Bottom Feeding?

[dan1989]

Someone told me they use high sided water catching trays and feed the plants from the bottom to promote strong root growth and etc. Is this true in anyone's experience or is there no difference between feeding from the top? The way I look at it the water comes from the top when it rains anyway in nature but apparently its an old school trick.

 

[tinderthumbs]

I would not do bc they be setting in there run off the hole time lol id think salt and other stuff would build up and I know on cloth pots if u do the feeder roots grow straight down and get bound fast and not get all the nute its needs

just feed your plants slow and get like 15 to 20% run off let them set for about 5 min then dump whats left in the tray away

 

[dan1989]

I would not do bc they be setting in there run off the hole time lol id think salt and other stuff would build up and I know on cloth pots if u do the feeder roots grow straight down and get bound fast and not get all the nute its needs

just feed your plants slow and get like 15 to 20% run off let them set for about 5 min then dump whats left in the tray away

Good point you would waste more time taking out the pots and cleaning the build up off. Didn't make much sense to me, I'll carry on with the good old fashioned watering can! Thanks for the reply

 

[Seamaiden]

I personally prefer bottom-watering and feeding. I've never had a problem doing it. I prefer the method because the water/feed doesn't run off the crust. Plastic pots are different from fabric in a few regards, too.

 

[tinderthumbs]

u talking about where the top becomes a sold plate of soil??? I have that happen a lot I just rake the dirt with my fingers before I pour in the water or is just pools on top

 

[straincreation]

I do 10 sec of top feed and then fill the trays up let them get saturated over night, if there's anything in the morning I dump it, you don't want them sitting in stagnant water. This works fine for me and has been for years!
Gl happy farmin.

 

[Seamaiden]

u talking about where the top becomes a sold plate of soil??? I have that happen a lot I just rake the dirt with my fingers before I pour in the water or is just pools on top

Yes, I don't like doing that though because so many root are in that region. But mostly because, for me, it's a pain in the ass. :D

 

[tinderthumbs]

it sure can b getting all that dirt under your nails is a bitch it get out

 

[Mmjcaveman]

I personally prefer bottom-watering and feeding. I've never had a problem doing it. I prefer the method because the water/feed doesn't run off the crust. Plastic pots are different from fabric in a few regards, too.

If you do bottom water it helps keeping fungus gnats from thriving in top soil if you have a problem in that department. It is mostly a waste of time though keep on that watering can my man

 

[Mmjcaveman]

Even easier get a pump and a watering wand and mix enough for two days if you feed daily

 

[Mmjcaveman]

As far as not wanting them sitting in stagnant water; you don't ever want them sitting in stagnant water not even overnight it suffocates the roots and causes root rot dump within 15 min

 

[dan1989]

u talking about where the top becomes a sold plate of soil??? I have that happen a lot I just rake the dirt with my fingers before I pour in the water or is just pools on top

Put a layer of perlite on the top of your medium, it won't happen

 

[tinderthumbs]

very very true seen people use sand as well but after a couple watering seems the sand sinks n to the soil

 

[dan1989]

very very true seen people use sand as well but after a couple watering seems the sand sinks n to the soil

Yes and the perlite helps evenly distribute the water across the top layer, as well as preventing the stream of water falling on the soil from 'digging in', and exposing precious roots :)

 

[dilligaf]

I mulch the top with coco coir or bark mulch

D

 

[justiceman]

This here is an earth box and essentially it is the same concept as what you spoke of @dan1989.

EarthBox link for those interested(I think I used a solo cup as the wick lol)

Bottom feeding definitely works if you have everything dialed in. These plants never got any root rot and the roots definitely went through the false bottom and sat in the nutrient solution when they got bigger. I've also messed around with small pre-made planter trays I found at walmart that were designed to be fed from the bottom.

I think mediums with higher aeration work better with this method since that will help maintain a decent O2 environment for the roots, and if using hydroponics nutrients I would assume that a lower EC than usual would do the trick to help avoid salt build up. I doubt this would be a viable way to keep mothers as salt build up would eventually become an issue considering the extended period in which a mom stays in the same container. Although I could see it working if one maybe periodically flushed the mom from the top every once in a while.

I did it for fun and it works but I prefer top feeding as it gives me peace of mind that I'm rinsing my medium every time. There are times I use this technique to my advantage though. Sometimes if I have a tray with seedlings/small clones then it's easy to pour just enough feed into the tray so they suck it all up, but they only get that treatment until they make it out of the nursery. One thing I have noticed is if your plant is in a small container and drinks more often then you can water it leaving it in sitting water will help you if you don't have time to transplant for a few days. They suck it up quick when they are drinking.

 

[dan1989]

Thanks for the info! I'll have a look. But besides the transplanting thing, what are the main benefits of bottom feeding?

 

[justiceman]

No problem! Hmmmmm main benefits..... It doesn't really have a benefit over traditional top feed per say. It's more like a different means to the same end in my opinion as both practices can yield fantastic results. If you have ever heard of Hempy Buckets(I like coco hempy's) it's kind of like a hybrid approach to top feed and bottom feed.

I suppose I could list a few things off the top of my mind that could be a benefit of bottom feeding:

• Keeps the top of the medium dry discouraging fungus gnats(already stated by mmjcaveman)
  
• Easy to water more plants in a short time instead of slowly hand watering each
• Ensures there will be no dry spots in the medium(some people don't hand water slow enough)
• Reduced evaporation from the top of the medium if a lid is used on say a 5gal earthbox bucket outside.

 

[yooper420]

My plants get watered from the bottom only, after they are transplanted into their big pots (5 gallon). Never had a problem. I do put clay saucers and or pots in the bottom of the big pots. This helps to wick the water up and provides a source of moisture for the plants between watering. Have used this method for at least 10 grows. As mentioned already, it eliminates soil gnats. I also believe in companion growing. I grow a pot of Marigolds along with my girls. Some bugs do not like the smell and stay away. My grow room, in my garage, has not had any bug problems in almost 5 years.

 

[justiceman]

THE LEGENDARY @yooper420?! It's been a long time. Probably about 3-4 years since I've been around these parts. Good to see you!