Bottom watering🪴is it better?

Hi there!
thank you for watching🌱!
What does it mean? Can you overwater with bottom watering?
Is bottom watering better? How does it work?
How does fertilizing work with bottom watering?
These are some of the questions we talk about in this video.
Please feel free to share with your friends, if you like this video give it a thumbs up 👍🏼 it really helps our channel a lot. Subscribe and hit the bell so that you get notifications every time we post a new video.
Once again thank you for watching🌱
/Swedish Plantguys

[@deborahandrade1003]

I’ve kept fungus gnats at bay by using bottom watering. Fungus gnats don’t like dry soil, they prefer moist soil on the top. I’ll never top water again.

[@donnaroberts9119]

I had no idea that fertilizer was basically salt, it explains why terra cotta weeps the white layer!

[@rebeccahenderson7761]

I have more than 100 plants in my office & every single one gets bottom watering. I absolutely love it and it has eliminated my fungus gnat problem. But I never water in the cache pot, I always remove & take the plants to my watering table where I put them in trays (actually the lids from my vegan protein jars, white is tap water, blue is distilled for Calatheas. There I look over the plants for pests & issues, if I find any I immediately quarantine them to deal with later. This along with beneficials has eliminated the majority of my pest problems, but they can still fly in the door or come on a new plant, so I keep a good eye on them.

[@visakaweerasinghe4236]

👌👏👏

[@lzshow]

The top soil always looks dry

[@rebeccahenderson7761]

@M.C. I never said anything close to "this is better than that" - I only spoke to what I do and what works for me. I also live in a rain forest with tons of ferns and calatheas, so the soil used to get fungus gnats and would be expected in my environment.

[@rebeccahenderson7761]

@@lzshow Usually and that's why there's no fungus gnats.

[@amyheckathorn7172]

I heard the advice to fertilize and water “weakly and weekly,” a play on words meaning use fertilizer at half strength (weak) when watering once per week at most. That was for top watering, too. I’ve found it works wonders for my plants. I’m switching to bottom watering and self watering containers for my convenience now, so nothing to change. Thank you!

[@wipqueen9224]

Dear Swedish Plantguys, I´m so happy to find your awesome channel, and here is why: 1. The amount and delivery of all the plant info on your channel is outstanding! Thank you so much for that, it´s so helpful and enjoyable to just listen to while doing some gardening : ) 2. Watching your channel of Swedish guys speaking English, being a German living in Ohio, quite amuses me. 3. Watching your videos about ´Pumice´ truly made my day :D `Pommes` is the German short form for `Pommes frites`, the common french fries. And that´s what I hear you say through the whole video, haha! Thank you again, keep your wonderful content coming please!

[@heychunkybutt2010]

You all are my favorite people! I was a new plant mom but bc of you guys, I have a house full of plants!

[@HAL-dm1eh]

If you have a fish tank you have a huge advantage because it is full of natural fertilizer than can be used every time you water the plant. They absolutely love it. Goldfish are by far the best for this as they are little ammonia producing water pigs. 🤣

[@elaine4812]

"little ammonia producing water pigs" is the best thing I've read all day! xD

[@barbhansen5292]

Last year I had gnats like crazy, so I started bottom watering and used the sticky thingy’s. No more gnats 🥰

[@PlantyLadySue]

@M.C. What brand of potting soil do you use?

[@deannemather9113]

Love you guy's, always great advice

[@bettinaschmid1158]

Good explanation, thank you!

[@clydedickens3762]

One of the best explanations on the use of plant fertilizers.

[@B01]

Super helpful and informative!

[@Bee-rv9zs]

Wonderful video, thank you!

[@liteweightpup2561]

I always learn something new from you guys.

[@karenwhite2601]

Very informative and useful video on watering.

[@kayrobinson64]

I always water from the bottom, plus overnight I leave on newspaper so I make sure it is fully drained.

[@lydiathornton7914]

AWESOME video! The guy in the middle should teach! Not boring! As a new plant parent; I learned SOOOOO much. Thank you.

[@debbielummus4637]

I love the idea of alternating the watering methods!

[@katarzynatomaszewska1004]

Great video 👍🏻☺️ Thank you 💚

[@rowenaflores61]

I take a note on that and try on my indoor plants... thank you guys❤️💚❤️💚

[@fifinguyen8944]

OMG I learn so much from this channel 👍👍👍

[@jeganka]

Quality content as always. Great show! Keep it up!

