Will this work

[rary]

I like to keep all my plants on top of cappilary matting to avoid watering from the top, but at the moment I don't have any matting so I have put a layer of course sand into a tray and set my pots on it, will it serve the same purpose as cappilary matting when I add some water into it

[Penellype]

It should do, although it probably won't be quite as good as the matting, which is carefully designed to hold as much water as possible. The sand will lift the pots out of the puddle of water and water will rise through the gaps between the grains by capillary action, so as long as the compost in the pots is in contact with the sand it should work.

Old time gardeners used to put pots on trays of gravel to do the same job. I tried this years ago when growing tomatoes in pots outside and found that over time the compost leaked into the gravel and it all grew loads of algae. If you have ever tried to separate a mixture of compost and gravel that has gone green and slimy, you'll know it isn't much fun. However, as a temporary substitute for capillary matting sand should work.

[Containergardener]

What about some old fabric ? Soak it with pots on top?

[Small pumpkin]

Sorry rary can’t help. Being a rebel without a clue I’ve never watered anything from the bottom

[veggiechicken]

It should do, although it probably won't be quite as good as the matting, which is carefully designed to hold as much water as possible. The sand will lift the pots out of the puddle of water and water will rise through the gaps between the grains by capillary action, so as long as the compost in the pots is in contact with the sand it should work.

Old time gardeners used to put pots on trays of gravel to do the same job. I tried this years ago when growing tomatoes in pots outside and found that over time the compost leaked into the gravel and it all grew loads of algae. If you have ever tried to separate a mixture of compost and gravel that has gone green and slimy, you'll know it isn't much fun. However, as a temporary substitute for capillary matting sand should work.

I've done the ring culture pots on gravel too and, as you say, it doesn't end well! Now, they just sit on the bed (GH, not mine).

The only capillary matting is whatever came with propagators. I tried putting pots on old towels once, when I need to go away for a few days. The towels went stiff and green and I couldn't use them in the bathroom again.

If the pots are in a tray, i water the tray, otherwise I water the soil around the plant.