I have a plant on my wife's grave but I can only water it once a week. Any ideas how to keep some water on it?
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I think they make water post that you fill and they release water slow. Good Luck.
At your nursery or garden center they sell self-watering planters. Fill it up and it should last about a week.
Condolences on your wife's death.
Some cemeteries have a service where for a fee you can ask that they tend the grave flowers, weeding, watering, etc. If not you could check at a florist shop to see if they have anything you could put in the plant to keep it hydrated.
I would suggest digging the plant up and putting peat moss around the plant. This will keep it moist when you water it. Peat moss does hold water.
I used to do this to feed my melons extra water during the hottest part of the summer.
Take an empty 2 liter pop bottle, and cut a hole in the bottom for access (at least 2 inches around). Bury the bottle in the soil neck down (that means the bottle should be pointing down) about 8 inches away from the stem of the plant to be fed, making sure you leave access to the hole you cut exposed. Pour the bottle full of water using a standard watering can.
The water will leach out of the pop bottle only slowly as the ground needs it--faster in dry conditions of course--not at all if it's been raining well.
This should allow the plant at your wife's grave to be watered sufficiently to survive even the hottest summer weather.
Another thing you could try is to dig some water-holding materials into the ground like vermiculite, that helps to not lose water - I am doing the same at my mom's grave. I've also put bark chips over the ground.
I would add the "gel crystals" to the soil. The will hold 8 times or more of their weight in water. They are sold in most nurseries. If it is a potted plant mix up the crystals in potting soil and water the soil then repot the plant in a larger container back filling with the soil contain the crystals. if it planted in the ground dig a few deep hole around the plant and fill them half way with the crystals.
I haven't tried it, but I saw a commercial for a new Miracle Gro product, Miracle-Gro® Moisture Control® Potting Mix, which is supposed to retain and release moisture to potted plants as needed.
I helped my mom plant a rose on her mothers grave a few years ago. To keep it watered until it got a foot hold, we buried a two liter soda bottle full of water next to the rose, with the cap off. Every week you can refill the bottle until the plant is established. When things look good remove the bottle and fill in the hole. RScott
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