Houseplants grouped in self-watering pots on a tray beside a packed suitcase in a Dubai apartment

Indoor plants

Going away for the summer? How to keep houseplants alive while you travel

Most houseplants manage a week alone. Longer trips in a closed Dubai flat need a plan: water well, move plants off the glass, leave the AC on, and test a wick or self-watering setup first.

Updated 7 Oct 2026 · 7 min read · Best read in Jun–Sep

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For a few days to a week, water the plants thoroughly the day before, move them off the windowsills and leave the AC running. For two to six weeks, add a watering system you have tested or a person who will visit, and lean on plants that store water. For a whole summer, plan on regular visits from a person. A gadget alone is not enough for months.

How long can you leave them?

Time away	What to do
A few days to a week	Water thoroughly the day before, move plants out of direct sun and leave the AC on. Most houseplants will tolerate a week without water (RHS, Gardeners' World).
One to two weeks	Add a wick, capillary mat or self-watering pot that you have tested, or ask someone to water once. Plants that like constantly damp soil, such as Boston fern, prayer plant and nerve plant, go first.
Two to six weeks	Have someone look in at least every week or so. The RHS advises arranging for a trusted person to water if you are away longer than two weeks. Combine visits with a tested watering system and water-storing plants.
A whole summer	Arrange regular visits from a person or a plant-sitting service, or move the plants to a friend's home. Expect to lose some leafy tropicals and protect the sturdy ones.

The week before you leave

1
Treat pests first
Pests do not pause while you are away, and nobody will notice them. Look under the leaves for spider mites, mealybugs and scale, and treat them now. Our houseplant problems guide has the routine.
2
Water thoroughly the day before
Soak each pot until water runs from the drainage holes, let it drain, and empty the saucers (University of Maryland Extension). Moist, not waterlogged, is the target.
3
Move plants off the glass and out of the sun
The University of Saskatchewan advises moving plants to a cool room out of direct sunlight to reduce water loss. In Dubai that means a bright spot inside the room, not a windowsill, and not a windowless room either. Plants still need daylight.
4
Group them away from the windows
Plants close together create a small pocket of damper air (University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension), and a group is easier to set up with one watering system or to check in one visit.
5
Leave the AC on, a few degrees higher
DEWA suggests 24 °C for everyday use. While you are away, a set-point in the mid to high 20s (26–28 °C is our suggestion, not a DEWA figure) saves power, and the RHS gives 19–30 °C by day as the range for moth orchids. A closed flat with the AC off can get very hot when July and August highs average 41–42 °C. If your AC or app has a schedule, use it, and ask a neighbour or building staff to confirm that the AC is running.
6
Test your watering system a week early
The University of Saskatchewan advises testing your chosen method beforehand. Check that the soil is moist but not soggy a few days after you set it up, then adjust.
7
Leave a written note
If someone is visiting, tell them which plants to water, how much, and which to leave alone. See the section on asking a neighbour below.

Watering systems that work

Method	How it works	Watch for
Self-watering pot	A reservoir in the base feeds the soil through a wick (University of Saskatchewan). The RHS says it suits plants that need steady moisture all year, rather than being a one-off holiday fix.	Check the reservoir will last your trip. A pot that stays wet suits a fern, not a ZZ plant.
Cotton wick	One end of a cotton cord sits in a water container and the other end is buried in the soil. The container should sit higher than the pot so water travels along the cord (NC State Extension).	Use a container big enough for the trip, and test it. Some wicks deliver too little, some too much.
Capillary mat	Small pots stand on a wet mat that hangs into a water-filled sink or bath. The pot bases must touch the mat (RHS).	The sink or bath needs daylight. Plants will not last weeks in a dark bathroom.
Watering spike or bottle	A bottle with a spike releases water slowly into the pot (University of Saskatchewan).	Release rates vary between spikes and pot sizes. Test before you rely on them.
Clear cover	Plastic over the plant traps moisture. The RHS says it suits short absences only, and the cover must stay clear of the foliage.	Keep it out of the sun. Plastic heats quickly in a warm room.

Which plants cope, and which don't

Water-storing plants cope longest. The RHS says cacti and succulents need no special measures, and Gardeners' World lists mother-in-law's-tongue (snake plant) among the plants that cope for two or three weeks. NC State Extension says ZZ plants store water in their rhizomes and ponytail palms in the swollen trunk, and that cacti and succulents can manage at least a month. They also share a weakness: ZZ plant and snake plant both rot if kept wet.

