The Shoe Tray At IKEA That Makes Watering Plants A Breeze

Before you spend extra time and money browsing your local home store nursery for gardening supplies, you may want to hop over to your local IKEA to shop for your plant needs instead. IKEA has a plethora of versatile product options that can be used in multiple areas of your home, like crates that can double as porch decor or picture frames-turned-DIY-lanterns. In this instance, you can use IKEA's BAGGMUCK shoe tray as an easy hack for bottom watering your potted plants. Instead of hydrating your plants from above, you keep them in this shallow, filled container where the plants can absorb the water from below. If you've never tried bottom watering your plants before, now might be the time to give it a try with this easy product. 

IKEA's BAGGMUCK tray is an ideal size and material for bottom watering your plants. It's made of polypropylene plastic and measures 28 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 1 inch tall, making it a great fit for a handful of your potted plants. While this tray might not have been designed with plants in mind, its sturdy mold can be an excellent asset to your array of gardening supplies. 

If you're not interested in bottom watering your plants and you prefer traditional watering, you can still utilize this shoe tray as a makeshift drip tray, catching any excess water that drains out of your freshly watered plants. 

If you are unfamiliar with the idea of bottom watering your houseplants, also sometimes referred to as reverse watering, and want to give it a try, IKEA's BAGGMUCK tray is a great option for getting started. As for supplies, you only need your potted plant, a shallow tray like the BAGGMUCK, and some water. You'll want to ensure your plant's container has drainage holes. Instead of watering from above like you usually do, you can instead fill the shallow BAGGMUCK tray with water and place your potted plant, or multiple plants, inside. Make sure the water levels do not cover the entire pot. 

Allowing your plants to sit inside a water-filled container ensures that their soil remains consistently moist. Sometimes, top watering is unable to truly soak through the soil, making bottom watering a great recovery choice. Bottom watering is typically recommended for potted houseplants that are extremely dry and are in need of a hydration pick-me-up. Note that you do not want to leave your plants sitting in the bottom water for too long. It's typically recommended to take them out of the BAGGMUCK tray after about 30 minutes. 

Not only can bottom watering recover a dry plant, but the lack of top watering keeps your plants' leaves spot-free from hard water. This method also ensures that every part of the soil is moist. It's easy to miss a few dry spots when watering the traditional way.