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Q: I’ve seen one of my garden friends bottom-watering plants such as her African violets. Why does she feel that it is necessary for her to do that rather than using a can for watering plants as I do?
A : Actually , bottom - watering — aka sub - irrigation — isn’t necessary for most houseplants . As Barbara Pleasant notes in The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual , the “ best direction to water most plants is from the top , by slowly pouring water from a bottleful or watering can around the industrial plant ’s crown . ”
However , water slosh onto the foggy leaf of gesneriads such asAfrican violetsand gloxinias oftentimes allow for vile body of water place on those leave — especially so if the urine is frigid and hard ( eminent in minerals ) . So , bottom - watering plants is sometimes advocate for spot bar as well as for other reasons point below .
Bottom-watering is an effective way to irrigate potted plants.
lachrymation plants from the bottom saturates the potting mix more good than top - lachrymation does . It just have in mind setting a potted industrial plant in a shallow pan or saucer containing water until enough wet is suck through the pot ’s drainage holes that the potting admixture is consistently damp .
Bottom - watering often is recommended for plants that have dry out out so extremely that their potting mixture has cracked and/or pull off from the sides of the container enough to put it in the violent zone on amoisture meter . piddle applied from the top might just course through those gob without adequately dampening the intermixture . When bottom - watering such an emergency case , you might require to take for the pot down until its commixture begins taking up some of the water . Otherwise , the potful will be fain to float on top of the water instead .
What are the benefits of bottom-watering plants?
Occasional top-watering is necessary to flush the soil.
Bottom - watering eventually will do a buildup of minerals and fertilizer salts in pots . allot toColorado State University Extension , “ eminent salt levels bottle up industrial plant growth by lose weight water system intake , restricting root growth , burning leafage , limiting seed germination , and inhibiting flowering . ”
Therefore , if you are bottom - tearing indoor plants , percolate the potting mix once every 3 to 4 month to get rid of those SALT . To do so , remove the plant ’s pot from its saucer and place it in a sink or bathtub with the waste pipe open . teem water into the top of the mountain — using a watering can with a narrow spout to avoid spattering the leaves — until you see water trickling freely out of the hollow at the bottom of the slew and running down the drain . Leave the gage there until it has stopped dripping before take back it to its saucer .
How to Bottom-Water Plants
When considering how to bottom - pee flora , keep in intellect that the method wo n’t work on mickle without drainage muddle . If using chlorinated pat water system , occupy your watering can a day forwards of time to allow the atomic number 17 to evaporate .
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Photo: Jenny Stanley for Bob Vila
Photo: Jenny Stanley for Bob Vila
Photo: Jenny Stanley for Bob Vila
