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water Feeding via bottom water?

twilliams386

twilliams386

So I'm trying to see if I can feed when I bottom water or not. Everything is still in 1020 trays, and I water by filling those up about an inch. Did some conversions, and that comes to about 3 quarts.

First off, is this enough for 18 seedlings that are working on their first couple sets of leaves?
Second, can I feed through this method? fert diluted in the gallon at necessary strength level, then measured and poured into the tray to be taken from the bottom?

Or is it better to feed from the top when it's time to do so?
 
some don't like bottom watering, it's up to you to make the decision. 
 
about 2.5 quarts per tray for me, yes i do this from sprout to plant out.
yes i mix like 1/4 str fert in 5 gallon bucket, pour out with quart sized cup / mason jar.
 
when i bottom water i leave the water in the tray. the moisture gets all the way from the bottom to the top of the soil. in my mind this means it's absorbed throughout the medium so i don't see why not. others disagree ofc.
leaving the water in the tray essentially makes them like a small hempy hydroponic system.
the water drys out of the tray in 24-48hrs, and the pots are dry after another 48hrs(this is largely dependent on your soil) then i water again.
 
You will get several different answers regarding feeding and watering. There isn't really a right or wrong way, but I'll tell you what has worked for me for years.

I drill a bunch of 1/4 inch holes in the 1020 trays that hold my pots, so that way I can just dunk them into another 1020 filled with water for bottom watering. I fill the water trays as high as possible just because it takes less time for the pots to suck up water (I'm usually watering several trays at a time). It doesn't take long with most potting mixes to suck up enough water doing this. About a minute or two is usually plenty. Then drain off all the excess water and that's that. Easy. A lot of people seem to think bottom watering means filling your trays with water and leaving them like that for an extended period of time. Don't do that! There is also no need to wait until the surface of the soil is wet. The surface of my soil is generally always dry. You will be able to tell by how heavy your pots or trays are that they have plenty of water in no time. Wait until things dry out (I wait for the first signs of wilting) and repeat.

And yes, this is a great way to feed as well.


Oh and yeah, you can fill the trays with less water as to not waste nutes. It will just take longer to water. I'm not worried about wasting water or nutes because I use the excess on overwinters and other house plants.
 
After my seedlings get their first sets of true leaves, I bottom feed them until I transplant them. As others have said, don't leave them in water. Once they have a drink, take them out and drain off any excess and put them back in the tray without water.
 
I think you hit the key point that people assume you should just fill it up and let it soak in eventually. I for one did that for the last 2 years with my seedlings. This year i essentially stopped growth at 30 days because they were so water logged. 
 
I prefer watering from below for the simple reason its easy and less intrusive to delicate seedlings in loose soil. I don't fertilize until they have a few true leaves and have been transplanted into 3" pots. I switch to top watering because i want those nutes to filter through the whole soil promoting full root growth rather than settle around the bottom. At least thats my theory. Maybe someone who knows more can confirm or correct that idea?
 
muskymojo said:
You will get several different answers regarding feeding and watering. There isn't really a right or wrong way, but I'll tell you what has worked for me for years.

I drill a bunch of 1/4 inch holes in the 1020 trays that hold my pots, so that way I can just dunk them into another 1020 filled with water for bottom watering. I fill the water trays as high as possible just because it takes less time for the pots to suck up water (I'm usually watering several trays at a time). It doesn't take long with most potting mixes to suck up enough water doing this. About a minute or two is usually plenty. Then drain off all the excess water and that's that. Easy. A lot of people seem to think bottom watering means filling your trays with water and leaving them like that for an extended period of time. Don't do that! There is also no need to wait until the surface of the soil is wet. The surface of my soil is generally always dry. You will be able to tell by how heavy your pots or trays are that they have plenty of water in no time. Wait until things dry out (I wait for the first signs of wilting) and repeat.

And yes, this is a great way to feed as well.


Oh and yeah, you can fill the trays with less water as to not waste nutes. It will just take longer to water. I'm not worried about wasting water or nutes because I use the excess on overwinters and other house plants.
Click to expand...
 
I have been very successful bottom watering. I know they are strong arguments on both sides as to why you should or should not. Plenty of good posts previous to this one and you will need to decide based on your own results. 
 
Good luck!
 
To the OP.You can feed your plants from the bottom exactly how you stated. Plenty of people do that with fine results.

Only 2 positives I can see for top watering would be..
1.Less chance of transmitting diseases from a sick plants soil leaching back into the water pan.
2. Flushing an excess of salt buildup.

I have never had any issues with either of those so I water from where I want my roots to grow. I feel top water leads to people adding a sip here and a sip there,eventually leading to unhealthy plants.
 
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