Balcony plants need to be watered almost every day on hot days. Even if you’re only away for a long weekend, your flowers could dry out after a short time. If there is no one in your immediate vicinity who will regularly water the plants while you are away, you need another solution: With a practical watering system for the balcony, you should be able to go on your (short) vacation with peace of mind and no longer have to worry about it , who takes care of your flowers. Especially if you do not have a separate water connection on the balcony, there are different options. Seven of these are presented below.
1. Clay cones for wine bottles
Yes, you read that correctly – and no, full wine bottles should of course not be used. Empty bottles (0.75 liters) with a long neck are required for watering your balcony plants, which you should rinse out thoroughly before use. Then fill it up with water and put a clay cone on the full wine bottle. Then the bottles are turned upside down and, with the cone first, pushed deep into the potting soil so that only the upper edge of the clay can be seen. This will provide your plants with a constant supply of water while you enjoy a long weekend or short vacation elsewhere. It is best to test how long the water actually lasts before you leave. This allows you to better estimate the maximum period without watering when you go on vacation. Here is the four-piece clay cone set.
2. Planter with sub-irrigation
This UV-resistant planter is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. It has its own Lechuza irrigation system, so your green roommates should be optimally cared for when you’re away. The practical thing about the flower box is that it does not require a separate water connection on the balcony: instead, you simply fill three liters of water into the reservoir provided so that the bucket can supply the plants independently. To avoid waterlogging, a water level indicator is included. There are also much larger models with a capacity of 31 liters to 42 liters of water, but they also have a steep price. But you can also leave your flowers alone for a much longer period of time if you want to go on vacation. Here you get the irrigation system.
3. Glass watering balls
These simple glass balls are also suitable for watering flowers. They are 6cm in diameter, have a 9cm long stem and hold 75ml of water – making it clear that this watering system is more suitable for small plants or those that don’t need to be watered as often (such as orchids). The balls are first filled with water and then put into the ground with the stem first – this results in a dosed irrigation, which according to the manufacturer should supply your balcony flowers with water for several days. And one more tip at the end: To increase the water supply, you can of course simply put two glass balls in a balcony plant. Here are the watering balls.
4. Gardena City Gardening
With this irrigation system for the balcony, up to 36 plants can be supplied with water at the same time. This is made possible by three drip distributors, each with twelve outlets, which – depending on requirements – dispense different quantities: from 15 to 30 to a maximum of 60 milliliters per minute. This allows you to cater to the individual drinking needs of your flowers during the holiday season. The integrated timer starts the watering for one minute every day, so you can be away for a longer period of time without any problems. The scope of delivery includes a transformer, a pump, three distributors, a distribution hose (nine meters each), a drip hose (30 meters each), 36 hose holders and 20 caps.Here is holiday watering.
5. Plastic water dispenser and clay cone
The so-called Bördy was made of UV-resistant plastic and has a water-permeable clay cone. It holds 600 millimeters of water and is designed to provide your balcony plants with moisture for up to eleven days. The system also uses physics here. First water your flowers and stick the clay cone into the moist soil so that only the bird is visible. Fill Bördy up with water – and go on vacation. Here’s what happens while you’re away: when the soil dries up, an imbalance is created in the cone. This allows the water to drain out until the soil is moist enough again. The irrigation system was awarded the grade “good” (1.6) as the test winner by Stiftung Warentest.Here is the water dispenser.
6. Multi-plant watering system
Depending on how much water your balcony plants need during a longer absence, this system can supply five to ten flowers at the same time. There are three programming buttons on the supplied LCD display that you can use to create a custom watering cycle. The power supply via batteries is – theoretically – sufficient for two months to water your plants for one minute a day. In addition, you can decide how many hours or days are skipped. In addition, the plants are watered directly at the touch of a button, so that you can use the watering system at any time when you are at home. Get the system here.
7. Self watering flower pot
And another tip: There are also self-watering flower pots in three different sizes with ten watering levels and room temperature sensors for indoor and outdoor use with a separate tank that can hold 1.1 liters of water. According to the manufacturer, the battery lasts for up to eight weeks: The so-called Lazy Leaf was made famous in the TV show “Die Höhle der Löwen” (broadcast on VOX) of this year’s spring season and put through its paces by a stern employee. You can find out how the product performed in practice in the link below. You can get the flower pot here.
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