As an owner of the houseplant, you may hear about the bottom watering plants at some time and you wondered if it’s the thing you should do. Today, I am going to cover everything which you must know about bottom watering plants. It will be helpful for you to grow such Plants and it is very important for some plants like Begonia Maculata.

What is bottom watering?

Bottom watering plants are exactly what their word sounds like! It means to provide water to your plants from the down end it will allow the plants to remain in the pot or container of water to soak for a period of time.

What mean for the top watering?

It is the watering of Plants from the top by using any outlet or can or something else.

It is among the best ways to water plants. Bottom watering is very helpful and effective, it’s the fact that complete replacing of top water with down water isn’t recommended normally. (but why are we replacing it? You will learn below) It is said that bottom water can be beneficial as an additional method of plant watering.

How to water plants through bottom watering?

  • Firstly, to start this work, there must be a drainage hole in your pot so it will help the plant to suck up the water. Plant soil is another factor; make sure that the plant’s soil is soft and not too compacted because it will cause trouble in water soaking.
  • Find a container or pot, which is large enough to put in your plant. Now fill it with water, a few inches above to halfway. It depends upon your plant size. Now put the plant in the water container.
  • The moisture level should reach below the soil surface. Now use your finger and try to check moisture content after ten minutes.
  • If your finger feels dry or you observe that plant has quickly soaked all the water then allow the plant to soak a little more water. But Remember it should be moderate, water should reach below the soil surface, otherwise, high soaking of water can cause serious issues like root rot and overwater.
  • After complete soaking, remove the extra water by using any tray. Do not pour this water back into the plant because it is soaked fully and does not require any more water.

Note:

If you are providing bottom water to your plant regularly then a mineral or salt gradient can be formed, so periodically water your plant through the top watering method, once a month or more, it will remove extra salts. It’s the problem with bottom water application so you need to look out for this watering method.

bottom watering

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Is Bottom Watering good for Plants?

Yes, it’s absolutely beneficial for most plants.

Pros of Bottom Watering:

  • Plants have balanced control over their water intake ability because we are allowing the plants to suck the amount of water, that they need. On the other side, we aimlessly provide the water to the top Soil.
  • In bottom water, there will be no chance of pouring water on the stem parts or leaves which may cause rot. Some plants may be very sensitive to this condition.
  • Bottom watering distributes the water evenly throughout the container/plant.
  • Roots attract the water so they become stronger in bottom watering.
  • It provides an effective and healthy drink to super dry plants.
  • It also reduces the chances of over-watering (but it is still possible).
  • In the bottom, watering moisture remains under the soil surface so pests attraction will also decreases.

I will never say that the risk of pest attack will go down that much, but if you have this problem then must start bottom watering for a little, and let’s see what happened.

Cons of bottom watering Plants:

  • It does remove the extra salt gradient or minerals like it occurred during the top watering. So you need to provide top water to your plants for removal of extra gradients, once a month or more. Some plants may be more sensitive to these gradients. Research your plant to know its sensitivity to salt or minerals. If it is too sensitive, you may have to avoid the bottom watering in all conditions.
  • It takes longer or too much time, so honestly, this is the top reason that I do not perform it continuously to water my plants through this bottom watering method.
  • It all depends upon your memory or tendency to forget things; you shall have to set a timer to remember or to care for your plants. That’s the number second reason that it does not often provide bottom water to my plants.

Can you provide Bottom water to all Plants?

Yes, the process of soaking is the same. Plants will definitely soak up the water from the bottom of the pot through their roots, it will go head to head if there is a drainage hole and the soil is not too compacted.

On the other hand, I have mentioned above that some plants are sensitive to salts and minerals and do not perform well in bottom watering or extra salty conditions. Be sure that your plant is not among them.

In the same manner, some plants will perform extraordinarily in bottom watering because they extremely LOVE to keep their foliage wet. African Violets are the best-known example, people use bottom watering and this is the standard method to water them.

You still need to be careful and flush them out in a periodic manner, though.

How long I bottom water my plants:

It exactly depends upon two factors how much size your plants have and much dry they are. Smaller plants will definitely take less time. During watering always check your plants after ten minutes to read the situation.

If they are dry after checking the situation and sticking your finger, let them allow to soak for another ten minutes. Allow them to soak until they become moist just under the soil surface.

It will be your duty because whatever you are doing you have to care for the plants permanently during watering. A set timer will help if you forgot about them.

Can you over water by bottom Watering?

Yes, it is possible if the plant is kept too long in the water, it will overwater your plant by bottom watering. However, we can say bottom watering is a more efficient and controlled method of watering plants. By remembering to care for and check your plant after every ten minutes when it is sitting in the water, you can definitely minimize your chances of high watering and initiating root rot.

Can You Bottom Water The Plant At Night?

No, never do this bad step because it will affect the growth of the plant and can easily damage it.