Balcony plants are an excellent way to spruce up your balcony and add a touch of green to your apartment or condominium. If you are interested in incorporating plants in your balcony space, you should know that there are some things to keep in mind regarding watering. The following guide will help you learn how to water plants on a balcony.
Considerations Before Starting
Before you start, there are some things you need to consider.
- What types of plants will you be placing on your balcony? You should ideally look for plants that are designed to be relatively low maintenance since they will be in an outdoor space, which is not as controlled as an indoor space.
- Do you have a hose? If so, it will affect the types of supplies you should get for your balcony plants.
- You should also consider the amount of space that you have on the balcony for plants and choose appropriate plants accordingly.
- Think about the weather you typically receive in your area and make sure that the plant you choose can thrive there.
What You’ll Need
The following are the basic supplies you will need to have plants outdoors on a balcony.
- Pots and plant holders
- Hose (if applicable)
- Watering can
- Soil
- Supplies for anchoring or weighing down plants (such as zip ties or weights to ensure they don’t get blown in the wind)
4 Tips for Watering Balcony Plants
The following are some basic tips you should follow when watering balcony plants.
1. Water from the soil up
It is very important not to water balcony plants from the top, or from the leaves or flowers. You should always water balcony plants from the soil first. This allows the water to be absorbed into the soil rather than being soaked into the leaves, which can increase the risk for sunburn and dehydration in plants.
2. Consider rainfall protection
If you get a lot of rain in your area or you have a rainy season, you should consider what types of rainfall protection you have in place for your balcony plants. For example, do you have an awning or something similar that can protect the plants from experiencing too much rain? If not, consider installing one or a similar device to make sure your plants do not become over watered.
3. Secure your plants well
One issue that many balcony plant owners don’t know about until it’s too late is that balcony plants can be blown around by the wind. Make sure that your balcony plants are secured in some way, such as with zip ties to a railing or weights to keep the pots from blowing around.
4. How Often Should You Water Balcony Plants?
How often you water your balcony plants will depend on a few things, such as the plant species, the weather, the season, and even the individual plant. You can spot check whether or not a plant is ready for watering by sticking your finger in the soil. If the top few inches are dry, this means the plant is ready to be watered.
Final Thoughts
Watering is an important and necessary step to caring for plants on your balcony. Hopefully this guide has given you some good foundational knowledge before you get started, but make sure you understand the individual care needs for each of your plants as well.