Figuring out how to water hanging baskets up high can be challenging, especially if your garden has plants of varying heights. Different heights create depth, colour, and varied interest throughout the space. You may choose to do this with bedding plants which grow at different heights. Or, alternatively, by growing your plants at different heights to begin with. This could mean anything from growing in borders, raised beds, window boxes, or even hanging baskets.
Keeping your plants healthy and hydrated is essential no matter the height they are growing. And plants growing in containers are even more reliant on us, as custodians of their care, particularly when it comes to watering. But did you know that Irrigatia’s automatic irrigation kits can water your plants at different heights?
Watering houseplants can be a tricky task, especially when they are situated in hard-to-reach spots like high shelves or hanging planters. Getting sufficient moisture to plants in lofty locations requires some creative solutions. In this article we’ll explore tips and techniques to effortlessly irrigate your leafy friends in inaccessible areas.
Assessing Your Setup
Before deciding on a watering method, take stock of your current situation. Consider the following:
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Where are your plants located and how high up are they? Measure the vertical distance you need to reach.
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Are the plants in hanging baskets, wall mounts, high shelves, or tabletop planters? The container type will impact accessibility.
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Do you have a fear of heights or physical limitations that prevent using ladders? Prioritize safer options.
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How many plants need watering in hard-to-reach spots? The quantity will determine if individualized or system-wide solutions are best.
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How often do your plants need to be watered? Frequency will dictate if simple manual watering is practical.
Manual Watering Tools
For just a few houseplants in occasional hard-to-reach spots, manual watering tools provide targeted hydration without much investment.
Watering Wands
An extendable watering wand attached to your hose or sink faucet allows you to direct water precisely without climbing up and down a ladder. Look for a wand with a gentle shower setting and angled head to easily reach hanging baskets or back shelves.
Long-Spout Watering Can
Select a watering can with an extra long curved spout, preferably with a narrow profile to fit between plant leaves and branches. The long spout pours right where you aim for focused watering. Carry the can upstairs or step stool to reach plants up high.
Bulb Syringe
A rubber bulb syringe has a squeeze handle and tapered nozzle. Fill it with water and squeeze the bulb to create a pressurized stream. The narrow tip penetrates dense foliage to hydrate the soil of houseplants in hard-to-access spots.
Long-Necked Water Bottles
Bottles designed for garden use have an extended spout that flexes and bends to target plants from various angles. Fill the bottle and squeeze it to deliver a thin stream of water directly to the soil without splashing all over.
Passive Self-Watering Options
If you have many plants or travel frequently, passive self-watering systems provide maintenance-free hydration.
Self-Watering Planters
Pots with built-in water reservoirs slowly release moisture as the soil needs it. Water less frequently but check reservoirs to prevent completely drying out. Ensure pots have drainage holes to prevent soggy soil.
Wicking Systems
A wick like nylon rope or cotton strips draws water from an external reservoir up into the soil. Place wicks in decorative cache pots without drainage holes or integrate them into a multi-planter setups.
Sub-Irrigation Systems
A network of tubing, valves, and trays creates an automated watering system below your plants. Water is delivered directly to the roots while the soil surface remains dry, helping prevent mold. This is ideal for large indoor gardens.
Water Globes / Gels
These products are placed in the soil and slowly release water. They provide a buffer if you miss a regular watering but are not a complete substitute. Use water globes to supplement other methods.
Choosing Suitable Plants
The easiest solution is to only keep plants with low water needs in hard-to-reach spots. Prioritize these varieties for high shelves and hanging planters:
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Succulents like jade, echeveria, and aloe need infrequent watering. Allow the soil to fully dry between irrigations.
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Snake plants and ZZ plants have waxy leaves that minimize transpiration. They tolerate neglect.
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Orchids, bromeliads, and air plants are epiphytes adapted to limited water sources. Mist occasionally.
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Cacti and other desert plants prefer their soil on the dry side. Water deeply but less often.
Accessibility Solutions
If moving plants isn’t an option, make them more accessible for watering through creative solutions.
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Install shelves that lower to counter height for periodic access.
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Incorporate interior pulleys to lower and raise hanging baskets.
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Place casters under plant stands to roll the entire setup around.
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Use commercial climbing devices to safely access high-mounted plants.
Getting sufficient water to plants in hard-to-reach locations doesn’t have to be an arduous chore. Follow these tips to effortlessly irrigate your lofty leafy friends! Let us know if you have any other techniques for watering plants located up high.
How to irrigate low height plants in beds
Finding a method of watering your garden beds and borders that works for you is key when growing a garden. But you can take the worry out of ensuring your plants have the ideal amount of hydration by installing an Irrigatia kit. Using the sun as a guide and power source, their SOL kits draw water from a reservoir to automatically care for your garden.
