When wicking, you must also adjust your soil mix for the constant watering. In most cases this is a 1-1-1 mix, peat moss, perlite, vermiculite but with added perlite to take away excess water. You will have to experiment in order to get the perfect mix for wicking.

Nancy

Nancy
Thanks for your input and you are correct. Yes I do use the 1-1-1 mix you mentioned, but I had unpotted an old av that was not doing too well to make babies with and it was really saturated around the rootball. So , Yes I may need to adjust my mix some or Im afraid the the tuna can is not letting the pot drain well. It gives me the stability I was looking for but end up killing my plants. What do you think, Im open for input here. If I could turn my can right side up , I would need to find some kind of strainer material so the pot could drain as it needed. Also someone suggested putting an inch or so of pure perlite and then the combo 1-1-1. Would that help too or not? I believe IM on the right track adjustments need to be made.

Actually, all my plants are wicked and I use 1:1:2, the 2 being perlite; don't pack it in the pot and it should be fine. You're mix can be sopping, as long as your mix is light and granular. Lack of oxygen at the roots is what causes root rot. I've heard of some who grow in pure perlite -- I keep meaning to try that...

Tuna cans? I use plastic sandwich containers from the dollar store; poke a little hole for the yarn, and a big hole to add water. Cheap and *easy*.

There's also Texas watering, which involves a layer of perlite in the bottom of the pot, holes in the sides, and sitting it in The reservoir.

Hope this helps.

Korina

'Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.' ~Anon

Korina-- If I understand your setup you have the same situations I have with the tuna can. Your pot is sitting flat on top of the plastic sandwich container and therefore makes it more difficult for drainage. My setup doesnt cost me anything for I already had the tuna which I use anyway.I have the pot resting on the tuna can which is resting a small bowl and I just add the water in the bowl. But I do like your idea of adding more perlite for my setup still needs a little adjustment. Pure perlite in the bottom is one Ive already heard and am considering and then putting the regular mix on top of that. But all my full plants are wicked. Im also trying to propagate several leafs.

I don't understand the problem you keep mentioning about drainage. If you are using the correct size wick, it will draw the correct amount of fertilizer to keep your growing medium at the correct moisture level. I don't think you should have any drainage problem.

On another subject, If you were to use straight pearlite for your medium, what would happen when you went to pull the plant out of its container for a repot? Would the pearlite stay around the roots and hold together in one clump. The roots adhere to vermiculite well but I'm not so sure about pearlite. Something to think about!!

Yes I know , heres what I dont understand when I changed the pots, in pulling two different plants out, one was sopping wet and the other seemed to be the way you want it . I was using the same measured medium and wicking on the two different plants. I became concerned for the sopping wet plant. The plant doesnt need that much water therefore it needs to be able to drain. The wick Im using is 1/8 diam. nylon cord. Im also told the plant need the extra perlite for oxygen and drainage when its needed. IM just getting going on the wicking so IM experimenting on the advice Ive read getting on this forum. I just dont understand why my plants a drawing a different amounts of water.

Yes, different plants draw up and use different amounts of water. I don't know how to tell which will draw more and which will draw less, however.

This can be proven by putting the two plants on a mat. When both have received water from below, you may discover one dries out faster although the same soil medium is used.

I've seen this happen when watering trays of plants. Of course it could be a bulge in the center which does not allow all plants to be watered evenly. But there is a difference in different plants needing more water than others.
I personally use pantyhose as a wick and have always been happy with this. I have never used other types of wicks so can't help you there.

Nancy

I'm not sure I understand hummers problem either.

Here is what I use if it's anyhelp.

I mix my own 1-1-1 mixture and use 3o/z cups. I then drill one hole in the cup bottom (with a broadhead) and insert one strand of 3-4ply acylic yarn and tie two loose knots. I cut off excess yarn to within a 1/4" of the knot. I then fill pot with 1/2 to 1" peralite and insert plant with 1-1-1 mix.

I use either yogurt containers or pvc pipe and a tray for reservoirs. I use yogurt containers with plastic lids on them.(Price Chopper brand) I cut a round hole in the cover and put the lid back on and insert the pot with wick dangling in the water. Be sure not to over fill reservoir to keep water from touching bottom of pot. The yogurt containers can be painted with special paint for plastic and look very attractive.

The PVC pipe is the same deal. I think its 1 1/4" (had it kicking around)and I cut 1" sections to place under the pots and let the wick drop in a pan filled with water without letting the pots bottom to touch the water.

Hope this helps.

Sorry guys guess I was under a misunderstanding thinking the pot would need to drain any excess, maybe not. I have nylon cord 1/8diam. I got from walmart that was drawing the fluid in not problem, after reading rachels site I thought the acrylic yarn might draw better, so I was running all over to find the baby wool that noone seemed to know about. So I will just use what I have. One thing I have noticed thou is that when I try the 1inch in the bottom of pure perlite and then 1-1-1 that it seem s to be harder to draw the fluid into the pot , maybe its just me. Im going back to the whole pot being 1-1-1 and maybe just a little extra perlite.

