Originally posted by robbra
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Then you need something to stop the compost falling through the hole - last year I used a bit of cotton fabric, this year I just used kitchen roll - it lasts long enough until the root ball is enough to hold the compost in place, the roots can grow through it, and it eventually rots down. Cut a hole or slit in the fabric / kitchen roll just wide enough for your wick to fit and thread the wick through it. Thread the wick through the bottle neck and slide the fabric/paper down into the neck. Fill with compost. Plant.
When the seedlings are small it's best not to keep water in the "reservoir" as there's a danger of overwatering / oedema (my plants suffered this year.) But as they grow, you can put water / feed in the base and the plant will soak up what it needs through the wick. The roots will eventually grow down into the reservoir. As long as you don't let them grow too much, you should be able to tip the plant out and the roots come through the neck of the bottle so you can pot up into larger pots without much damage.
Some of my babies last year. I still have most, if not all, of these plants but I potted them up into a chilligrow.
The light doesn't seem to cause the roots much of a problem but it does encourage mould / algal growth in the reservoir. You can cover the bottle (I know someone who uses cut-down carpet tubes and slides the bottles into them, and someone who uses wrapping paper to make pretty patterned bottle covers) but I just live with it. Probably a reason why my plants aren't quite as productive as some people's.
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