[@newmanmansell760]

Great episode about fertilizers and watering👍🌟I learnt a lot and enjoyed watching

[@staceyrose5821]

Bottom watering encourages the roots to grow down as opposed to the roots encircling the pot becoming root bound. That's the consensus from what I've learned from just reading.

[@JustJ0nathan]

This is false. Look up gravitropism. Plant roots will always grow towards the bottom of the pot whether you top or bottom water.

[@staceyrose5821]

@@JustJ0nathan My plants have been growing down, particularly my Monstera's! The roots shoot out the drainage holes and I cleanly clip them down. Since bottom watering, none of my plant roots are circling the pots. I use see through pots so I can tell. I also never over-watered and killed a plant bottom watering. And since I only use distilled water, it actually saves money because I'm watering the roots and not the entire pot of dirt. I'm thrilled my plants are happy and have zero issues.

[@janebuckland737]

Thank you for this. Details on fertilising hugely helpful…now I know not to feed a poorly plant. Well done yet again

[@silviap4478]

I alternate between both methods. Only my calatheas get top watering only, because it helps flushing out salts and prevents yellowing tips. Also all plants that are really bushy on top only get fertilized by bottom watering, so it doesn't burn the leaves on top

[@vernellevale2226]

What a great video! How to fertilize from the bottom is very informative! I didn’t think know that, so I’ve learned something new! I love it!!! Thank you so much!!

[@plantslolo475]

Wow, I learned a lot from you guys !

[@DianeUgo]

This was very informative, I learnt a lot.

[@ukroguegardening7137]

I love the way you guys say "Plant" :)

[@lorit.6095]

Geat video. I always learn so much here.

[@teedoubleu9602]

Good morning from South Korea. Thank you for this very informative video Swedish Plant Guys 😁

[@bryanscharn7380]

Great info thank you

[@amarjadhav4018]

Good morning from India I like all of your videos. They're good combination of practical methods of taking care plants and plant biology.

[@matadaniel6520]

Kia Ora from New Zealand always find your VIDZ very informative thanks Swedish Plant Guys !!!

[@passapmachines4006]

I am learning a lot with your video, no one ever explant about fertilizer clearly like you. Thank you for the information this will save me money not buying too many fertilizers.

[@megganwright1535]

Thanks!

[@deborahandrade1003]

Bottom watering is my favorite method. I soak the plant in a container that is large enough to place the plant so that it is an inch below the rim of the pot. I use my water meter to make sure the water level stays at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches below the rim. Fantastic if you want to not have fungus gnats. I use a water soluble fertilizer.

[@jheng8648]

@M.C. have you kept peace lilies before? And if so, how do you prevent fungus gnats?

[@staceyrose5821]

@M.C. how many times are you going to post the same comment. Over and over. Enough. If you don't have any beneficial information to provide, leave a comment. But not the same comment 50 times. It's redundant and not helpful.

[@kbm4409]

Which water soluble fertilizer do you use

[@GondaHerszkowicz]

best plant-channel om KZbin!

[@eleanormcneal516]

YES

[@Layeredworld]

Planterina! With Amanda

[@staceyrose5821]

@@Layeredworld good for a laugh for sure. But Swedish Plant guys give you direct information when that's what you're looking for. I do like Amanda just to hang out with, she can be super entertaining, like a best girl friend.

[@jazzpotato1572]

Very insightful video, I especially enjoyed you all concentrating every time you said bottom water, because I know you all wanted to say bottom feeding!

[@Sikkimwalivlog]

Awesome👍👍👍 wow😲🤩😍

[@bccabernet]

I think I am going to start bottom watering my snake plants from now on. And I am the one who used to buy the stick fertilisers and every spring insert 1 stick in each pot. I will look into which fertiliser I should buy for my snake plants and use that instead. Good information.

[@SEMOJOESGROW]

Awesome videos very informative without all the jibber jabber 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@freshbreeze108]

Thank you

[@Greenplantguide]

Great ideas👌👌👌👌👌🌹🌷💚💚

[@tiredofbadusername09]

Hallå eller! Ni är så jälla bra! Tack för allt ni gör🔥🙏🏻

[@erinjames377]

excellent

[@tartarsauce5664]

Great video discussion for someone like me who's a new plant parent.

