# Watering from the bottom?



## BonesBUD (Aug 27, 2007)

Hey guys, hows it goin!

I've been doing alot of reading lately, since I started my first indoor grow, now I've got a few questions for you guys and gals.

Whats recommended for indoor soil: top watering/feeding  or bottom w/f?

Right now i have a tray setup under my containers and I just water the tray and the dirt absorbs the water through drainage holes in the bottom.
Is this any better for growth than just pouring water on top of the soil and waiting for the water to drip out the bottom?

If anyone else uses bottom feeding, how often to pour water in the tray? Do let the soil get completely dry first?

thanks


----------



## Growdude (Aug 27, 2007)

I have never heard of watering from the bottom, I really dont see any benifit.
Stick to the tried and true methods, no need to reinvent the wheel.


----------



## PuffTheMagicDragon (Aug 27, 2007)

that could cause root rot you don't want that just water the top soil with enough water and don't water again until the soil is dry a inch or 2 down roots have2 get air sometime


----------



## Mutt (Aug 27, 2007)

when dealing with rootbound or bonzaied plants...bottom feeding along with top feeding is a must IMHO.


----------



## BonesBUD (Aug 27, 2007)

thanks for the replies guys, Im just always looking for new/better ways of doing things. 

I guess I will just stick to top feeding(like always). lol  

I do have another question about ferts!
Im just starting grow big today, day 22.  I started half strength and was wondering do I feed every watering indoors, or every other watering?


----------



## Cook_ (Aug 27, 2007)

Only reason i heard of bottom feeding is feeding your plants nutes and u dont want all that nute build up in your soil so you feed at the bottom dont know much else u can do for bottom feeding


----------



## shadow1075 (Aug 27, 2007)

i dont really think its good to leave the pots sitting in water all the time the pots need time to semi dry out between waterings . and when bottom feeding nothing ever rinses out the bottom like it should


----------



## mendo local (Aug 27, 2007)

I heard the old timers used to do it. They would put string in with the soil so it would wick up. But you would only put a little water/nute solution the pot catch. not so much that it would soak for days. the main benefit was that when the plant is large and covering the pot, you can water the plant more easily without having to move all the plants around and risk breakage.  Mostly in a SOG situation, when there are lots of plants bundled together. This is just what Ive heard, I dont know if it works well or not


----------



## boardercross91 (Aug 27, 2007)

i do this with my plants, i had never heard of it, but instead of keeping a bowl of water to help with humidity, i thought id add the water to the bottom of the pot, the soild seems to soak it up, keeps the soil moist for much longer, and the plants are always stronger and growing quicker with the water in the bottom?


----------



## longtimegrower (Aug 27, 2007)

Like Mutt Said when your plant has filled the pot with roots and you water from the top the water pours through the pot and doesn`t get the soil soaked. Watering from the bottom  helps ensure the soil gets wet and watering will last for a couple days. Watering from the top when your plant is like this you will have too water a lot more often and your plant won`t grow like it does when the soil is soaked. As long as you only leave your pot in the pan for an hour or so untill the soil is good and wet then remove it from the pan it doesn`t hurt anything IMO


----------



## Cook_ (Aug 28, 2007)

shadow1075 said:
			
		

> i dont really think its good to leave the pots sitting in water all the time the pots need time to semi dry out between waterings . and when bottom feeding nothing ever rinses out the bottom like it should


 You gotta use logic when bottom feeding u take the whole bottom out and put in a screen like base at the bottom where the roots come out then u can sit your pot in a deep dish wheres they can get nutes of courses clean the dish out everyday so u dont get rot


----------



## jb247 (Aug 28, 2007)

Hydro stores have pots available that have resevoirs in the bottom to keep you from having to water so often. They have felt strips that wick the water from the res and into the soil. I always thought they would be great, making one able to leave their plants for a long week-end occasionally. If your outdoor plant can take a few days of rain, then the same should be true indoors. doncha think?


----------



## Bubby (Aug 28, 2007)

When I water my mothers, I make sure that the soil is fairly dry. I've figured out that my 10 inch pots, when 'fairly dry', absorb about 0.75L (give or take). So I can add some from the top, some on the bottom, and not worry about the roots sitting in water.

I could probably moisten the soil to the same effect if I patiently water from the top, making sure none of the water spilled over to the sides and straight to the bottom. 



> Right now i have a tray setup under my containers and I just water the tray and the dirt absorbs the water through drainage holes in the bottom.
> Is this any better for growth than just pouring water on top of the soil and waiting for the water to drip out the bottom?


I think bottom feeding, when your plant isn't rootbound, is just going to encourage roots to grow towards the bottom. I think you want the roots to grow uniformly in the pot, so you should probably water from the top so that everything is equally moist.


----------



## BonesBUD (Aug 29, 2007)

thanks for all the replies guys, lets see if there are anymore ideas out there.


----------



## bombbudpuffa (Aug 29, 2007)

I've never had any success with bottom feeding. If complete saturation of soil is what you're trying to accomplish just top feed very slow. Add 16 oz, wait 5 minutes, etc until the soil is completely wet.


----------



## Mutt (Aug 29, 2007)

I'm running a 16 ounce cup grow....with a lot of cups. So I just set the cups in a tray of water...15 minutes later all of them are watered and the pan was dry...took 1 minute of my time opposed to 10 the other. This was straight water. Don't need ferts yet. I would however rinse the pan out every other day to avoid any salt build-up.

but bigger pots....top feeding is all you need.


----------

