I’m sure you’ve seen the question posted to bonsai groups, “What do you do for vacation watering?” There are two categories of options: some sort of automatic watering system, or ask/hire a human to do it for you. So, which is best?
The short answer is, it’s a personal choice. You have to do what makes you comfortable. Neither option is failure proof, and let’s face it, if you lose trees because of a watering failure over vacation… well, THAT’S PERSONAL TOO! That’s why I choose an automatic system. I would hate to lose a friend over some water.
This is my current water timer. You can get one like it at a home improvement store or online. I have used this a few times and so far it has been very reliable. I have not tried or compared other models so this is not some sort of endorsement for this model over others. It’s just what I have. And it works.
It’s got two outputs and it’s fully programmable. I can water with one hose or both. I can choose what time of day I want the water to start, how long I want it to run, and which days I want it to water. Barring a failure of the device or water supply, I can count on this doing what I ask, which you may or may not be able to say for a neighbor who has other human things going on in their life.
I choose to use a very simple sprinkler system with the timer. I move all of my trees into two areas that can each be serviced by a basic garden sprinkler. I program and start the system the day before I leave so I can observe the watering and make sure everything, including the water pressure is right.
This is not fool proof. I have a friend who experienced a disastrous failure of his sprinkler system due to an unexpected power outage. This timer is battery powered, but the point stands. You can’t control everything.
When it’s your time to get away, I hope you are able to choose an approach that works for you. It doesn’t have to be what I chose. That choice is personal.
Bonsai Iterate 