When watering potted plants, overwatering can be just as detrimental as underwatering. Besides watering frequency, the watering method you use also plays a role in how much water the plant gets. Potted plants can be watered either from the top or from the bottom. Although watering from the top is the most common method, it is not always the best.
This article gives you the gist on bottom watering and helps you decide whether it’s right for your plants.
Watering plants is an essential part of caring for them. Providing your plants with the right amount of water at the right time is crucial for their health and growth But when it comes to watering methodology, there are two main options – top watering and bottom watering So which technique is better for your plants? Let’s take a closer look at bottom watering and explore why it may be the superior watering method for many plants.
What is Bottom Watering?
Bottom watering, also known as reverse osmosis, involves placing the pot in a container of water and allowing the plant to absorb moisture through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. The water is slowly wicked up into the soil through capillary action. This contrasts with top watering, where water is poured directly onto the top of the soil
Benefits of Bottom Watering
There are several key benefits that make bottom watering an excellent choice for many plants:
Promotes Deeper Root Growth
By drawing water up from below, bottom watering encourages plant roots to grow downwards in search of water. This results in a stronger, healthier root system that can better anchor and support the plant. Deep roots also allow the plant to access more nutrients and moisture locked in the lower layers of soil.
Avoids Water Runoff
Water poured onto extremely dry soil will simply run down the sides of the pot and out the bottom without saturating the soil. Bottom watering prevents this wasteful runoff by allowing the soil to absorb water directly from below.
Prevents Disease
Wet foliage is a breeding ground for fungal diseases. Bottom watering avoids getting the leaves and stems wet, reducing the chance of mildew and other moisture-related diseases.
Less Stressful
Top watering can shock plants if temperatures or mineral content of the water differs significantly from the soil environment. Bottom watering minimizes stress by allowing the soil and roots to gradually acclimate as water is absorbed.
More Controlled Watering
It’s easy to overwater from the top, but bottom watering only provides as much moisture as the soil can absorb. The soil acts as a buffer to prevent oversaturation.
Discourages Pests
Some insects and fungi lay eggs in surface moisture. Bottom watering keeps the top layer of soil dry, reducing this habitat for pests like fungus gnats.
Best Plants for Bottom Watering
While most plants can be bottom watered, some are especially well-suited to this technique:
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Succulents and cacti – These drought-tolerant plants thrive with the controlled moisture levels provided by occasional bottom watering.
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African violets – Their hairy leaves can rot if watered from above. Bottom watering avoids this.
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Orchids – Orchids prefer having their roots saturated while keeping their foliage dry, making bottom watering ideal.
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Peace lilies – Bottom watering keeps their sensitive roots moist and prevents leaf spotting from water droplets.
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Crotons – Prone to fungal issues if their leaves get wet, crotons do best with bottom watering.
How to Bottom Water Your Plants
Bottom watering your houseplants is simple:
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Fill a container (pot, bucket, sink, etc) with enough room temperature water to submerge the bottom quarter of the plant’s pot.
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Place the potted plant into the water, making sure the drainage holes are fully submerged.
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Allow the plant to soak for 10-30 minutes, until the soil surface appears moist. Gently lift the pot to check soil moisture as needed.
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Remove the plant once the top of the soil is wet. Allow any excess water to drain out.
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Return the plant to its normal spot, placing it on a saucer if needed to catch drainage.
When to Use Bottom Watering
While bottom watering has many benefits, it isn’t necessarily the best technique for every situation:
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Use bottom watering when potting mix is very dry – it rehydrates soil efficiently.
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Avoid it for pots without drainage holes – water will not be able to escape.
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Use caution with seedlings and non-established plants – they have fragile roots.
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Top water to supplement occasionally – flushes out mineral buildup from fertilizers.
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Top water big pots – they can get very heavy when bottom watered!
The Takeaway
For most indoor plants, bottom watering is an extremely useful method that offers advantages over traditional top watering. The controlled moisture levels keep plants happy and healthy while encouraging robust root systems. Plus it’s a simple, low-effort way to irrigate multiple pots at once. Pay attention to your plants’ needs, and consider switching to bottom watering as part of your houseplant care routine. Your plants will thank you!
Benefits of Bottom Watering
If it’s done properly, bottom watering has several benefits. First, water is better absorbed with this method, especially when the potting medium is dry. This eliminates water running through the potting medium like in top watering, or worse, running off the soil surface and spilling out of the pot, which can happen when the soil is very dry.
Second, bottom watering ensures all of the potting medium gets saturated, not just the top layer. This lets plants develop stronger, deeper root systems as the roots are growing toward the water source.
Third, it is a more controlled watering method than top watering, because you don’t give the plant more than the potting medium can absorb. It also avoids getting the plant leaves wet, which some plants don’t like.
And fourth, bottom watering discourages fungus gnats from laying their eggs. Fungus gnat females lay up to 200 eggs on the surface of moist potting medium.
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What Is Bottom Watering for Plants?
Bottom watering, also called reverse watering, is adding water to the saucer underneath the pot, or placing the pot in a bucket, sink, or another large container of water. The water is slowly absorbed and drawn into the potting medium through the drainage holes of the pot.
How to Bottom-up Water your plants
FAQ
What are the disadvantages of bottom watering?
Cons of Bottom Watering:
Takes longer – Plants need to sit in the bowl of water for up to an hour, depending on pot size, to properly rehydrate. Doesn’t flush out salts – Most of our tap water has salts and minerals that should not remain in the potting media.
Can you overwater your plants by bottom watering?
So yes, bottom watering could lead to overwatering, but it would be highly dependent on how long you left the plant in the water.
What plants should not be bottom watered?
How long to leave plants bottom watering?
For bottom watering, leave plants in water until the topsoil is visibly moist, which usually takes between 10 minutes to an hour. Smaller pots and drier soil may require less time, while larger pots and more moisture-retentive soil may need longer.
Should you bottom water your plants?
Watering is critical to your plants, but it’s not always as simple as it seems. One of the best methods, bottom watering, keeps the foliage safely dry and saturates the soil more evenly than watering from the top. In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about bottom watering plants and how to do it successfully.
Do all plants like bottom watering or top watering?
But not all plants like bottom watering as much as they do top watering. Top watering is effective for plants that like to dry out a bit between waterings or those that are sensitive to soggy soil. Let’s take a closer look at some plants that grow best when you use the top watering technique for them. Back to top
Should you water potted plants top or bottom?
Each method for watering potted plants has its pros and cons. Both top and bottom watering are effective techniques for providing potted plants with moisture. Top watering is faster to do and helps wash out excess salts from the soil, while bottom watering results in more even moisture distribution and encourages deeper root growth.
Is bottom watering better than top watering?
While it has benefits, bottom watering also comes with some possible disadvantages to consider: It takes time for plants to soak up water from below, sometimes up to a few hours. This method usually requires more patience than quickly top watering multiple plants.
Why do plants need to be watered bottom or top?
Water makes up 85-90% of a plant’s weight. Bottom and top watering both help carry essential nutrients and minerals from the soil to the cells, making the plant healthier and stronger. Bottom watering plants keep the soil uniformly moist so the entire root structure gets watered, however, the downside to this is salt build up over time.
Should you switch to bottom watering your plants?
Switching to bottom watering your plants comes with some compelling potential perks. Here are some of the main advantages of this method: As the water is absorbed from underneath, bottom watering encourages plants to grow longer roots down into the soil seeking water. This expanded root system makes plants sturdier and more drought-resistant.