Capillary matting

[piskieinboots]

As I'm away for Easter and so (it seems) is every man and his dog around here (!) - I have bought some capillary matting with a drip feeder to tend my baby seedlings.

All sounds fine, until I go to the greenhouse just now to find that, in most cases, one end of the tray is drowning and the other is in drought.

This isn't good - right?

[Irie Jan]

Not good at all your staiging or what ever your seedlings are on must be on the tilt. my benches in my greenhouse are old they do not sit flat either

Have a nice time away anyway!

[SarzWix]

Definitely not right! I'd try wedging something slightly under the very wet end and see if that helps... I've never managed to sort out automatic watering so that it works properly I bought 2 of those Big Drippa kits and they were terrible too.
Good luck hun, hope you get it sorted.

[piskieinboots]

hum, after SD being out there for ages using a spirit level and wedging trays, they are still very very wet.

Another silly question, how 'wet' should they bit? Just like a damp flannel? Or ½in deep in water?

So, do I let the poor wee things die of thirst or drown?? Tis a dilemma innit

[SarzWix]

What a dilemma Can you arrange your pots so that the one which prefer dry are at the dry end ~for chillis and peppers, they would hate to be in wet soil overnight, but would revive quite well from being too dry... Have you got some shading for the g/house too? I'd put that up to make sure the temp doesn't get too silly, move most of the plants out of the wettest bit of tray, and hope that the capillary matting will do it's stuff if the soil does dry out in the pots...

[crichmond]

I use capillary matting on my greenhouse benching, I think the problem you have is using a drip watering system.
The best way to use capillary matting is to have a resevoir of water with an offcut of matting going into the resevoir and the other end lodge under the edge of the matting on the benching that way it doesnt become waterlogged it just takes what it needs to keep it moist.

You can get dedicated resevoirs that fasten to the edge of the benching but you can use a bucket or pan or suchlike instead.

http://www.twowests.co.uk/TwoWestsSite/product/CMWR.htm

[piskieinboots]

now that sounds like a plan, thanks crich