To judge from these answers, have I been totally wrong in filling up the
kitchen sink, and then lower the trees into the water? The right way is
the way my mother used to water the plants in the living room?

People, don't commit ritual suicide over this or anything. Watering from the bottom is often a big production, and since there's no reason to do it, you don't have to. I used to do it once a month in order to fertilize everybody, but when I thought about
the possibility of spreading pathogens around (I'm a plant pathologist, I can't help it), I stopped doing it. But it's not a big deal one way or another. Except: if you use perlite in your pre-bonsai soil mix, you will *so* regret immersing your pots, b
ecause perlite floats. Oy.

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