[@evem728]

❤❤❤❤❤thanks

[@onestrangeanimal3212]

Very informative! Thank you! One thing that I've wondered for quite some time is how do you flush excess salts from the substrate in self-watering pots?

[@XRPeakyBlindAR]

I love how they like the comments lol. But don’t respond to the issue.

[@davidcurran1934]

I use coco coir in cloth pots. The cloth pot is put in a saucer & watered from above; a lot of water runs out of the sides & bottom of the cloth pot. The runoff water is then soaked back up into the pot from the saucer. Occasionally, I flush with just water & no saucer, to get rid of some of the salts.

[@heatherstephens9295]

👍👍👍

[@marialuisaclemente9946]

I don't over water my plants when bottom watering .. I love this method.. My go to guys here for all answers about plant care!!Thankyou for your videos 🌱🌿🌵💐

[@novafiddler1712]

Make the fertilizer as per the nutrient maker, then check the ec/ppm. Dilute the normal fertilizer mix till you reach the EC/ppm suggested by the nutrient maker. If you have issues with that, dilute the solution further with water.

[@sensorycircuits1338]

It sounds like the best way is to top water when adding fertilizer & bottom water on alternate days with water only. This way, the roots will be trained to chase the water, but on top feeding fertilizer days the nutrients will bind to more root surfaces and not accumulate as salt deposits at the bottom.

[@Bonsai02]

Thank you so much, I have found your video to be most helpful. I have been growing my Mesembs and cacti in 100% Pumice for some months and using an inorganic Maxicrop seaweed plant fertiliser on a monthly basis in their growing season at 1/4 strength and so far so good. As it is pure Pumice, do you think 1/4 strength should be OK or should I consider making it slightly stronger? Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[@sharonholmes2470]

You guys are Awesome! 😊 Should a plant be watered before a repot. Orchid 🎉 care or don't you grow them.

[@mwoods4608]

after, it's much easier to repot in dry substrate

[@staceyrose5821]

If you're going to use all new soil (removing most from the root ball), water after for sure. But if you're just up-potting and don't necessarily want to disturb the roots (providing they are not extremely root bound) water about a week before you repot, wait til the soil is only slightly moist, then repot so the plant will be feeling good about it's new home and won't go into shock or be stressed over the move. Just my opinion and what's worked well for me. Just like parenting children, everyone has their own methods and opinions.

[@EwenRoss]

Always line the bottom of your cover pot with hydroleca as well

[@soothingsounds7092]

great video as always! does anybody know what the plant in the left corner with the big leafs is called?

[@GotterVibez]

Is bottom watering effective if we have a layer of leca 2-3 cm (for better drainage) on the bottom of the pot ? Does water reach the soil in this case?

[@waikatoplants3059]

I put my plant in sink for 15 minutes.then I leave plant in sink,pull the plug.leave for 15 minutes. Always bottom water

[@ingunamelinovska4184]

Hi, my question is about plants covering the surface of pot. I have killed several. Now I got lovely full pot bushy rhipsalis. What kind of watering do you advice? Thank you in advance. 🌻

[@vanschermerhorn7167]

Can you when fertilizing also put fungicide in the mix or do it separate ?

[@lzshow]

What containers u recommend for vegetables

[@sdqsdq6274]

the thing about trays , careful of mosquito larvae

[@michellesellers6055]

I am new to your channel so not sure if you've covered this topic. I have a ficus ginseng plant for about 3 months now but it isn't doing anything... no new leaves. It looks a bit drab inlet color also. I water from the bottom by placing it in a shallow pan for about 1 hour and then I let it drain excess water before replacing in the outer pto. When I bought it, it is in a plastic 4" pot and then in a clay outer pot. There are stones glued atop the surface so I can't tell what if anything is going on ie.do I need to report it or remove the stones etc. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. P.s. I am in San Diego, California.

[@khari83637]

if it better to 1/2 the dosage or double the dilution?

[@norse_7932]

Would it be a good idea to fertilize from the top and water from the bottom?

[@lauramannamaa8829]

I have my orchids in bark or bark+moss substrate. Watering in outer pot, leaving it for 10 min or so. What would be the best way to fertilize them? I usually add liquid fertilizer to the water when watering (not every time) but after watching your video I started to think maybe I should do it some other way. Perhaps water first like usually to the point roots are green, then topwatering with fertilizer mix?

