Water matting or capilliary matting - what do you use?

[icom102]

[icom102]

[icom102]

[Bren In Pots]

Icom I can see your problem your water is just syphoning from one tray to the next, water finds its own level. You need something to lift up your plant trays have a look at my photos here I've got my two trays that act as reservoirs underneath the tray that holds my matting and seedlings.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ml#post1094792

[icom102]

ah cool thanks so if i lift the tray with the seeds up higher how much higher do they need to be?

[Bren In Pots]

ah cool thanks so if i lift the tray with the seeds up higher how much higher do they need to be?

Higher than the water in your reservoir so something like upturned seeds trays or a plank of wood rested on a couple of bricks.

[Martin H]

ah cool thanks so if i lift the tray with the seeds up higher how much higher do they need to be?

It might be easier to lower the reservoir by rigging up a shelf under the staging for it, then threading the capillary matting down between the slats?

[icom102]

will have to look at it

[icom102]

got it to work thanks

[Urban]

Bit of a daft question, I just got some capillary matting to water my chillies with, but it's got a white side and a green side, which side is supposed to be on top? There was no instructions the 2 sides do seem quite different as well

[icom102]

I think the green side up

[Penellype]

I got a self watering insert for my grow light garden which has a black side and a white side to the matting. The instructions were to put the black side up. I also have some self watering windowsill trays which have capillary matting and was so impressed that I bought some more matting, this time with a porous cover (which looks very like weed suppressant material). This is supposed to stop roots growing into the matting (which it doesn't) and to keep it clean/stop algae and mould, which so far it has done.

I made a couple of DIY trays using 2 ordinary 15 inch drip trays. I supported the upper one on upside down rigid food trays (the sort you buy chicken portions in), with holes in these so they didn't float:


The 2nd tray with the matting then sits neatly on top:


You can see what I mean about the roots - this tray had lettuces in it which have since been eaten. I have a similar tray currently in the growhouse which is happily supporting 2 3 litre pots of french beans.

Watering is fairly tricky - I use a pop bottle and lift the corner of the top tray to fill the reservoir. Those with more DIY skill than me could drill a hole and insert a pipe!

[Bigmallly]

I've recently sunk 1lt margarine tubs between my Tomato plants in the kites, filled with water then put strips of old T-Shirt running from the tubs to 3-4" below the Toms surface. I have about 8 tubs in place feeding 16 plants and is working well at the mo as all I need to do is keep the tubs topped up with water & food as & when required.

[Martin H]

OK, I've decided I need to set something up in my greenhouse so that I can go on short holiday breaks at short notice without killing everything. I'm also thinking ahead to my 10 days in Vegas next Easter...

I'm going to need to water things at three levels: pots on the ground, on the staging and on the shelf.

I'm keen to do this without messing with timers and drippers, they seem too difficult to get right. I'd like if possible to just manage with capillary matting.

The staging seems easiest: I'm thinking of covering with capillary matting on top of polythene, rigging up a water reservoir underneath, filled by a hose from the outside tap controlled by a toilet cistern valve. Then I can use a capillery matting wick to keep the bench saturated.

The shelf might be more of a problem. I'd like to maintain it from the same reservoir, but will the capillary action draw water a couple of feet upwards? If not I suppose I'd need a separate reservoir and a separate valve.

The pots on the floor might be even more of a problem. They are currently stood in gravel trays, so I guess I'd have to lift them up high enough to be above a low reservoir? The greenhouse is on a solid concrete base so there's no hope of sinking a reservoir below ground level.

Anybody done this? Any suggestions?

[Martin H]

Here's where I've got to with this. Any suggestions welcome before I finish it all off and maybe find it doesn't work very well!

First I have fastened some deep gravel trays under the greenhouse staging by drilling holes in the rims of the trays and using extra-long slot-in bolts:



I fixed them so that they stick out a bit from under the staging:



Then I made wooden trays to sit on the bench, using quarter inch exterior plywood and stripwood, sealed against the moisture with varnish:



As extra water containment protection, I cut a sheet of polythene to fit in the wooden tray:



Then the capillary matting on top, with a separate piece to act as a wick:



I'm making trays on the same principles for the shelf and for the floor to stand tomato and cucumber pots on.

So, any suggestions? I'm so new to this, I don't even know which way up to put the matting!