Gardening glossary
Bottom watering
Bottom watering means sitting a nursery pot in a shallow dish, sink, or tray of room-temperature water and letting capillary action pull moisture up through the drainage holes. I usually leave the pot in place for 10 to 30 minutes, then lift it out once the top inch of soil feels damp.
This technique solves three problems at once. It keeps water off leaves and crowns, which matters for African violets, succulents, and seedlings prone to damping-off. It re-wets stubborn hydrophobic soil that would otherwise channel water straight down the sides of the pot. And it encourages roots to grow downward in search of moisture, building a stronger, deeper system.
How to bottom water properly:
1. Fill a tray with about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water. 2. Set the pot in the tray — the pot must have drainage holes. 3. Wait 10 to 30 minutes depending on pot size. 4. Lift the pot out and let it drain on the side of the sink for a few minutes. 5. Tip away any leftover water in the tray — never let plants sit indefinitely.
Bottom watering is not a substitute for the occasional top flush. Salts and fertiliser residue accumulate in the top layer of soil because water only ever moves upward. Every fourth or fifth watering, water from the top until it pours out the drainage holes to rinse those salts away. This combined rhythm — mostly bottom, occasionally top — is what I'll remind you to use for finicky houseplants in the Growli app.
Avoid bottom watering plants with rot-prone crowns that have been sitting in soggy substrate, or any pot without drainage. Both situations let the roots sit wet for too long.