Am I watering from below correctly??

I have my transplant cups (with 3 holes in the bottoms) of seedlings in solid 1020 trays.

To water from beneath, I put the cups into another 1020 tray - lined with absorbent washcloths - and then carefully pour half a gallon of water into a vacant corner. After half an hour or so, I take all the cups out of the tray of water and return each to their original (dry) 1020 tray.

This is laborious and takes alot of time: there MUST be a better way!

How do YOU water seedlings from below?

I do it somewhat the same way you do, but I put cotton flannel into the bottom of EACH 1020 tray that holds seedling inserts or prop trays. I leave the flannel there the whole time the tray is germinating and growing on.

But I never add a half gallon! More like a half-cup, or a few ounces, every few days. I never allow standing water, i just keep the flannel mat moist. The "grooves" in the bottom of the solid 1020 tray, and the mat itself, are the only "reservoirs", and combined they hold maybe 2-4 ounces of water.

Since the cells or pots press against the flannel, I figure that the bottom of each cell is exactly as damp as the flannel.

When the flannel goes slightly dry, I add enough water to make it quite damp. If ANY standing water is visible, I use a turkey baster to remove it. I only want to leave a little visible water in the grooves, plus make the flannel quite wet.

In the past I laid a few lengths of cotton twine, and a few slivers of flannel, in a few of the grooves, to make sure the water wicked around wicked from the grooves up to the flannel pad. Next year, I plan to try some acrylic yarn, hopefully the really thick kind, laid along some grooves, to make a wicking connection from the bottom of the 1020 tray up to the flannel pad.

http://allthingsplants.com/ideas/view/RickCorey/646/Bottom-Watering-Seedling-Trays-with-Cotton-Flannel-Prevents-Water-Logging/

You can also bottom-water in a bathroom tub - but put a plumber on speed-dial first. I clogged my tub drain BUT GOOD with mud when I tried that. And the floor of the tub SLANTS, which prevents uniform bottom-watering.

Thanks, Rick . . next year, I think I'll try your flannel mat method. . and water half a cup or less! (And keep that turkey baster nearby!!)

I got a turkey baster at the dollar store just for this!
It is also very useful to remove water from the saucer of houseplants when watering.

Pistil, you are wise.

One day I couldn't find "my" turkey baster where I usually leave it, so I grabbed "a" turkey baster without thinking it through.

Later, my SO wanted to know where HER turkey baster was! Ooops.

Now she has a new turkey baster for the KITCHEN and I think twice before grabbing things out of that drawer.