Watering by capillary action

[jaco94]

Hi all !
For the past few days I have been testing a system which is extremely simple and inexpensive:
Watering by capillary action with a cotton wick.
To be able to evaluate its effectiveness, I tried with plants which drink a lot and which very quickly show signs of dehydration (falling leaves) and well I am quite surprised by the result.

The system is quick to set up, you just have to cut a piece of cotton wick long enough to be able to go from the bottom of the water tank (water bottle, canister ...) to the plant, the better is to wrap the rope a little on the substrate and then lightly push the end of the bead.
If the pot is larger, you can of course put 2 wicks.

Before installation, the cord must be left immersed in water so that it is operational more quickly.

I paid around 12 euros ($ 14) for 20 m of wick (65 ft).
The two plants even seem to prefer this system to my old manual watering and here it is quite hot , 30°C (86 °f).

I don't know if some of you have already used the system for their bonsai ?

 

[sorce]

Nice Avacad Yo!

Sorce

 

[Vali]

I was thinking about this lately and was planning on trying it. I read some opinions on this, stating that there would be too much water in the substrate. Could you totally disagree on those, or is it too soon to say?

 

[hinmo24t]

there are also self watering pots with reservoirs at bottom you fill instead of top watering. have to be careful of root rot though.

certain plants are different so it isnt one size fits all, but i could be wrong

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I tried it for bonsai but the substrate I use is too coarse. It will draw in water, but it can't beat gravity like organic soil does.
In organic soils I can just put the pot on top of a bucket of water with a wick in between, after a single watering, the system works.

In bonsai that doesn't seem to happen from low->high. But since you're drawing water from a higher point towards a lower point, your system might work!

 

[0soyoung]

I think the wick from the bottle to the plant may need to be enclosed to reduce evaporation losses. Water evaporates from every bit of exposed wick.

I wonder how long the wick can be (e.g., will the end of a 15 meter wick get and stay wet/damp)? Clearly the answer will depend upon the relative humidity.

 

[jaco94]

[QUOTE = "Vali, message: 769648, membre: 29114"]
I was thinking about it recently and was planning to give it a try. I have read a few reviews on this, claiming that there is too much water in the substrate. Could you totally disagree on these, or is it too early to tell?
[/CITATION]

In principle, if we use a good quality substrate, that is to say enough draining, I think that the system does not present a danger for the roots, moreover I think that it is rather suitable for an absence of a few days, a little as a last resort when we have not found other solutions.

So personally if I have to be away for a few days, and if I have no one to water my plants and there is a forecast for hot weather, I would prefer this system rather than leaving them without any watering and they are dead at my return.

Another complementary solution, I also have a hydraulic garden felt to cut and place slightly immersed in water in a bathtub on which you can place a few trees during an absence of a few days, it is very easy to put in place to keep enough humidity .

 

[jaco94]

@Osoyoung

It is necessary to calculate the shortest possible length of wick to limit evaporation and of course not to place this in the sun otherwise the system will be ineffective.
Anyway in hot period (July, August) I do not place any potted plants in full sun because I do not want to become a bonsaï slave ...

 

[hinmo24t]

wonder if old shoelaces would work. strips of tshirts or rags twisted up...

 

[Vali]

In principle, if we use a good quality substrate, that is to say enough draining, I think that the system does not present a danger for the roots, moreover I think that it is rather suitable for an absence of a few days, a little as a last resort when we have not found other solutions.

So personally if I have to be away for a few days, and if I have no one to water my plants and there is a forecast for hot weather, I would prefer this system rather than leaving them without any watering and they are dead at my return.

Another complementary solution, I also have a hydraulic garden felt to cut and place slightly immersed in water in a bathtub on which you can place a few trees during an absence of a few days, it is very easy to put in place to keep enough humidity .

I didn't even think about this method probably not working in the sun. All my trees are in full sun.
I don't understand what is your complementary solution. I can't figure out what is a hidraulic garden felt. Sorry, english is not my native language and google doesn't help me all the time

 

[jaco94]

wonder if old shoelaces would work. strips of tshirts or rags twisted up...

Yes, you just need a cord of vegetable origin, so if the laces are cotton it should work ...
For the t-shirt or whatever, if you don't wear it anymore you can always give it a try by cutting it out, but it may be a bit more complicated.

 

[Daniel_UK]

I remember Peter Chan talking about this in one of his YouTube videos (

) - around 17 minutes. He put the wick into the drainage holes.

 

[jaco94]

I didn't even think about this method probably not working in the sun. All my trees are in full sun.
I don't understand what is your complementary solution. I can't figure out what is a hidraulic garden felt. Sorry, english is not my native language and google doesn't help me all the time

The complementary solution is to find a system that allows you to maintain a humid place for a few days so that the plants do not die.

For example, by placing a hydration felt under the pots that will keep the humidity in (this can be found in garden centers in the vegetable garden).
If you don't have a lot of plants (which I do) you can group them together in a tub with 1 or 2 cm of water on a piece of this felt and they will stay healthy for a few days away.
You can also cover the surface of the pot with pieces of this felt.

I always tend to prefer the simplest possible systems (no breakdown).

Here is a photo of this garden felt often used for vegetable gardens.
Kind regards.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I use rayon mop strands for a hydroponic like setup for my tropicals. Rayon is preferred because cotton will rot, in short order, I believe. I bought a mop head and cut off strands as needed.

It started as vacation watering, but worked out so well, I do it all winter long for the tropicals. My soil is course, but I do have a little long grained spaghnum that may help to distribute the moisture inside the pot. Also I pot the strands up through the mesh in the drainage holes.

 

[Vali]

I remember Peter Chan talking about this in one of his YouTube videos (

) - around 17 minutes. He put the wick into the drainage holes.

He placed it on top of the pot. I'm sure the OP's method is superior. The water level being higher than the surface of the pot must matter, in my opinion.

Thank you, @jaco94, for the clarification. I'm definitely going to have to try something soon. Or plan my vacations on rainy days

 

[Daniel_UK]

He placed it on top of the pot. I'm sure the OP's method is superior. The water level being higher than the surface of the pot must matter, in my opinion.

Thank you, @jaco94, for the clarification. I'm definitely going to have to try something soon. Or plan my vacations on rainy days

Yes, he places it on top but then mentions burying the wick into the root ball - I suppose you could still do this from the top though.