Works very well for a very short time (cotton, being organic, is broken down quickly by the same organisms that break down soils). Look to synthetics, preferably rayon, for best success. The woven ties that hold bags of citrus fruit closed work well, too. Check the ties first to be sure they work, as the material used probably varies.

Al

If you look up Al's old posts, you'll find a link to some mophead thingie that I ordered over the net. You cut it up with scissors, and for $12 or so I have enough to provide wicks most probably for the rest of my life. And they will never deteriorate. (Probably a bad thing for the elarge environment, but a good thing for my patio.)

I was just going to post a question regarding how to implement a wick watering system. How ironic to find this post LOL!
Can someone back up even further than what type of wicking to use and tell me how exactly I need to start this? I am hoping to use it for some upper level window boxes next spring. Ideally, I am thinking to use clay pots (which dry out fast unfortunately) w/ individual plants and connect them all to one watering pot, which will hopefully only need to be watered one to two times per week??? Any advice and links very much appreciated =)

Stacey

Stacey, I found the following thread to be VERY helpful in learning about container soil and drainage. It's long but the info is fascinating:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg031557203792.html

And I copied from it the most specific wicking comments (thanks to Al):

1. What is suitable to use as a wick? How big should it be?

We can use almost anything absorbant that is made from something the little bugs (microbes) won't eat up too soon. Mop strands from synthetic mop heads work great. I have even used braided nylon as a wick material (ties from citrus fruit bags). The material itself holds no water at all, but the capillary action allows it to drain pots nicely.

If you're using only 1 drain hole, the wick should be small enough so that there is still good drainage of the water that would normally drain without a wick. If you use more than 1 drain hole (I always do, but there really isn't much advantage except as a guard against 1 clogging, or in this case, the other is full of a wick) the wick can fill the entire hole while the other(s) provide drainage of water that would normally drain.

2. This wick, does it just go a few inches up the dirt?

Position it so it sticks up through the center drain hole a couple of inches into the soil and extends a couple of inches below the pot bottom. If you only have one drain hole, make sure the wick isn't obstructing it. Later in the season, if you find your soil is drying too quickly to suit you - remove the wick.

Anne

I started rooting green, fig cuttings in a mix of roughly 60% vermiculite, 25% perlite and 15% organic humus. I am using two-liter, soda bottles. When the mix was dry, it was very light. Onced soaked, it has remained heavy.

two have rooted and leafed out (same variety)
another variety has rooted but has not produced leaves
a third variety has one that has leafed out and another which has not. I don't see roots, yet, in either one.

The cuttings were planted four weeks ago. I inserted wicks (jute rope) into the bottom of the soda bottles on Tuesday, because I was concerned they were retaining too much moisture. However, the pots remain heavy and the rope sticking out of the bottoms has remained dry. I have not added any additional moisture since planting the cuttings.

How long should it take to see evidence of wicking?
Would a knot at the top of the rope interfere with wicking?
Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
~james

You would have done well to leave out the organic humus. Without it, you would have had a highly aerated and sterile rooting medium, ideal for cuttings. The humus, of course, isn't sterile and is likely home to some or several of the various fungi that rot roots (and cambial tissues) & interfere with vascular connections between roots and upper parts of cutting proper. It also fills in the important macro-pores that make perlite and vermiculite so effective for starting cuttings.

A wick in saturated soil would show immediate effectiveness, so it's not likely your soil is retaining much, if any, perched water. The knot shouldn't interfere with the wicks effectiveness unless it's located right at the drain hole, but the type of rope could. Sisal & jute are often treated with chemicals that make them hydrophobic, which makes them last longer. It's possible that changing to a more absorbent material for the wick would prove more effective - if, in fact, there is a need to remove additional water from the container.

Al

I saw a mop head replace that is made of rayon coated cotton. Will that be durable as a wick?

What I used was leftover pieces of cheap nylon clothesline. It has a braided outer surface over an inner synthetic core, and it's easy to just yank the core out and use that. Works fine.

Kristin