I recently built a deck, and we are looking to make a privacy wall using pencil hollies. As I was making sure weep holes weren’t sitting on joists, it occurred to me that the way that these planter troughs are positioned, the will set between two 16” o/c, 2×8 joists. Each (4) planter will span roughly 6 decking boards and will likely be around 500lbs initially with gravel, dirt, and a young plant. As the plant grows, it may gain some weight as well. Is this a dangerous amount of loading for these conditions?
Side note. I have a plan to route excess water away from the bottom of the planter.
Best Answer
Check the code for you area it likely specifies the minimum pound per square foot that a code compliant deck should support (for my area it's 50 pounds per square foot).
Based on a guess of the planter size based on board width my guess is you may have a problem. I'd also note that if you live in an area that gets snow then I definitely be concerned as the holly will hold snow (additional weight) and cause drifting just where you don't want it (yet more weight).
Have you considered the fake outdoor privacy vines you can buy?
Jonathan