Ok, it is that time of year, the dayliles are going gang busters, the pods are getting fat, and the vacation is right around the corner...What to do, what to do?
. I will soon have seed pods that will need harvesting. The rust season is here and plants will need to have leaves removed, weeds need to be controlled...the list is almost endless.
So I am looking for all sorts of suggestions and tips on how to help the garden take care of itself while we are gone for over a week or two.

Excellent question. Would love to hear answers

Oh my Larry, that's a dilemma for sure. Now you've got me thinking, what in the
world would I do?

For the pods, what about securing them with some fabric mesh, or panty hose. Something to catch the seeds should they break open while you're gone. Maybe
something water proof to keep the seeds from sprouting. A foil cap over the
fabric mesh perhaps? Imagine what that would look like. Oh my. Still, I would
be out in the garden trying some crazy thing to save the seeds.

I had some pods that were near maturity, and for some reason that I don't
remember, I had to gather them. I cut the scapes and brought them inside,
put the scapes in a vase, several vases in fact, and they ripened that way. Of course,
I was present to change the water if needed. Don't know if that makes a
difference. The seeds were all viable too.

As for the weeds, they will be right there awaiting your return. Unfortunately.

How much time do you have before leaving for vacation? Is there enough time
to cut some of the foliage? I grab a hand full of fans, and hubby uses a big serrated
knife to slice through it. It's faster work for us to cut foliage this way, and we
cut it to clean the garden before the first hard freeze eliminating much of the
dreaded spring clean up.

This is not much help in the suggestion department, but it's all I can think of
at this time. Sorry.

I was going to say "reconsider the vacation" but I think Shirlee has a great idea to save your seed pods. I shudder to think about cutting foliage, but you do what you have to do to deal with rust.

Have fun on your trip!

I left for three weeks before seed pods were ready to harvest, and I used tulle fabric secured over the pods with twist ties to cover the pods and catch any seeds. They looked like little ghosts in the garden You can buy tulle on a roll. It is often used for wedding decorations.

I would then clean up any foliage and weed as much as I could and mulch heavily.

How about some Preen over the mulch.

How about some Preen over the mulch.
What do you do for watering if you don't have a watering system?

Ok, let me clarify. I posted this question just in case the situation were to arise for me, and for all those who it is actually going to happen to. So as of now I am in no rush, plenty of time....you all know how that works out. So all suggestions are welcome.

Legalily: I have never used preen, but I was thinking of something along those lines. I was thinking of putting down a fresh layer of mulch before leaving. That should at least slow the weeds down some, if preen will work by putting it over the mulch that would be even better. I would also have to consider the cost.
No automatic watering system here, but a large portion of my plants are in a boggy area so most would be fine even under drought conditions , but being they are daylilies, hopefully even if they looked ragged and tired, they would survive my being gone a few weeks if we had no rain. I could manually water them extra good a day or so before leaving it necessary.

mistyfog and touchofsky:
I will check into the tulle fabric, I would need to have that oh hand, maybe rubber bands would also work? Now I am not sure about using aluminum foil. I have heard daylilies can be eaten, but I have never tried roasted daylily seeds, or daylily seed sprouts.
You were gone for three weeks ...that is the perfect situation I was looking for.

So, we have:
1. Cover the pods with fabric, or cut the scapes and put the ones with pods in a container of water
2.Cut the foliage back, really a good idea in my garden because of rust. That would certainly make weeding and mulching easier too.
3. Weed extra diligently
4. Put down a new layer of mulch, and maybe an application of preen
5. Have some sort of auto watering system, or at least water very well just before leaving (pray for rain and good fortune to fall on the garden while being away).
Still open to all suggestions, ideas or tips.
Who has used Tull Fabric? What did you secure it with, zip ties, wire twists, rubber bands. Anyone ever cover pods with foil? How did the pods fair. How long will sprouted seeds last in the hot sun? I like the idea of having seeds sprouted and ready to plant when I return... oh yeah!
What if a seed pod was not allowed to open when the seeds were ripe? What if a drop of super glue was applied at the tip of the pod?

Larry, when I mentioned using foil, I meant after covering the seed pod
with the fabric, maybe a foil hat on top of that to create a rain hat. Kind of an
umbrella effect.

I use foil wrapped around a pencil to create a rain hat to place on top of the pistil
after pollination if rain is expected. It works too.

I've used socks on my seedpods for years to protect them from deer. The cheap "footies" that are used for trying on shoes are stretchy and perfect for my use. They can be purchased by the box on Amazon. After I have them in place, I give each one a squirt of whatever deer repellent I have on hand. Works great. If you get the long, skinny ones they stay on without using twist ties and you can see thru them to see when seeds are ready to harvest.

A generic Snapshot also purchased on Amazon is cheaper than Preen and works better.

Good to know on the Snapshot

Davi,
Thanks for the sock tip, the shot of deer repellent on them is a nice bonus. Yes, I would certainly have to consider the cost of Preen when spreading it around my garden.

I paid $95 for a 50 pound bag of Snapshot from A M Leonard... Shipping was free. It does have to be watered in well after you put it down so your drought conditions may be a problem if you have neither rain nor a watering system to water it in. But 50 pounds covers a lot and did wonders in controlling winter weeds all winter and into the spring. I could tell exactly where I ran out and didn't get a tiny bit of my garden done. Now that my shipping season is over, I will repair the garden, mulch, and do another application.. I hate weeding during the heat of the summer! Best $95 I've ever spent!

For 8 years we had to run back and forth caring for homes in 2 states. I was away from each garden up to 2 weeks. What really helped us is to use drip systems and to gather potted plants together and install a patio drip system for the pots.

I also got a lot of these cute little things. You fill up liter plastic bottles with water and use these next to plants that need more water than most.
https://www.bing.com/images/se...

I used the footies in past years. (In fact, I wrote about it in an article: https://garden.org/ideas/view/... ) it works pretty good.

Save money and sleep at home!

Say you are vacationing at Dauphin Island. Eat a nice dinner in Mobile, drive home and weed, water, harvest, deadhead and then crash in your own comfy bed. You probably should shower first. Then up at dawn and off to the beach after checking your blooms. This could even work if your vacation is in Biloxi!



I'm working on the details for you if you're going to Italy.

Charley