The Easiest Way To Bottom Water Plants Is Hiding In Your Bathroom

A genius tip for watering your plants is to water them from the bottom instead of the top. Bottom watering (as it's often dubbed) your houseplants might be advantageous for them but its quite the tedious chore for you, especially if you have lots of plants. You have to walk around the house filling saucers under pots one at a time. What if we told you that you could gather all your indoor plants together and place them in one enormous saucer that gets filled with water just once? Your bathtub serves just such a purpose. The approach is particularly effective for extremely dry potting mix.

With bottom watering, dry soil sucks up water until it and, importantly, the plant's roots become totally saturated through a process called capillary action. This promotes even distribution of water in the pot. It's harder to ensure top-watered potted plants get consistently saturated because the water runs down the sides instead of soaking through the middle. In fact, overhead watering may be the simple watering mistake that's killing your potted houseplants. Wet leaves are more prone to fungal and other diseases, something bottom watering can help prevent.

First, make sure that every plant you're taking to the bathroom actually needs watering by poking a finger into the soil to check the moisture levels; if your finger is 2 inches into the soil and you don't feel moisture, the plant likely needs watering. Does your pot feel very lightweight when lifted? It's also a sign it may need watering. The plant's appearance can also clue you in to water needs — if it's wilted, it may need watering.

Review the bottom of the pots to make sure they have drainage holes. Then, place your potted houseplants in the tub and fill it water to reach about halfway up most of the planters. Leave the pots in the water until the top of the soil looks and feels evenly moist. This could take up to an hour. Drain the water from the bathtub, pour off any pooled water, and leave the houseplants to drain. If you lift the pots and water no longer drains out, they're ready for relocation.

If you'll away be on vacation for one to two weeks, you can modify this watering method to keep your potted greenery hydrated while you're gone. Fill the tub with some clean rags (to perch the houseplants on top of) and a few inches of water. Leave the bathroom light on. Couple this technique with a similar hack that'll keep all of your indoor plants alive while you're on vacation: a rope and water bowl idea called the wick system. This works for heavy plants you can't lug to the tub.