Watering

Q. Are you supposed to water all house plants from the bottom or just the African violets? I watered my Peace Lily and my Song of India plant from the top of the pot directly on the soil and this friend said that you should water all plants from the bottom of the pot. I thought you watered the African violet from the bottom so you won't get water on the leaves but I thought it didn't matter with the other plants.

A. You most certainly may water all plants from the bottom as long as you flush the pot monthly to remove salt buildup. Bottom watering allows for a full saturation as opposed to top watering where you may soak only a portion of the soil mix. Make sure that your mix is light and contains perlite so that root rot does not set in due to lack of oxygen in the root ball. Also you are correct about avoiding water on African violet leaves.