Usually fine for two to three weeks, succulents for longer

ZZ plant

Zamioculcas zamiifolia

Low–BrightNot pet-safe

Snake plant

Dracaena trifasciata

Low–BrightNot pet-safe

Ponytail palm

Beaucarnea recurvata

Bright–SunPet-safe

Jade Plant

Crassula ovata

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5

Flowers

Aloe vera

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5

Adapted

Flowers

Zebra haworthia

Haworthiopsis attenuata

Medium–BrightPet-safe

At the other end, NC State says Boston fern soil should never be allowed to dry out, prayer plant likes evenly moist soil, and nerve plant wilts dramatically when dry, although it recovers after a drink. They need a watering system, a short trip or a visitor.

Need cover within days

Boston fern

Nephrolepis exaltata

Medium–BrightPet-safe

Prayer plant

Maranta leuconeura

Medium–BrightPet-safe

Nerve plant

Fittonia albivenis

Medium–BrightPet-safe

Everything else sits in the middle and will want a system or a visitor after a week or two. Treat all of these numbers as rules of thumb. Pot size, light and room temperature change them, and no extension source gives a safe number of days for a Dubai flat.

Asking a neighbour

A kind neighbour is more likely to drown a plant than to let it dry out. Make the job small and clear.

Give written, plant-by-plant instructions: which pots, how much water and how often. Tell them to leave ZZ plants, snake plants and succulents alone unless the soil is bone dry.
Tag the thirsty plants and say 'only the tagged ones'.
Sort out access: a key or access card, and a word with building management if needed.
Ask them to look under the leaves for pests, and to message you a photo of anything odd, including a warm flat.
Offer a thank-you. A repeat favour next summer is worth more than any gadget.

Plant-sitters and rental services

Some UAE plant shops and landscape contractors offer plant maintenance or plant rental, mainly for offices. Ask whether they will do household visits while you are away. Before you agree, ask what a visit includes (watering, a pest check, turning the plants), how often they would come, how they get into your building, what happens if a plant dies, and what each visit costs. We don't name or rank services here; our where to buy guide lists shops.

Your balcony and garden

Do not leave potted plants on a balcony for the summer. The average daily high at Dubai airport is about 41–42 °C in July and August, and a pot in direct sun can be hotter still. Bring them in, or group them in the shade. For the villa garden, irrigation, mulch and the pool, see Keeping your garden and pool alive while you're away for summer.

When you get back

Check the soil about 5 cm (2 inches) down before you water; don't assume (University of Maryland Extension).
Trim leaves that are clearly dead, and look under the rest for pests.
If you haven't flushed the pots in the last four to six months, do it now with at least twice the pot's volume of plain water (University of Maryland Extension).
Restart feeding lightly once the plant looks active again. Over-fertilising browns leaf tips (Iowa State Extension).
If a ficus drops leaves after a dry spell, leave it where it is. Moving it can trigger more leaf loss (NC State Extension).

A few days to 1 week

how long most houseplants manage without help

RHS; Gardeners' World

2 weeks

beyond this the RHS advises arranging for someone to water

RHS

1 month or more

what cacti and succulents can manage

NC State Extension

Pool + garden care

From AED 500/month

Price depends on your garden's size, pool and complexity. Prices in AED, excluding 5% VAT.

Get estimate Plan it in 3D, free

Frequently asked

Should I leave the AC on while I'm away?

We would leave it on at a higher set-point rather than switch it off. DEWA's everyday advice is 24 °C, and a set-point in the high 20s is our suggestion for an empty flat. A closed flat in July or August, with daily highs averaging 41–42 °C, can get very hot. If you do switch it off, move succulents and ZZ plants to the coolest room and expect to lose leafy plants.

How long can houseplants go without water?

Most tolerate about a week (RHS, Gardeners' World). Plants such as snake plant and ZZ plant can cope for two or three weeks if watered well first, and cacti and succulents for a month or more. Beyond two weeks, the RHS advises arranging for someone to water. Pot size, light and room temperature change these figures.

Will a self-watering pot keep a plant alive for a month?

It can, for as long as the reservoir lasts, but test it a week before you leave. Self-watering pots suit plants that like steady moisture, such as ferns. They are a poor fit for ZZ plants and snake plants, which rot if kept wet.

Should I close the curtains while I'm away?

Part-close them against direct sun, but don't make the room dark. Plants still need daylight. The University of Saskatchewan advises a cool room out of direct sunlight, so a bright room with the blinds partly down beats a shut-up room with no light at all.

What if I'm away for the whole summer?

Plan for a person, not a gadget. Arrange regular visits from a trusted neighbour or a plant-sitting service, or move the plants to a friend's home. Keep the tough ones, such as ZZ plant, snake plant, ponytail palm and succulents, and accept that thirsty ferns and prayer plants may not make it.

Sources

Written by Plant Guide horticulture desk · last reviewed 7 Oct 2026

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