---
title: "Bottom watering for the first time. I let my plant sit for 20 minutes…"
description: "Bottom watering for the first time. I let my plant sit for 20 minutes and it’s still dry an inch down. Should I let my plant continue to sit?"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/HcWJ9MsoRI-_ncwQcGJIoA?language=fr"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "Lindsay"
published: "2024-03-04T15:00:38.292015Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/everythingHousePlants.jpg"
---

[Communauté](https://getplanta.com/community.md?language=fr) / [Anything about plants](https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg.md?language=fr)

# Bottom watering for the first time. I let my plant sit for 20 minutes…

_Publié par Lindsay le 2024-03-04_

Bottom watering for the first time. I let my plant sit for 20 minutes and it’s still dry an inch down. Should I let my plant continue to sit?

## 7 commentaires

### addie a commenté le 2024-03-04

this is just me; but i usually don’t need it to get all the way to the top of the soil

### Kirsty a commenté le 2024-03-04

When I see time lapse videos of bottom watering on TikTok, they seem to sit in the water for at least an hour.

### GreenLeaf a commenté le 2024-03-04

If its only dry an inch from the top that’s perfectly fine and your plant will have enough moisture. It can actually be helpful for controlling pests and mold if you don’t let that top inch get moist.

#### Lindsay ha respondido el 2024-03-04

Makes sense. How long do you recommend bottom watering for? Any tips on how to tell if it’s been sitting long enough?

#### GreenLeaf ha respondido el 2024-03-04

I can tell by how it weighs. But if you’re not confident with that yet then use a wooden skewer and stick it in to the bottom, the dirt will stick to the level of the moisture.  
Mine usually take anywhere from 10-20 mins depending on how dry I let it get. Let sit in the sink after until all the excess water has drained out because there will be a bunch.

I always bottom water through the cold months due to air flow in my house, and I switch back right about now.

### Sydnei a commenté le 2024-03-04

it depends on the plant. don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the top moist (that typically happens on smaller plants like 4”) in my experience. some plants don’t absorb well from the bottom depending on the soil. just test what works for your plant by determining if they’re thirsty more often. if it’s still sitting in the same amount of water (as in it did not decrease) the plant likely absorbed what it needed.

#### Lindsay ha respondido el 2024-03-04

Thank you for the advice!

---

_La communauté Planta (https://getplanta.com). La lecture est ouverte à tous. Pour publier, commenter et aimer, téléchargez l'application Planta : https://getplanta.com/download_