Tried bottom watering my snake plant for 6 weeks

I switched my snake plant to bottom watering back in February to avoid fungus gnats. After 6 weeks the roots grew all the way through the drainage hole and got stuck in the tray. Has anyone else had this issue with bottom watering succulents?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleyf8812d ago

I get what you're going for with the bottom watering, but I respectfully see it differently. Snake plants are tough, but letting the roots grow through the drainage hole sounds like a sign the plant was putting out new growth because of the constant moisture down there. I've found that with succulents, letting the soil dry out completely between waterings keeps the roots from getting too adventurous. Maybe try top watering but very sparingly, only when the soil is bone dry, and you won't have as much trouble with gnats or roots escaping.

blake32212d agoMost Upvoted

Wait wouldn't the roots just air prune once they hit air outside the pot? @finleyf88 I get where you're coming from but I've been bottom watering my snake plants for over a year and never had roots grow through the drainage hole like that. Maybe it depends on the pot size or the mix they're using. If the soil is gritty enough the roots shouldn't have any reason to go wandering out the bottom like that. Sounds more like that particular plant was just super rootbound already and needed a bigger pot from the start rather than it being a bottom watering problem. I've had way better luck avoiding gnats with bottom watering personally so I'm sticking with it.