[@mwoods4608]

i have a jug of water with the orchid fertilizer mixed in.i just put the clear orchid pot into a pot with no hole to soak it up

[@timpage5021]

This dude with glasses reminds me of Fredrick Eklund. It’s his doppelgänger.

[@OrgoneDevices47]

I wish I could do this with Dry Nutrients, I have to Top Dress in my Nutrients my next watering

[@katiemanners9916]

What if I bottom water when I'm just doing a regular water and top water only when I'm giving fertilizer. Will that eliminate the salt build up issue?

[@attilarivera]

👏👏👏 💚💛💙 🇧🇷

[@Ich8in]

Whats the CEC for cotton line? (selfwatering wick system, like the pot shown in the first few minutes)

[@sakonanucefora-ly2wn]

So you water first before you fertilize?

[@firozapatel9811]

Yes bottom watering is best…

[@Smugnug]

Water after new moon and fertilize after full moon

[@msscamp100]

Ok, I'm confused! If top watering, and their are drainage holes in the bottom of the pot - that is key - why wouldn't any excess water drain out, regardless of how much water the plant was given? Another concern I see is that if one is bottom watering, there is no way to know when - or if - the water has soaked throughout the soil. Help? Another concern regarding bottom watering is that it doesn't flush excess salts out of the soil, and I have read that those salts can build up on the soil surface due to bottom watering and damage the plant. Is this true?

[@deborahandrade1003]

Sorry, correction, place the pot in the container so that the water level is an inch below the pot.

[@AtypicalPaul]

Using grow bags why is there sometimes what looks like moss growing in the water?

[@mwoods4608]

Can you do a video on root rot,

[@barbaraowens2299]

If you do a search on their channel they have a very good video on that. How to detect it and treat it. Saved one of my snake plants using their method.

[@arleenhunt856]

He never answered the question and that was actually my question too...can you water from the top also?🌱

[@steverobertson6748]

I want to know if you can immediately water from bottom with young plants just starting to root? WILL the young root that may only be down half way in your container be able to intake from bottom watering when you first transplant ? ,or should you water from top till they are more established??

[@serendipity1237]

This is exactly what I am wondering. Looks like they don’t answer messages on this channel; did you ever find out?

[@steverobertson6748]

@@serendipity1237 I did ,,you top water talk plant large enough to have at least half full of root ,then bottom water and let soil soak up to 15 min it will absorb up and roots will stretch 😀

[@eleanormcneal516]

I have been bottom watering my plants for 4 months. I find that after 5 days, my plants are bone dry. Should I bottom my plants until the water reaches the top?

[@barbhansen5292]

I bottom water most of my plants. I leave it in the water until the top soil is moist or half inch from the top moist, but no more that 8 hours. Bottom watering really helped with the Gnat problem I was having.

[@Maedness.]

goat video

[@amyisaac308]

Does this method eliminate the need fr pumice?

[@barbaraowens2299]

No you'll still need to ensure good soil drainage. Sorry, but I didn't think they'd answer you.

[@yousorin]

Bound 🤣

[@vickysparks8600]

How do I care for my indoor plants during the winter ? How much do I water ? All videos I've found just say ",cut down on watering"...does that mean only water if they are bone dry ? And how much ? Do I give them 1 cup of water or 2 ? Do I bottom water or top water ? Help please ! Yhis may soubd simple and stupid to some of the plant "experts"...BUT exactly what does "cut down watering diring the winter ? Does it mean ise less water...OR go a longer period of time between watering ?

[@suellendupuis4627]

Cutting down on watering means not to water as often. If your use to watering every week wait 2 weeks etc. Your plants will start to droop to let you know when you've waited too long. I usually on average water every 2 weeks. Plants actually like to dry out. In winter I try to push it till about 3 weeks . This is unless they are starting to look sad or droopy. Hope this helped.

[@annekeller7828]

Can you fertilize a plant after you re-pot the plant or wait awhile.

[@MagdaMozg]

You should wait a few weeks. Repotting involves damaging the roots to some extent and adding fertilizer then can cause root burn as they’re very vulnerable at that time. So wait a few weeks. The plant just got fresh soil anyway, so it has plenty nutrients apart from the most important water and sun.

[@staceyrose5821]

Very important!! If you are using new soil make sure you read the bag. It may already have fertilizer built in to it. If you give it more fertilizer than necessary you can kill the plant. The ingredients are typically written on the bag.

