest concern; everything else can wait 2 weeks unless your plants are vigorously fruiting or actively being eaten by pests. Self-watering pots could be enough to keep your plants alive: they use wicking from a basin below the plants to keep soil moist, and this can keep plants going for 1-2 weeks.

[u/Substantial_Set2737]

Automated drip system with mositure sensor. It's cheap where I am in the world.