Soaking smart pots?

[Potted]

Can u do it in place of top watering, and if so how far from the top should u keep the water? Soak till all bubbles are gone remove and drain ? I'm new to fabric pots has any one tried this and if so do u recommend it? Or is this the norm.?As always much gratitude

[Budlofsky's Dinner]

I keep my plants using fabric pots in a shallow pan and water normally. I then use a wet vac to pick up any runoff after watering.

[cyberaktif]

tried it the other day with my small 1 gallon pots. the medium soaked it up like a sponge to about half way. there was only about two inches of standing water in the container and it drew it up nicely for about 15 minutes. it will need to be put onto something that will let it breathe on the bottom so no mold or the such can grow and the water can evaporate. i will be trying this with my 12 gallon pots as i transplanted into those the other day as well. seems like doing it through the bottom will make the roots shoot deeper like in the wild.

[Potted]

Thanks didn't think about mold, if left to drain well wouldn't that solve the mold issue? Same as top watering or is mold just inherent to smart pot ?

[Tika]

I've not had mold issues with smart pots. I when I feed/water they are in 16" saucers, get drained well- dumping the runoff til no longer running, then go back to their small saucers. Takes time but it's what I do.

[cyberaktif]

it's when you just set it on a solid surface after soaking with no air to evap the water is when mold "could" grow. the saucers usualy have raised parts and low parts so that helps things to breathe i would think.

[NebulaHaze]

I've personally never tried it but if it's working for you that's great! I'm also interested in how the plant will react!

[Sheesh]

Last grow I alternated between top and bottom feedings, once the plants were fully vegged and into flower. I use soil in 5 gal smart pots. When I top water, I stop when there is a decent amount of runoff in the large saucers. I vacuum it right up. When I bottom water, I pour about 1/2 Gallon of water into the saucers and watch the plants suck it up. I go back and add another 1/2 gallon to each saucer after a few minutes. My theory is the bottom watering is good for dry tops (less gnat risk). But, I need to run water through all the soil via top watering as well (to flush salt).

[cyberaktif]

yeah...that is how an ol' timer showed me years ago to water them. fights the gnats like you said. critters don't like dry.

[Potted]

I would like to thank all who responded to my inquiries u guys are the tops.peace

[NA420]

Somebody on here is doing this but i cant remember the post. I'm interested cause all i use are smart/fabric pots. I have no mold issues even in my veg tent with high humidity. Peace