Expert gardener shares worry-free hack to keep plants hydrated while you're away: 'This is so helpful'

If you're leaving home for a few days and aren't sure how your plants will get watered, stop worrying — this hack is for you. 

Gone are the days of making our friends drive halfway across town each day just to spend five minutes caring for our garden while we're gone. 

The scoop 

TikTok user Sabrina (@sabrina.sustainable.life) says not to recycle your wine bottle just yet, as it can still be put to good use. 

@sabrina.sustainable.life shoutout to @Alyssa Barber for teaching me this watering hack ✨ #upcycling #garden #wateringplants #Plants #zerowaste #ecofriendlyliving #ecotip ♬ plant - draffish

In her video, Sabrina fills an empty wine bottle with water, then quickly tips the bottle over into damp soil, nestled alongside her tomato plant. The water will slowly release into the earth, making sure the plant is satiated while you're gone. 

Essentially, it's a free version of a watering globe, she says. The same hack can also be done with smaller bottles, like a cleaned-out hot sauce bottle, for houseplants. 

"And now you don't have to worry about your plants while you're out of town," she says. 

How it's helping

Though having and maintaining a garden might seem daunting, this hack just goes to show that it can be an accessible activity — even for people constantly on the go. For those of us with busy lives, gardening is actually a wonderful activity for improving our mental and physical health. 

According to Mayo Clinic, it's been shown to lighten one's mood and to lower levels of stress and anxiety. Additionally, adding the routines of gardening to our day — like watering and weeding — can give life a soothing rhythm and ease our stresses. It can also be a great way to save money on produce. 

Gardening has positive environmental impacts, too, as growing your own food in any amount reduces demand for mass-produced, store-bought, and globally shipped produce. 

What everyone's saying

Many fellow TikTokers left questions and comments on the video. 

"How quickly [does] it release though?" one user asked. 

"It can take a few days!" Sabrina replied, making it a good length of time for a trip out of town. 

"ISN'T IT THE BEST?!" one TikToker said of the hack. "It rocks." 

"How did you know I was going away this weekend!" another user exclaimed. "This is so helpful."

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