Where to keep our patio plants for two weeks?
October 25, 2017 5:44 PM Subscribe
Our apartment building is getting painted next week, and we need to remove all items from our large patio and front door area by this Friday. This includes a ridiculous amount of succulents and other plants I've been lovingly growing since we moved in 4 years ago. I'd simply move them indoors for the two weeks (!!) we've been mandated to do so, but we have cats who will definitely not ignore them for that duration. What are our options?
We're in a two bedroom apartment with two litterboxes. One is in the master bath (the only bath with enough room), and one is in the second bedroom (currently an office). We've considered:
A) Moving the second litterbox out of the office, making that The Plant Room and closing the door.
Problem is I don't know if I can deal with a litterbox in the living room or our bedroom for that long. The office room is also in daily use and closing the door on 3 cats means wailing the likes of which will drive us insane.
B) Moving plants into our bedroom and erecting a pet gate to prevent cat access. We can't close the door here because the master bath with a litterbox is connected to the bedroom, but there's room for a pet gate to prevent access to the bedroom itself.
Concerns here also include cat wailing, and we won't have the benefit of a closed door to at least mute the sounds.
C) Moving the plants into our living room or bedroom, probably in an enclosure of some kind. A few pet crates? Everything I've looked at is really pricey for the amount of stuff I'd need to store inside.
D) Asking other people to hold onto our plants for us. Problem: everyone we know rents apartments without balconies and with their own pets. I am also not comfortable "gifting" this large collection of greenery onto coworkers I don't know too well, for two whole weeks. That'd be asking a lot.
I'm kind of getting the sense that these plants will simply have to go, but I don't know if that's just me feeling overwhelmed right now or if yes, I've exhausted all possibilities and that's that.
Where we are stashing our patio furniture and grill is a whole other headache. Please help me keep my plants alive though!
We're in a two bedroom apartment with two litterboxes. One is in the master bath (the only bath with enough room), and one is in the second bedroom (currently an office). We've considered:
A) Moving the second litterbox out of the office, making that The Plant Room and closing the door.
Problem is I don't know if I can deal with a litterbox in the living room or our bedroom for that long. The office room is also in daily use and closing the door on 3 cats means wailing the likes of which will drive us insane.
B) Moving plants into our bedroom and erecting a pet gate to prevent cat access. We can't close the door here because the master bath with a litterbox is connected to the bedroom, but there's room for a pet gate to prevent access to the bedroom itself.
Concerns here also include cat wailing, and we won't have the benefit of a closed door to at least mute the sounds.
C) Moving the plants into our living room or bedroom, probably in an enclosure of some kind. A few pet crates? Everything I've looked at is really pricey for the amount of stuff I'd need to store inside.
D) Asking other people to hold onto our plants for us. Problem: everyone we know rents apartments without balconies and with their own pets. I am also not comfortable "gifting" this large collection of greenery onto coworkers I don't know too well, for two whole weeks. That'd be asking a lot.
I'm kind of getting the sense that these plants will simply have to go, but I don't know if that's just me feeling overwhelmed right now or if yes, I've exhausted all possibilities and that's that.
Where we are stashing our patio furniture and grill is a whole other headache. Please help me keep my plants alive though!
I'd put them in the living room or office and create an enclosure with hardware cloth and zipties (I'm imagining a cylinder of metal).
posted by quince at 6:13 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by quince at 6:13 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Will the plants fit in the master bath? If so, move the litter box to the other side of the office (so both are in different locations in the office), close the master bathroom door and use the other bath for 2 weeks if necessary?
posted by cgg at 6:54 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by cgg at 6:54 PM on October 25, 2017
Response by poster: Will the plants survive in a windowless bathroom for 2 weeks though?
posted by erratic meatsack at 6:56 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by erratic meatsack at 6:56 PM on October 25, 2017
If your alternatives are something that is likely to cause the plants to die, why not bring them into your living room and take a shot that the cats will not do permanent harm to the plants and themselves? Better to have tried that than to just assume it is a no go and getting rid of some terrific plants.
posted by AugustWest at 8:04 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by AugustWest at 8:04 PM on October 25, 2017
How big are these plants? At my former place, I had a catnip bush--I wanted it to be out on the patio but didn't want it completely accessible to the point that cats would eat the whole thing. My solution was to buy some sturdy wire grid panels (not sure what the technical term is...I got them at a Daiso but an Amazon search for "grid panel" brings up something similar, if a bit more expensive) and constructed a "cage" to protect the plants. Because it's just a grid, it still lets in air and light for the plants. The Daiso sold plastic connecting pieces specifically for the ones I bought but you could probably use zip ties, some wire twists, etc...
You could probably use the same idea with a big basket or wire laundry hamper turned upside down and possibly weighted to prevent feline-induced flip-over, though I don't know how many you'd need for the amount of plants you have. I remember looking at some at Target before arriving at the grid panel solution.
Alternatives: Get something like this greenhouse shelving unit and find some way to block the cats from getting to it. Or if you happen to have a glass cabinet or display case, you could store some of the smaller plants there.
Good luck! I recently and sadly had to part with my small avocado tree as it would probably outgrow the balcony at my new place, so I am rooting for you and your family of plants.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 10:37 PM on October 25, 2017
You could probably use the same idea with a big basket or wire laundry hamper turned upside down and possibly weighted to prevent feline-induced flip-over, though I don't know how many you'd need for the amount of plants you have. I remember looking at some at Target before arriving at the grid panel solution.
Alternatives: Get something like this greenhouse shelving unit and find some way to block the cats from getting to it. Or if you happen to have a glass cabinet or display case, you could store some of the smaller plants there.
Good luck! I recently and sadly had to part with my small avocado tree as it would probably outgrow the balcony at my new place, so I am rooting for you and your family of plants.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 10:37 PM on October 25, 2017
What's your parking situation? Can they be stashed in a carport?
posted by vignettist at 10:38 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by vignettist at 10:38 PM on October 25, 2017
They could survive in a windowless room if you get a plant light. One like this fits into a regular socket, and isn't too expensive.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:03 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:03 PM on October 25, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions so far! They're a mix of fairly large plants (4-foot fig tree, giant container of tall snake plants, wide hosta pot) and then shallower rectangular planters for all the succulents.
My main concern is less the cats mauling them and more the cats digging into the soil/rocks on top of the soil, which they have done before on the patio itself. Basically I don't want to come home to dirt all over the carpet. These are wily and determined beings.
What I've decided to do for now is stash the plants in our bedroom during the day with the pet gate in place, then move them back onto the patio each night and take the gate down. We've been told painting hours will be 8am-6pm so this shouldn't interfere with the workers. Just a bit more daily moving stuff around for us. At least most of the heavy stuff is on a wheeled caddy already!
posted by erratic meatsack at 11:14 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
My main concern is less the cats mauling them and more the cats digging into the soil/rocks on top of the soil, which they have done before on the patio itself. Basically I don't want to come home to dirt all over the carpet. These are wily and determined beings.
What I've decided to do for now is stash the plants in our bedroom during the day with the pet gate in place, then move them back onto the patio each night and take the gate down. We've been told painting hours will be 8am-6pm so this shouldn't interfere with the workers. Just a bit more daily moving stuff around for us. At least most of the heavy stuff is on a wheeled caddy already!
posted by erratic meatsack at 11:14 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Night_owl at 6:04 PM on October 25, 2017