What Is Bottom Watering?
Bottom watering houseplants are extremely simple and effective. It is a great way to help keep your houseplants healthy. The benefits are numerous and it’s really easy to do! It’s the easiest way to ensure that you water houseplants regularly, without the risk of overwatering.
To bottom water plants, you submerge them in a sink or tray of room temperature water and allow them to soak it up from the bottom.
When using a tray, simply fill it with enough water to submerge the base of your plant 1-2cm (½”) into the water. Make sure there’s no water in the rosette at the center of your plant so that it doesn’t get wet leaves.
If using a sink, fill it with about 2-3 cm (1″) of tepid water for small plants, and 5 cm (2″) for large ones. Your plants will drink what they need, but make sure that you don’t overflow your sink!
How to bottom water your plants
Bottom watering is a technique for watering plants that’s relatively easy to do. You can bottom water a plant by placing it in a basin or sink or using a tray. Bottom watering is helpful for plants that have a tendency to get overwatered if you leave them in their pots and water from the top. In these cases, it’s often better to take them out of their pots and bottom water them instead. Certain plants such as succulents don’t like to be bottom watered because this method causes their roots to sit in too much water and may become susceptible to root rot.
You should also consider using bottom watering if you are going away on vacation or if you regularly forget to water your plants (no judgment here). With bottom watering, your indoor plants will be watered all day (or however long you are gone) while they are still kept safely above ground level when they’re not being watered.
1. Fill your sink or basin with water
- Fill a sink, basin, or container with tepid water. The amount of water needed will depend on the size of your container and the number of plants you will be watering at any given time. For example, if you have a small kitchen sink and only one plant to bottom water, then fill only about an inch of water into the basin. For larger containers or more plants, adjust the amount of water accordingly (e.g., 2 inches for ten plants).
- Put your potted plants into your sink or basin to submerge their roots in water, and all leaves are above the surface. Be sure that no leaves or foliage get wet! If any part of a plant’s leaf gets wet while bottom-watering, it is at risk of developing the fungal disease as well as rotting away quickly.*
- Let your plants sit in this position for 5–10 minutes until they have soaked up enough moisture through their roots to replace what they may have lost in recent days or weeks. It’s crucial not to leave them soaking too long; otherwise, they may rot from getting too much water (and root rot can spread).
2. Allow the plant to soak for a few hours
After your plant has soaked for a few hours, pick it up and gently shake off the excess water from its roots. One to three hours is usually sufficient if you’re unsure how long to let your plant soak.
Your plant should be placed back in its pot at this time with fresh soil around its roots. Be sure to allow the soil to dry out before watering again, and avoid giving your freshly potted bottom-watered plants too much sun or fertilizer until they have reacclimated to their pots.
It’s best to bottom water plants in the evening, especially during summer, when high temperatures are more common.
3. Return the plant to its spot
After the water has seeped up through the soil, remove the saucer from underneath and return your plant to its spot. You can usually put them back right away for plants that like to dry out a bit before being watered again, such as cacti and succulents. If your plant needs constant moisture, wait until the top of the soil has dried out slightly before moving it back. This will ensure that there is still plenty of moisture in the bottom of the pot since water tends to sink when given time.
After a few days, you should check on your plants to see if they need more water. You will be able to tell if they are thirsty by feeling the soil with your fingers or using a moisture meter probe. Once you have mastered bottom watering, you can try adopting other techniques like misting or top watering!
Bottom watering is an easy way to water your plants.
Congratulations! You’ve made it through our article on how to bottom water your plants. Hopefully, you were able to follow the steps and feel confident in your new ability to water your plants. If you’re still nervous about trying this method, remember: it’s ok if you make mistakes. Plants are resilient–even if you over-water or under-water them, they’ll survive and continue to grow.
Bottom watering is an easy way to water your plants and a great way to reduce the risk of overwatering. Bottom watering can work for almost any plant, though it may not work well with plants that have shallow roots.
If your plants are happy with their new watering method, consider making the switch permanent. You and your plants will be glad you did!
That’s it! You’ll be a master of bottom watering in no time.
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