[@agatasiemianowicz9710]

I'm not able to use bottom watering for a couple of reasons (I have about 40 plants and 3 small kids😅): too much time to do that , too much water wasted and a lot of my plants are in a terracotta pots, so it is very difficult (almost impossible) to use this method - first of all because they have only 1 drainage hole. Only for some of my most compact Sansevieria is the only way to water them, because from the above it is impossible even to see the surface. I find this studio talk a little bit dispersive, I prefer the old mode of your videos. Ciao from Tuscany!

[@mwoods4608]

you don't have to move your pots,just use the tray like shown in the video. the soil will suck up the water through capillary force regardless of type of pot.

[@agatasiemianowicz9710]

@@mwoods4608 thank you for your answer, but it is not possible with my combination of pots (a lot of them terracotta , much more thicker) and their trays , that are quite slim , so the water is not even reaching the soil and the pot is absorbing the water instead. It is a great method with the plastic pots, but not with the terracotta, in my opinion. Ciao from Tuscany!

[@samespinoza3989]

How do you guys take ppm of the runoff if bottom feed?

[@samespinoza3989]

Ty for the like would prefer an answer tho if u have the knowledge 😉

[@chuckwaardenburg496]

Evidently they only like things and they don't reply.

[@jeffngarden]

Butt chuggin 🤷🏾‍♂️ I heard Mr. Grow it say it 😁

[@amyisaac308]

Would this eliminate the need for pumice?

[@BLTwithMayo1]

Hello everyone, doe's anyone have any tips for my Didymochlaena truncatula. The leaves are very dry and becoming crispy. I mist often and keep the soil moist but not wet. It's away from direct sunlight and not near any drafts. Please help.

[@Feisty311]

Hi Brutus, sometimes misting isn't sufficient for plants that require high humidity (such as your Didymochlaena) because the water droplets evaporate very quickly. So maybe think about using a humidifier so the room stays consistently humid for your plant baby. 😊

[@BLTwithMayo1]

@@Feisty311 Thank you, I will look into buying one.

[@zionlee175]

If you guys show us a real plant suck water from bottom, will be make easy to understanding.

[@amymanantan2913]

Are they twins?

[@Feisty311]

I've been wondering that same thing @Amy Manantan 😁

[@amymanantan2913]

@@Feisty311 they even have similar voice😊

[@mmmmbbnn3576]

.

[@luckybarrel7829]

Just in time for pride month, my bottoms were getting thirsty!

[@JustJ0nathan]

I can’t take this video seriously. Plants do not die from “overwatering”. There is no such thing. It’s not a water issue, but a light issue. If you don’t give your plants sufficient light, they will not develop strong roots and will be susceptible to fungi and bacteria attacks that are naturally occurring in soil. Think about this logically. The houseplants we all love and grow in our home are mostly from tropical regions. How do they survive copious amounts of rain on a daily basis in the wild and survive? Clearly, water is not the variable at play here driving plant death. I once believed it was a lack of oxygen in the soil that resulted in root rot, but I no longer believe this either. My grandma grew many aroids in the northern hemisphere. Some of her plants were 30 years old and she never repotted them, aerated the soil, or even replaced the soil. She topped up the soil every few years using recycled soil if the soil became compacted. I inherited one of her plants, which was a 30-year-old hoya. I just repotted it and gave it fresh soil this year. The original soil was literally like a cement block. I couldn’t believe the plant looked as good as it did - beautiful, full, and very green. She placed that plant right next to a very large north-facing window without any obstructions. That area received plenty of light. This, along with my own experiences growing plants in many different substrates, has led me to believe that the vast majority of plants die because of lack of light. It has nothing to do with water. Whether oxygen in the soil (as in chunky aerated substrates) plays an important role in keeping plants alive and healthy is questionable to me at this point as well. My theory is that plants are able to obtain all the oxygen they need even in the most compacted soil. My grandma’s hoya is a prime example. And that’s a semi-epiphyte!

[@barbhansen5292]

I wish I’d seen this sooner. I bought some liquid plant food I added way to much plant food. So I’ve killed about 3 plants 😩. Boy did I learn my lesson, stupid woman 😆😆🤣

[@staceyrose5821]

Nope, you're not stupid! You are just learning. You are a plant student! Just like me! We live, we watch KZbin, we learn from our mistakes.

[@Carl-yx1ww]

This guy thinks he's a scientist ...imagine if he was talking about something serious