# Bottom Watering method for soil/soilless.



## Fluxcap (Mar 21, 2011)

I have found that watering plants from the bottom is extremely beneficial. I place all of my plants, which are in their own pots, inside of a common drip tray and pour my water or nutrient mix into this tray. The soil soaks up water via capillary action. This ensures all plants get just as much water and that all of the soil is equal moist.

Doing this has saved me hours of time watering because I just mix up one big batch of nutrients and pour. It also encourages roots growth be keeping the soil light and fluffy, rather than packing the soil down.

This also makes it extremely easy to run an automated watering system. Simply put a submersible pump inside a nutrient reservoir, like a rubber maid tote. From this you run a line in to your drip tray. Run your pump on a timer and measure off how much water flows through by catching it in a tote with marked gallon lines. Adjust your timer so your are only pumping enough water to keep all of your soil moist, and plug the line into your tray. I fill my reservoir with a very mild nutrient solution, with an EC of only .8 for peak flowering. This ensures the plants get a small dose of nutrients with every watering but prevents salt build up. This also makes flushing the plants in the final week extremely easy. I simply run pure water the final week and all of the excess salts left inside the plants are pulled back in to the soil because the salts seek equilibrium. 

This simple technique has saved me much time, and has brought uniformity and consistency to my garden as well as increased yields.


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## stumps (Mar 21, 2011)

your plants will catch a cold and die One of these days. But good luck


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## FootClan (Mar 21, 2011)

Fluxcap said:


> I have found that watering plants from the bottom is extremely beneficial. I place all of my plants, which are in their own pots, inside of a common drip tray and pour my water or nutrient mix into this tray. The soil soaks up water via capillary action. This ensures all plants get just as much water and that all of the soil is equal moist.
> 
> Doing this has saved me hours of time watering because I just mix up one big batch of nutrients and pour. It also encourages roots growth be keeping the soil light and fluffy, rather than packing the soil down.
> 
> ...


So your basicaly just doing a flood and drain?? this is old news buddy


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## Jack Larson (Mar 22, 2011)

I just invented the wheel!!!!!!


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## redeyez420 (Mar 22, 2011)

hmm idk sounds hard to do if you have a lot of plants? ill stick to my milk jugg and trash can.so do you mean you soak the soil and just let it drain and pump it out


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## Fluxcap (Mar 26, 2011)

stumps said:


> your plants will catch a cold and die One of these days. But good luck


What makes you so sure? 
I haven't lost a single plant using this method, if anything they are more healthy. The roots thrive in loose soil, and the plants are much more resilient. Soil compaction is a nightmare for all gardens, especially container gardens. It's really gardening 101, don't walk on raised beds!



redeyez420 said:


> hmm idk sounds hard to do if you have a lot of plants? ill stick to my milk jugg and trash can.so do you mean you soak the soil and just let it drain and pump it out


No I just pour the nutrient solution/water in to a tray that all of the potted plant sit inside. I only pour as much water in as the soil will soak up so there is no sitting water. After you get the hang of this, it is easy to have a pump do the work for you.

It is faster than watering individual plants, while maintaining fluffy, evenly moist soil.




FootClan said:


> So your basicaly just doing a flood and drain?? this is old news buddy


It is old news, but dirt growers still rarely practice this method. I will never go back to top watering.


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## a mongo frog (Mar 26, 2011)

so what happenens to the nute mix when the plants r done feeding? do u drain thwe water out or do the plants use all the water mix u dump in?


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## Fluxcap (Mar 26, 2011)

a mongo frog said:


> so what happenens to the nute mix when the plants r done feeding? do u drain thwe water out or do the plants use all the water mix u dump in?


Nope, I only pour in what the soil will soak up, so there is none left sitting in the tray.

It takes a while to figure out how much to pour in but its second nature to me now. every thing stay evenly moist, that's the key, soggy soil is bad for roots and plants. You want evenly moist soil.


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## a mongo frog (Mar 26, 2011)

Fluxcap said:


> Nope, I only pour in what the soil will soak up, so there is none left sitting in the tray.
> 
> It takes a while to figure out how much to pour in but its second nature to me now. every thing stay evenly moist, that's the key, soggy soil is bad for roots and plants. You want evenly moist soil.


ya but your soilless. dont u water like every other day or every 2 days?


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## kingofqueen (Mar 30, 2011)

How do you leach salts from your media?


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## loizier (Mar 30, 2011)

my experience has shown me that using this method to water increases the likelihood of root rot.

jm2c.


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## k3nz1387 (Mar 31, 2011)

fluxcap you should try using coco instead of soil in the setup you described. you will see quicker growth rates and could get a bigger yield. i use the autopot system which is a bottom feeding system and i get much better results with coco than soil.


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## Jack Larson (Mar 31, 2011)

kingofqueen said:


> How do you leach salts from your media?



Thats what I've always wondered!!!!!


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## OGDanimal (Jun 14, 2011)

So how are you guys leaching out built up salts using this method?


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## rollinronan (Jun 15, 2011)

i do this....only diffrence is that when i dont feed it goes in on top....seems fine to me...
feed in the bottom and water in the top


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## irieie (Jun 15, 2011)

when i do this i always find that the roots all gather at the bottom of the pot and do not fill out the soil.


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## farmersmurf (Jun 15, 2011)

i'm a sleepy     I know whatever works for you I mean I can't even grow at the moment but this seems like a waste. But basically it's like soiless water wicking/hydro God this makes my brain hurt this sucks! lol THIS POST IS USELESS WITHOUT PICTURES!


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## farmersmurf (Jun 15, 2011)

rollinronan said:


> i do this....only diffrence is that when i dont feed it goes in on top....seems fine to me...
> feed in the bottom and water in the top


 
Now your cooking with gas!


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## farmersmurf (Jun 15, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> Thats what I've always wondered!!!!!



I thought his name was mohatma ghandi OR.... is it two diff. people? lol I could blame it on my really terrible middle school but I swore it was.... sigh* oh well


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## farmersmurf (Jun 15, 2011)

No offense but there a reason frogs don't have wings! They were meant to bump there ass. You are supposed to water from the top, in, bro. Good luck with your post but this truly is an epic fail!! All do respect I love innovations and shortcuts. Sometimes there is no other way then the right way. But Again I respect your ambition! if it works for you more power to ya bro!


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