Let's Compare: Bottom Watering vs. Top Watering

Did you know we're the first people to recommend bottom watering all houseplants? Let's compare top and bottom watering and see which wins...

[Astara_star]

I thought this was excellent

Other people have said that it's flawed, but I have heard a lot of plant channels say that bottom watering is good because...

It allows the plant to suck up as much water as it needs. Also it promotes healthy root growth, because it encourages the roots to grow towards the source of the water.

So it encourages the roots to grow downwards. This is the information that I have watched over and over.

[tokuyou]

i mean yeah bottom watering soaked the ground more cuz u left that in longer. dripping water down until it came out the other way just means as soon as water slipped out, you stopped watering. if you had kept watering regardless of if water came out, you would eventually achieve what bottom watering does.

watering the top works for some people. it doesnt for others. whatever, thats fine.

if you ran a real experiment there would be better testing and controls. but i dont believe it when you say bottom watering works when you're not even applying the same variables for this experiment.

[eternalwarrior-ypqx]

Top watering causes the top part of the soil to stay moist for a long time and that causes mold accumulation and potentially fungus gnats. Plant soil is a major source of mold spores even if you can't spot it with your eyes and mold spores are toxic to humans. Bottom watering or self watering is ideal to prevent this problem.

[MissyBlongsGod]

I thank you for sharing your experiment. It's good to know. God bless!🙏

[catherinemcdaniel]

What I just got done doing. Bottom Watering my snake plant. That and division of said plant.

[bhumphries]

If you are top watering, and the water is running out the bottom, but much of the soil is still dry. You don't have a watering problem, you have a soil problem. It needs to be repotted in fresh soil, because your soil has become hydrophobic.

[chelsajohnson]

What if u do both? I put a tray under, top water and let soak up what it wants.

[Xt]

The crucial piece of info is that soil need to have at least 25% oxygen in the saturated Column roots need oxygen more than water

[sheldonmurphy]

This was like watching a bad infomercial, but with plants, but selling an idea that is flawed, instead of product.

[ld]

No. This “experiment” is flawed from the start, sis! Bottom watering is great for soil that is so dry or so old that it has become hydrophobic, which is exactly what you have. Just water and repot your plants appropriately and you don’t have this problem.
In general, bottom watering is unnecessary at best and contributes to salt build up and perched water effect at worst - both of which will damage roots.

[cecilsharps]

add some yucca to your water. It is a natural wetting agent.

[FatShork]

Bottom watering seems like a health hazard. The aedes aegypti would be all up in that mess😨🤢