I have 3 balcony planters 30 in. long that hang on my railing. When I water the plants, it drips to downstairs apartments patio railing. How can I stop this? Should I be concerned?
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Only if your neighbour complains - their railing must get rained on anyway. – Bamboo May 25 '17 at 23:54
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Oh, trust me - most neighbours will complain, especially those that can't be bothered with plants. And even with landscape fabric lining the bottom of containers, the water that drips down will be a brown colour unlike rain. It's a problem I've been pondering since I moved last year from my own property. – Jude May 26 '17 at 01:04
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I too have a balcony, on the second floor, and yes, the water runs onto the railings below following watering. I've got trays underneath most of the pots, including the window troughs, but I've put pot feet under the window troughs, on top of the tray, so that the troughs can drain freely. But mine are on the floor of the balcony, not suspended in the air. Even so, occasionally, water does drip downstairs; I just water at the end of the day, when I know no one is on the rest of the balconies.
The only way you can stop water dripping onto a neighbour's balcony is to buy self watering troughs and suspend those over your railing instead. I do not like self watering troughs; they're expensive, and plants grown in them never seem to do too well, often succumbing to fungal infection, but they definitely don't drip. I have seen trough/window box type containers with a tray that's fixed beneath, but they're quite hard to find, and they don't stop all the drips either because the tray gets full sometimes and inevitably overflows, but it does reduce the amount that drips down.
Bamboo
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Why not add a drip strip to the bottom of your railing? Depending on the width of your balcony, it should only take a few pieces of coving attached to the base of the railing, having the curved part resting on the ground and sealed
with a thick bead of clear silicone.
Any run-off or spillage will be stopped by the barrier. After draining has finished, take a super absorbent towel (like a sham-wow) and sop up dirty water in probably one pass. The added benefit not only of your neighbor, but a cleaner outdoor area for you.
M.Mat
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I bought balcony railing planters that have a reservoir space under the soil to hold some overwater. I have learned how much to water so they don’t overflow. Works great. Also my hanging baskets have a plastic cover that I bought at a garden centre to catch the overflow. Also works great! I’m the perfect tenant and neighbor!
Shirley
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