Watering Nightmare!

Hi Guys,
My self built grow room is 7'x 3.5',and currently houses 7 plants in soil.
They are in 11 Liter pots with plastic drip trays underneath.
My problem is when watering/saturating then soil, usually the drip trays overflow making a hell of a mess and can be very awkward getting between all the plants,space also being a bit tight! So I then decided to take my plants out of their grow room to water then,this was no good either as the Mrs started complaining about the smell and splashes of water on the carpet! What a bummer,there must be an easier way?
Any ideas much appreciated Guys.

got to time your self. How much water your pot can hold, before water starts coming out the pot? have to do it my self.

I'll water it a little then go back to it after I do my other same plants, the same way

try a transfer pump! i use a battery powered one careful this thing moves a lot of water fast http://www.google.com/imgres?q=dc+transfer+pump&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&rlz=1C1ARAB_enUS477US477&biw=1422&bih=994&tbm=isch&tbnid=v0O2Q_BNPVTFGM:&imgrefurl=http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/495216354/DC_Fuel_Transfer_Pump.html&docid=ZJ8HtkcjZsVDzM&imgurl=http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/264/763/406/406763264_906.jpg&w=800&h=728&ei=sEHgUJPgJqux0QHxuIDYDQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=359&sig=110419858734602155849&page=2&tbnh=131&tbnw=136&start=45&ndsp=55&ved=1t:429,r:81,s:0,i:339&tx=87&ty=52

and as for getting in between the pots id make sure the outlet side of this pump is in a bucket securely, and then use a homemade wand to suck up water, perhaps a piece of copper with a male adapter. a hose with female adapters goes from the wand to the pump from the pump to the bucket. or a stationary spicket can be put right over where your placing your bucket to catch it

Good replies,thanks Guys.

I have 8 plants and water each individually by hand, every time. Sure, it takes a long time but I only water twice per week so its not that bad. I use the watering opportunity to examine my ladies, prune, check for bugs/herms, etc. As others suggested, take your time. Fill up the pot w/ water first then give it time to absorb. What ends up happening when people rush is water simply spills down the sides of the pot since the soil is super dry.

I recently purchased a watering can with a longer, curved spout. It lets me get to the harder to reach plants without disturbing the others. Plus, the "shower" setting (instead of "spout") waters them nice and slowly preventing the other problem you are dealing it.

IMO remove that soil and make a nice little flood and drain in growrocks. you're growing on carpets and inside a livable space you need it clean. for a plus you will have better growth.

Two words that can potentially change your life:

Wet vac.

get some plant trays that fit your room.put grills on the tray/trays to put your plants on,then when you water the run off will fall into the tray/trays.then you can either scoop the water out,or use a water pump to suck the run off water out.

Lots of good replies,Thanks Fella's!

A little water in the tray is fine, it will eventually soak back into the soil.

As for the overflowing drip trays................ Very simple solution,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, use less water.... that just might work! lol.

The missus might not approve but I bet a Turkey baster would suck the extra water up.. Quietly. Water can with an Aerated spout distributes nicely too. Water+Plants+carpet = mold environment.

As mentioned above, make sure you are not sending most of your water down the sides. Especially when feeding.. you don't want to stand there scratching your head when a feeding didn't do what you thought then hit em again and burn em..an early lesson I learned. To combat this I try to water in stages, a little at a time until I see the first dribble of runoff. Excessive runoff..operative word being excessive.. IMO is waste and when repeated could put your soil all over the map when trying to track down nutrient issues. ie..when and what to feed. Manufacturers directions only go so far and mind you are good guidlines but there are Sooo many soil profiles out there. When needed I also give a very light till to the top crust (about 1/2") to allow the water to penetrate evenly. Not too deep as not to disturb any roots.. This also gives you time to get intimate with your plants. Trust me, your plants will like the extra attention. Watering technique should not be taken lightly, yes it can be messed up.


This of course only applies to normal watering and feeding, IF you end up having to flush or rinse..for any reason, and again there are a few. different story. Back when I had my grow in my bedroom closet..carpet and all..I put a plant stand in a five gallon bucket to catch the runoff. This is a bit off subject but I thought it might help.

How about using a pot within a pot, raise them off the ground for easier drainage.

Put ur pots in a tray w/ a drain on a short platform the have a shallow tote undetneath that you can simply pull out and empty just my pesonal solution to this problem.