Away 26 Nov → 16 Jan, 51 nights. Tick tasks as you go. Ticks are saved on this device.
Setup: Blumat Classic
Each clay cone sits in the soil and sucks water from a box through a thin hose, but only when the soil dries out. No electricity, no timer, and nothing to fail while you're away.
- 2 × Blumat Classic, 3-pack (6 cones, 2 spare) €11.05 each Amazon
- 2 × Blumat Classic XL, 2-pack (4 cones, 1 spare) €15.90 each Amazon
- Curver Infinity 45 L box, white, with lid (54.5 × 37 × 25 cm) €28.29 · wide and low, blocks light so no algae Amazon
- Saucers for any pot on the wooden floor
- Velcro plant tape, 15 m × 10 mm for the monstera €5.99 · soft and adjustable Amazon
- Cheaper from the official shop: Classic 3-pack €8.85 · XL 2-pack €7.55 (blumat-shop.de)
Correction to what I said in chat: Blumat makes the Tropf-Blumat for outdoor use. It needs its tank at least 0.5 to 1 m above the pots, which means 40+ kg of water on a shelf indoors. The Classic is their indoor version: cheaper, safer, and it works from a box at pot height.
How much water to leave
Backup option
Gardena City Gardening holiday set (1265): a small pump in a bucket plus a plug-in timer, fixed amounts per plant. Faster to set up, but it waters on a schedule, not by soil moisture, and it stops if the power cuts out. Only worth it if the Blumat test week goes badly.
Before the trip: don't repot
Repotting in winter shocks the roots while the plants are barely growing. Fresh soil also holds water differently, which throws off the watering test. Do this instead:
- Top-dress. Scrape off the top 2 to 3 cm of old soil and press in fresh mix. That freshens it without touching the roots.
- Check under each pot. If roots are coming out of the drainage holes, note it for spring (or send me a photo).
- Empty the outer pots. Water that collects in a decorative outer pot is the most likely way to rot roots on a 7-week drip.
Spring (March–April)
Soil mixes to buy
- Peat-free potting soil + perlite + orchid bark covers the monstera, aglaonema, calathea and bird of paradise. Just change the ratio per plant.
- Cactus soil for the jade only.
- New pot = 2 to 5 cm wider than the old one. Bigger stays wet too long.