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Home > Home & Garden > Articles > So how can you keep window boxes and containers watered while your away

So how can you keep window boxes and containers watered while your away

01:00 Tue 05th Jun 2001 | Home & Garden

A.� The first and cheapest option is to find a friend or neighbour who you can trust to look after your precious containerised plants while you're away. Failing that, you can make life easier before you even plant�anything by adding water retaining granules to the compost. The moisture they retain could make the difference between life and death if someone forgets to water for a couple of days.

That done, there are now a number of ingenious devices now on the market that could release you from watering chores completely.

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Q.� What's best for containers

A.� The best system for containers is a drip one.

You will first need a timer to regulate how often the containers gets watered. These are widely available from garden centres and offer a wide range of options, from 15 minutes per 24 hours to two hours every three days. Make sure you measure the gauge of the tap you want to attach it to and the note the thread, if any, it will screw on to, before you buy.

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Drip systems come in packs and are essentially made up of a number of arms that connect to the main hose. Each has�a head that is pushed into the compost and releases the water. One arm should be enough for a single hanging basket, but you may want two for bigger containers. Before fitting them, ensure you've got enough hose to reach all the containers required.

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An ingenious low cost system was on show at Chelsea this year. The bottle top watering spike simply screws into the top of an old drinks bottle which is turned upside down and then pushed into the compost. The spike releases water according to the temperature. The hotter it gets the more water is released. It should be available in garden centres soon.

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Q.� What about lawns or beds

A.� For lawns you want a sprinkler system, again fixed to a timer. Check the distance that will be covered by an individual sprinkler and buy connector attachments for additional sprinklers if necessary.

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For beds and the veg garden why not try a seep hose. This is a hose with a series of perforations that produces a fine spray of water�and is laid at the front of the bed or in between rows of vegetables. Before buying measure the length of the border or bed and find out how far the jet will carry. If you have a deep border you may need another length in the middle of the bed to water plants at the back.

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If you've got a question about your home or garden, click here.

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By Tom Gard

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