Bottom Watering How To???

whistech · April 13, 2013

I am new to gardening and is my first Spring garden. I am trying to start seeds for practice before I need to do it for real this winter. I have had pretty good luck gettins seeds to grow to their first true leaves, but when I pot up to larger pots (4" square), I start losing plants. From what I have read here, I may be watering too much. I have the pots in a solid bottom nursery flat and pour water in from the bottom to where it reaches about 1/2 to 3/4 inch up the side of the pots. As soon as the water is absorbed in a day or two, I have been repeating the process. I am also adding one teaspoon per quart of 10/10/10 liquid fertilizer each time I water.

My question is this: When you bottom water, do you give the plants a certain amount of time to absorb some water and then move the pots out of the recpticle used to hold water?

Please point me in the right direction, I'm pretty discouraged right now.

April 13, 2013	#1
whistech Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Between The Woodlands and Spring, Texas Posts: 553	Bottom Watering How To??? I am new to gardening and is my first Spring garden. I am trying to start seeds for practice before I need to do it for real this winter. I have had pretty good luck gettins seeds to grow to their first true leaves, but when I pot up to larger pots (4" square), I start losing plants. From what I have read here, I may be watering too much. I have the pots in a solid bottom nursery flat and pour water in from the bottom to where it reaches about 1/2 to 3/4 inch up the side of the pots. As soon as the water is absorbed in a day or two, I have been repeating the process. I am also adding one teaspoon per quart of 10/10/10 liquid fertilizer each time I water. My question is this: When you bottom water, do you give the plants a certain amount of time to absorb some water and then move the pots out of the recpticle used to hold water? Please point me in the right direction, I'm pretty discouraged right now.