Potted plants in particular rely on a regular supply of sufficient water; after all, they cannot provide for themselves. An automatic irrigation system ensures that your plants don't have to stay thirsty even when you're away.
How can I water my balcony plants automatically?
To automatically water your balcony plants, you can use PET bottles for short absences, set up a DIY system with a high tank and watering cones for permanent watering, or use a powered system with a pump and timer. For longer absences, the help of a friendly neighbor is suitable.
If you only need to bridge a few days: PET bottles
If you don't need to install a permanent irrigation system, but just need to bridge a few days of absence, simple PET or glass bottles have proven to be useful. You can fill these with water and insert them upside down into the pre-poured substrate without or with a perforated lid, but you should ensure that they are securely placed. If necessary, you can attach the bottles to a holder or hang them on the balcony railing. Only use bottles with solid walls.
DIY system with high tank and irrigation cone
A tried and tested, permanently installable system works with the help of a high tank - i.e. H. a water reservoir that is set up at a higher level than the plant containers - simple garden hoses and commercially available irrigation cones (€15.00 on Amazon) that can be connected to the hoses. You don't need a power or water connection for this, as the system runs autonomously without electricity and instead uses physical laws. Thanks to gravity, the water runs out of the water tank, is led via the hoses to the cones and drips directly into the root system as needed. However, the tank must be at least 50 to 100 centimeters above the balcony plants and must not be too small - it must have a capacity of at least 300 to 600 liters so that the pressure is sufficient for automatic irrigation. Rain barrels with a hose connection in the lower area are well suited.
Systems with pump and timer
Do you have an outside socket on your balcony and maybe even an external water connection? Then an electricity-powered irrigation system might be something for you. This works similarly to the high tank system, except that the water is transported to the plants using a pump. However, this does not make irrigation any less susceptible to disruptions, as Stiftung Warentest discovered when testing various irrigation systems in 2017. In fact, it is not a good idea to leave electricity and water running unattended for such a long time, especially during a vacation trip and the associated longer absence - the risk of water damage or a broken power line is too great. However, you can optimize such a system by using a tank instead of a water pipe, which, however, needs to be refilled from time to time, especially if you are away for several weeks. The pump, in turn, cannot only be operated with electricity, as there are also solar and battery-powered models to choose from.
Tip
The most reliable system of all is still called “friendly neighbor”: Ask your neighbor or friends who live nearby to take care of your balcony plants. Invite them to a barbecue as a thank you or bring them a nice little something from vacation.
