I will be vacationing for almost three weeks. Do I flood the pots or what can I do to be sure that they are watered? I am primitive and an elaborate watering system is not an option. Limited space - indoors - someone else in house who cannot know of the operation, so having a "friend" maintain it is not an option.

get a few water bottles and poke very small hole in it so they drop but three weeks is a long time good luck

Sorry to say but our going to have to scrap it...or design some sorta drip system.

3 weeks is really too long for even complex automated watering systems. With something as simple as a straight soil or soilless mix like coco you HAVE to water every 1-3 days, with a large enough pot using soil you can push it to 5 or maybe 7 days, but thats really the limit as far as I know. Without someone to watch your plants you have to cancel the trip or let them go. If someone has other ideas please chime in, but sorry man I think your short on options.

Promise your most trusted freind an ounce of the crop for their help...

So how do outdoor setups (like in the backwoods) survive periods of dry weather?

Home Depot was selling these water bottles you stick in the soil with a special spout and it watered them for quite a while. A couple bucks each and a few sizes.

those glass things? I thought those were a gimmick?

Just go get a pump and a timer and time it to give your plant water every 2-3 days er something. Its real easy to make a drip system imo

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There are ways to do this. No problem.

A pump thrown into a five gallon bucket that a timer turns on for whatever....5 minutes every 2 days, whatever works for you and lines run out to the pots.

Thanks - there 3 Home Depots (and 2 Lowes) within 5 miles of my house.