![]() I haven’t tried yet, so if you’re keen to experiment, give it a go and send me some feedback! Capillary matting is an absorbent synthetic, rot-proof material that wicks water very well Note: It may be possible to use any absorbent material in place of the capillary mat, maybe even newspaper, which will eventually degrade but is easily replaced. It can be purchased from stores that sell greenhouse or hydroponic supplies. It’s a grey synthetic fabric about 5mm thick that doesn’t rot when exposed to constant moisture. Next, we’ll need a sheet of capillary matting. Any plastic tray with drainage holes will work. Pictured below is a plastic seedling punnet tray that is used commercially in nurseries. The capillary watering tray is built around a plastic tray with drainage holes. So, when the plant draws up the water in the potting mix or it dries out from evaporation, water will wick back into it to restore the moisture lost, so our plant gets its water supply and stays a happy plant, which is the way we prefer to keep them! Construction Details In the same way that small drops of water can join up to make a bigger one, what happens in the capillary watering tray is that the water in the potting mix connects to the water in the capillary mat which connects to the water in the terracotta pot, and all three objects act like one big wick, drawing an even amount of water across themselves, and maintaining it as long as there’s water in the terracotta pot to draw from. Water also sticks to other materials, this is how it makes them wet, and this his property is referred to as adhesion.We’ve all seen how this works, when we put two drops of water next to each other, and they touch, they become one big drop. One of the properties of water is it that it sticks to itself, this property is referred to as cohesion.Here’s a simple explanation how capillary action works in a capillary watering tray. The moist potting soil in the plant’s pot wicks up water from the damp capillary matting.The capillary matting, a synthetic absorbent material, soaks up water like a sponge.The terracotta pot slowly oozes water out onto the capillary matting.Plant pots sitting on the capillary mat will wick water up from it to the plant roots. Water seeps through the terracotta pot, which is porous, and the water is wicked by capillary action through the absorbent capillary mat. This capillary watering tray works by the principle of wicking. They’re great for watering seedlings, freshly rooted cuttings, and anything other plants that require constant moisture. All you have to do is occasionally top up the main water reservoir, and that’s all! A self-watering capillary tray is a wicking tray with its own water supply, which can keep seedlings in pots watered.
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