Greenhouse subirrigation has been growing in popularity since the 1990s.

There are two main variations for each medium, subirrigation and top irrigation.

It is important in passive subirrigation to wash out the system from time to time to remove salt accumulation.

Subirrigation also sometimes called 'seepage irrigation' has been used for many years in field crops in areas with high water tables.

A subirrigation system can be created by cutting a plastic bottle in half and inverting the mouth into the bottom of the bottle.

In relatively small areas one applies subirrigation whereby the water infiltrates into the soil below the soil surface from pipes or ditches.

Passive hydroponics, semi-hydroponics or passive subirrigation is a method of growing plants without soil, peat moss, or bark.

Subirrigation is used in growing field crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and sugar cane in areas with high water tables such as Florida and in commercial greenhouse operations.

In agriculture, subirrigation, also known as seepage irrigation, is a method of irrigation where water is delivered to the plant root zone from below the soil surface and absorbed upwards.

An adaption of this system, potentially useful in areas where irrigation may be banned, is underground subirrigation where precise measurements of water is delivered directly to the root system.