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How to water plants on my balcony?

mybalcony
Growing in Experience

How to water plants on my balcony?

Hi,

I just moved to an apartment with a large balcony.  My many plants survived winter but they need watering for the hot summer.
What do you suggest?
There is no tap on balcony.
I like to setup a drip hose.
Thanks
 
Kathy20231108_174447.jpg

EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

Hello @mybalcony 

 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about how to water your plants in the balcony.

 

I believe the point of contention is the source of water. If you can provide a source of water for your balcony your idea of installing a drip line will be possible. Is there a tap inside the house that you can link to and run a garden hose outside to the balcony? Is there a source of water outside the building that you can tap into? If there isn't any, I'm afraid it won't be possible to install a permanent drip line system.

 

However, there is another system that you can use that mimics a drip line system and will allow you to water your plants in a similar manner. I'm referring to the Holman Indoor Drip Spike Twin Pack. It allows you to create your own self-watering planters with the indoor drip spike. Gently water your potted plants and give plastic water bottles a second life simultaneously. Adjust how much water your indoor plants receive with flow control drippers.

 

If adjusted properly a standard 1 litre bottle of water should provide approximately 4 days of watering. A larger bottle of course would provide you with more days of water free maintenance. 

 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

 

Eric

 

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mybalcony
Growing in Experience

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

Thank you Eric.

Good to hear your suggestions.

I wonder if Body Corp will allow installing a new tap in the balcony.

 

Otherwise to connect to existing bathroom basin tap will encounter issues of access through window or door.  Then safety is a concern.

 

Kathy

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

It's worth approaching your Body Corporate with that question Kathy (@mybalcony). Let us know how you go.

 

Mitchell

 

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Dave-1
Home Improvement Guru

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

Good Morning @mybalcony 

Perfect question to have for a weekend play around! :smile: You could try something that has always been in the back of my mind for similar issues. I am BAD in fact SHOCKING at remembering to water plants that are in pots. Seriously you give me a pot plant and I just forget 😕 I even killed a blackberry bush in a pot! lol 

 

The idea I have had is to use a syphon effect from a drum of water, something like 35L drum or a something like willow 60l black dome bin base only 

Rest the drum on something solid like 4 of bessa blocks stacked two by two like bricks. Besser Blocks 

Then using this clear tubing 10mm Clear tubing  run a line of twisted rope/twine 6mm twisted rope  (thicker the better) inside the tube. The clear tubing is to stop evaporation and not carry the actual water.  Soak/charge the tube with the rope in it first then drain the water out so you have a wet rope inside the tubing. Now you have a syphon ready to go. You attach the pipe to the top of the drum and over a bit making sure that the pipe does not go into the water but the rope does, even tie a rock to the end of the rope so it sits down into the water or the bottom of the barrel.

 

With the other end, use something like a bamboo skewer and stick it into the pot plant, tie the tube say half way up it and then poke the string into the soil. The water will syphon through it pretty much like a drip feed as long as the pots are lower then the water level in the drum (making sure the rope dosnt dip like a wire on a telegraph pole as it will stop the syphon effect).

 

I am not sure how fast the syphon will work (this is something I have come up with because I forget to water) If the water runs out and the rope dries then you will have to resoak the rope to make it work again.

 

By the way :smile: Welcome to the community page :smile: There should be loads of potential answers in here. I wander around following projects and it leads me all over the place!

 

Dave

mybalcony
Growing in Experience

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

mybalcony
Growing in Experience

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

Hi Dave

I ordered the 100L Maze rain water tank. Thanks for your suggestion. 

I intend to connect a hose to my kitchen

tap to fill the tank which is outside the window.

Now i need help getting a plumber.

Will be great if i am allowed to divert from the adjacent downpipe and harvest rainwater instead.

mybalcony
Growing in Experience

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

The photo attached shows the downpipe

20231111_171715.jpg

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

Hi @mybalcony,

 

It's great to hear you went ahead and ordered the Maze tank. It should be fine for your purposes, though you must have its output connector joined to your irrigation line. 

 

You'll need to discuss harvesting from the downpipe with your body corporate.

 

MItchell

 

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Dave-1
Home Improvement Guru

Re: How to water plants on my balcony?

Morning @mybalcony 

As @MitchellMc said you will need to talk to your body corporate for the downpipe diversion. I would probaly just plan to use the water from your sink as suggested tho as anything to do with the overall structure will be a no usually. Did you end up testingthe theory?

 

Dave

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