Before heading out on that much deserved vacation, take some time to make a vacation watering plan. One tried-and-true method is to hire a responsible student to look after things for you, but there are also products and strategies for conserving and dispensing water while you are away that will make things easier for everyone all around.

Lets take a look:

- For small potted plants, self-watering probes like the Plant Sitter system are great. A ceramic cone is soaked in water and then inserted into the soil near the base of the plant. An additional water reservoir hangs on the side of the pot with a microtube connecting the cone to the reservoir. When the soil becomes dry, water is siphoned through the tube to the cone, and released into the soil. These probes automatically water when needed without any intervention or electrical controls.

- For large indoor plants, the Oasis watering system can water indoors for up to 40 days. It runs on standard 9V battery and does not require connection to taps or electrical outlets. Up to 20 potted plants can be watered using this system. A 6.5 gallon water reservoir is positioned above the plants. Tubes connected to water drippers are inserted into the soil at the base of each plant.

- Indoor watering kits with 45 x coil hose attaches easily to your standard house faucet and deliver fine mist to stream.

- Outdoor landscape drip kits and drip irrigation systems with controllers provide timed and regulated deep-root watering without supervision.

- Non-toxic crystals, like Terra-Sorb, absorb 200 times their weight in water and release the water as needed into the soil

- To minimize moister evaporation and over-drying, move indoor and outdoor plants away from direct sunlight and give them a deep watering just prior to your departure.