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Watering from the bottom?
- Thread starter shmalphy
- Start date
G
greenmatter
there are a few people doing it and doing really well!
i know the search function is kind of weak but try "bottom feed"
good luck!
i know the search function is kind of weak but try "bottom feed"
good luck!
I have in the past and they really like it. I just don't dig having standing water in the grow. Good luck. Peace GS
Flood & Drain, Ebb & Flow, is watering from the bottom.
With bottom watering you're increasing the chances of salt build up in the top layer of growing media.
edit; I grow in coco, shallow flood & drain, and this upper layer salt accumulation was limiting root growth in the top several inches. I now make a point of periodically hitting the top with a watering wand to wash salts back downwards. Roots now make full use of the media.
With bottom watering you're increasing the chances of salt build up in the top layer of growing media.
edit; I grow in coco, shallow flood & drain, and this upper layer salt accumulation was limiting root growth in the top several inches. I now make a point of periodically hitting the top with a watering wand to wash salts back downwards. Roots now make full use of the media.
T
thesloppy
The link in my sig is a long-ish thread about bottom-feeding in coco, if that's of any interest to you.
+1
I really liked it using chem nutes and coco. It's the same idea as hempy buckets only the res is outside the pot. Also, I'll occasionally water them from the top, too, for some variety.
I'm just switching over to full organic and I'm planning on trying this. I used LC's mix and went 50/50 on coco/peat. I'm hoping that gives me enough wicking from the coco to keep it all happy.
TheyCallMeJJay
Member
Bottom watering is a fix commonly used in my circles for elimination of fungas nats. It will give you a wicking effect that defies gravity. awesome technique if you've got the patience to re-water after the wicking effect. In other words you have two water twice.
growyourboat
Member
"Standing water" isn't a problem if done correctly, because a key ingredient--LIGHT--which would allow "bad stuff" to happen down there in the dark depths of your soil, is missing. As long as the water stays oxygenated, the plant will thrive in it. (I mean...how else would hydroponics work?)
Good points on the standing water. Even with chems it'll get funky if it sits too long. I water daily and I try to adjust the amount I give to match the amount they use so the water only stands for a short time before it's gone.
It's pretty easy to figure out how much water you'll need if you're going out of town for a couple days, too. Weekend trips are no problem but I haven't tried anything longer.
I'm only running a small personal grow so horses for courses.
It's pretty easy to figure out how much water you'll need if you're going out of town for a couple days, too. Weekend trips are no problem but I haven't tried anything longer.
I'm only running a small personal grow so horses for courses.
I Do!
i do it sometimes for variety or if im trying to let the top dry out to kill gnats or trying to encourage the roots to spread... but in soil you get a nice 'piston' effect with correct watering from above. if you put an inch of water on the surface so it pools briefly, it will help to pull/push fresh air into the media as it soaks down into the soil.
if i go away for a few days i use capillary matting under the pots for bottom watering
VG
if i go away for a few days i use capillary matting under the pots for bottom watering
VG
D
Don Treadonme
yup, I do both, depends on the situation and my mood. Never seen any harmful effects from it, I run LC MIX w/ #1 Dry Ferts recipie btw..
Ah, but plants do quite well growing along springs and stream banks where the water comes from below. Vegetation is often determined by the water table.
Let me take you to where the action is...Oh baby come on.
The top. Keep it wet.
Watering from the top will push the freed up nutrients down to the roots. Bottom watering will pull them away. You soak your soil, then it drains to waste.
As Verd put it, it's a more direct air exchange. Water pushes down the air which gets trapped or travels back up through the medium. More action.
While nature depends on ground water. dew is present which keeps the top moist. When the rains come everything flourishes and reaches it's prime.
Then there's the desert. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Oh baby come on...
She must have lost her way to San Francisco.
If you understand this...You're old.
The top. Keep it wet.
Watering from the top will push the freed up nutrients down to the roots. Bottom watering will pull them away. You soak your soil, then it drains to waste.
As Verd put it, it's a more direct air exchange. Water pushes down the air which gets trapped or travels back up through the medium. More action.
While nature depends on ground water. dew is present which keeps the top moist. When the rains come everything flourishes and reaches it's prime.
Then there's the desert. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Oh baby come on...
She must have lost her way to San Francisco.
If you understand this...You're old.
S
SeaMaiden
Yes, you increase that chance if one or both of these situations exist: hard water, chemical salt-based nutrients.
Salts should not build up if the water is soft, and if you're using organic feeds.
When growing indoors I like bottom-watering/feeding, but not always. I can be moody, and a lot of it depends on how my back is feeling.
T
thesloppy
I loves me some Freddy Cannon. Master of the WOOO!
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