Is it better to bottom water or top water for succulents? My experiment went sideways

I tried watering my Echeveria from the bottom for 2 months straight, something I saw a greenhouse guy in Oregon swear by. But half of them got root rot anyway while the top-watered ones I kept as a control group did fine. Now I'm wondering if the whole method is just hype or if I did something wrong. Has anyone else gotten worse results after switching to bottom watering?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_roberts8017d ago

Man, "the whole method is just hype" really resonates with me because I fell for that same hype when I started. I tried bottom watering my Haworthias for a few months and had the exact same problem, lots of rot and sad leaves. What I figured out is that bottom watering only works if your soil is super chunky and drains fast, like half perlite or pumice. If your soil holds too much moisture, like a standard bagged mix, the water just sits in the bottom and rots the roots before the top even dries out. Honestly, I stick to top watering now and just make sure the soil is totally dry before I water again, my succulents have been way happier.

spencerw7217d ago

Wait, bottom watering is the whole reason your Echeveria rotted? That sounds like a soil problem, not a method problem. If the top watered ones did fine, maybe your mix just holds too much water for the bottom method to ever work. Bottom watering is supposed to force the roots to grow down and chase moisture, which makes them stronger and less lazy. Root rot from the bottom usually means you left them sitting in water way too long or your pot had no drainage holes at all.