With beds and borders being ground level, gravity does much of the work in ensuring the water gets from your reservoir to your plants. However, there are a few different watering methods suggested by Irrigatia to provide the right amount and dispersal of water.
Seep hoses are otherwise known as ‘leaky hoses’. They allow water to seep through porous material into the soil, which ensures there is constant moisture available. Particularly well suited to garden beds and borders due to their size. This method of watering is ideal for young plants, vegetable patches, flower beds, and even trees.
You can adjust this to suit the size of your bed, and which Irrigatia kit you have. The SOL-C12 and SOL-C24 are capable of maintaining up to 6 metres of seep hose, to ensure consistent water pressure. You can even adjust these seephoses to be shaped into circles, to provide water all around individual plants, particularly larger ones. A seep hose can distribute water up to a third of a metre outside of the hose itself. This provides plenty of water for nearby plants.
The Irrigatia flat hose is another alternative to drippers. You can snake around your garden beds and borders to provide a consistent and even water distribution into the soil. It works by soaking the external cover, which then gradually releases water across its length. Best used on beds and borders, the hoses need to be laid flat, without any rises or bumps to ensure the water is evenly distributed. Therefore, this performs most successfully at lower heights, with less pressure.
How to water up high hanging backet plants
The Irrigatia SOL kits are designed to be able to pump water across distances, and this includes certain heights too. Each Irrigatia SOL kit can distribute water to plants up to 5 metres above the water source. That’s almost the height of a giraffe!
By doing so, plants growing in hanging baskets and window boxes, even a floor above your water source, are automatically cared for. Be aware if your Irrigatia SOL kit is also watering plants at ground level. There can be no more than a 2-metre height difference between the highest and lowest drippers. This is just to make sure that the water is evenly distributed between the two. But with a 2-metre height difference, you can comfortably water your wonderfully decorative hanging baskets and a garden bed with no trouble.
The best distribution method for plants at height is using the drippers that the kit already comes with. Because containers tend to be smaller, they aren’t suitable for seep hoses, and the flat hose works best at lower heights. The drippers are well-suited to this. You can use the stakes to guarantee the water will be directed to the base of the plant. Plus, they won’t be dislodged by inclement weather.
How to Bottom-up Water your plants
FAQ
How to water a plant up high?
The best distribution method for plants at height is using the drippers that the kit already comes with. Because containers tend to be smaller, they aren’t suitable for seep hoses, and the flat hose works best at lower heights. The drippers are well-suited to this.
Do watering globes really work?
To answer simply, yes, watering globes are good for plants. Plant watering bulbs are a great addition to any gardener’s supplies. They prevent overwatering because the water is gradually released only when the soil becomes dry. These tools also keep your plants from drying out.
Is it okay to water plants in the middle of a hot day?
How to water plants high up indoors reddit?
Take a boot tray upstairs. Take a gallon watering can up, as well as a smaller one, and a bucket. Fill smaller can from larger can. Water plants in the boot tray.
How to water plants up high?
About watering plants up high, using a ladder or step stool is one of the most common methods. This way, you can easily reach those hard-to-reach spots and provide your plants with the hydration they need. Before using this method, make sure that you have a sturdy ladder or step stool that can support your weight.
How to water plants on high shelves & hanging plants?
As for watering plants on high shelves or hanging plants, you need the right tools for the job. One option is using a sprayer, which can help you reach high places without having to physically lift heavy watering cans. This tool also allows you to control the amount of water that your plants receive and prevent overwatering.
How to water plants in a garden hose?
If your plants are hanging from a high place, you have to lower the containers or baskets according to your demand so that you can water them easily. Then, you can use a garden hose pipe, or a watering can and wait until the water entirely comes out of the drainage holes. 2️⃣ Use a long garden hose:
How do you water a plant with a ladder?
Utilizing A Ladder Or Step Stool – Water Plants Using a Hanging Plant Water Bottle or Bottom Watering With a Tray! About watering plants up high, using a ladder or step stool is one of the most common methods. This way, you can easily reach those hard-to-reach spots and provide your plants with the hydration they need.
How to raise and lower a hanging plant water bottle?
One solution is setting up a pulley system. This way, you can easily raise and lower a hanging plant water bottle or any other container filled with water for your plants. To set up the pulley system, first, choose where you want to hang the container of water from. It should be at least as high as the highest point on your plants.
Do Plants need to be watered on high shelves?
Watering plants that are placed on high shelves can be a bit challenging, especially when most indoor plants have specific watering needs. However, it is vital to ensure that your plants receive enough water to thrive and stay healthy.