If you are disappearing on a trip, try to make arrangements for someone to take care of your pot plants in your absence. But if this is not possible, make sure they are happy before you leave.
One mistake many people make with pot plants is over-watering, says Judy Horton, author of Yates's Gardening Guide.
"Always make sure the water's got somewhere to go. Don't leave the saucer underneath that's always got water in it. Not only is it going to breed mosquitoes but the roots stay soggy and they won't have enough oxygen around them."
Horton suggests either emptying out the saucer when the pot's drained or putting a layer of gravel in the saucer so the base of the pot sits above the water.
If you're not using a saucer, place your pot on pot feet, a brick or paving to get your pot off the ground. If the bottom of the pot is in contact with the soil, the roots will grow down through the holes in the pot and into the soil.
"Once they get there they really start to take off and block up the drainage - and then you end up with a drowned plant anyway," Horton says.
By Caroline Berdon