Steve - hello,

you are right - if you put perlite on the bottom - you need to use 2 wicks or one thicker wick. like - if I have 2 strands of acrylic yarn or nylon mason twine #18 piece for 3" pot with soil for the violet - I will put the 3 ply acrylic yarn if I have perlite and if I have the soil mixed with an extra perlite - I do it for streptocarpus.

It is better be on a dry side - soppy wet - and we have rot.
I prefer a mason twine just because of that- but it gets salted faster and stops working.

I think it is not very necessary to add perlite on the bottom for violets - but it depends on your growing conditions and soil mix. While I am quite convinced that it is a must for streps - for my conditions.

Good Luck

Irina

Steve, the perlite in the pot is part of a specialized method of watering similar to wicking, but different. I can find you an explanation of it if you're interested.

Another reason for the wet pot may be that the plant is overpotted. Is the diameter of the plant at or near three times the diameter of the pot? If the root system is too small for the pot, it won't be able to draw as much water, and constantly sopping mix encourages root rot.

Just a thought.

Korina

Well hello Irina
Thought you left the country or were mad at me. Yes I dont care for the perlite in the bottom, Ill go back to 1-1-1 mix. I have several leaves being propagated , experimenting with different things too, straight verm. covered, uncovered, also cut dixie cups down to one oz and marked half of them with rooting hormone and half without to see who makes babies first. One of my plants has leaves curling downward pretty badly and not sure why. Have them under floresent and moved back from the light some , doesnt seem to make any difference.

Korina, if you have too big a pot for the avs it wont draw enough water but avs like to be rootbound so they will draw more water, its kinda like which came first the chicken or the egg, but we just try and see what happens

Steve - you are right, I was in Mazatlan on vacation, out of country.

Some plants just do not like your conditions. But grow real nicely for the friend. Pass your stubborn curly leaf one to the buddy and see what happens.

You can play with a chicken and egg idea, but the fact is that they just do not grow well if grossly overpotted. If you plant a starter in a slightly bigger pot - it will eventually catch up. Just do not try a bucket.

Since we all do our experiments - and some are already posted - you can check what other guys did and what other ideas can be tested. Like if you use hormones - you encourage the roots, but delay the babies, if you use small cup - you get less babies (who needs them all, in any case), but possibly faster.

But there is always a unique factor of your own environment. Only you can fine tune your technique specifically for your place. You move to another house - it will possibly need to be readjusted.

Please take time to show your results, post your pics for all of us to see.

Good luck

Irina

It was just a figure of speech , but I hope you enjoyed your vacation. Yeah , I thought I would get 55 gal. drum and put a plant in that . All kidding aside I do not know what the deal is with the one plant , for I have other plants sitting in close proximity to it and they look perfectly fine.

Steve, one of my plants, Ultra Violet Comet (90% certain), does not like fluorescent lights. If I put it anywhere near one, the leaves turn yellow over a period of a week; the longer I leave it, the yellower it gets. If I put it in natural light, it turns green and grows quite happily.

I'm just saying that you can't tell how something is going to grow, or if it'll be happy with you. Do what Irina suggested and find your problem child a new home. You'll both be happier.

Korina

'Eagles may soar, but weasles don't get sucked into jet engines.' ~Anon

HEAR HEAR

Irina

Hummersteve,

If you still want the acrylic yarn, try any knitting store; usually 'washable' yarns are made of acrylic. If you still have any five & dime stores, (or box stores for that matter), their yarns too are likely to be acrylic as well. Should you see anything labeled "Orlon", feel free to buy it as that is a form of acrylic.

That's what I use to wick stuff (I'm really just a lurker here, w/ a few AVs), but use what I call 'intermitent wicks' (which I let dry couple days a week) for some of my Hoyas (mostly to ensure complete drainage, or for those that want only some moisture, but all the time). Acrylic (or most synthetic yarn works great). I don't think Nylon would work all that well as it's not particularly good at absorbing.

(PG) Karen (former textile designer)

Hi Karen
Thanks for your input, but it seems to me that some of the yarns are too flimsy to work with, hard to feed thru a hole. I have to disagree with you somewhat, for it seems my nylon is doing a good job of drawing water up. But I would think that the softer material would wick well, maybe too well and I dont want to draw too much water.

Well HummerS,

I guess whatever works, huh? Perhaps I should have said when I use the acrylic, I do a crocheted chain stitch w/ the yarn first & then pull that chain thru the hole (w/ a crochet hook); gives the yarn a bit more heft.

Hi Steve,
I have been wicking my plants for years now. I use acryllic worsted weight yarn for the wick. For my standard plants I use the 4 plies and for my minis and semis I break it down into 2 plies. My containers are pint plastic containers from delis and Chinese take out. I cut one hole near the center and one near the edge. The wick goes into the center one and I can fill the reservoirs using the other hole.
Fred in NJ

Hey Fred-- Ive seen the worsted yarns and Im sure they are good and may try some later on and Ive never had the standard size , only use the semis, but my nylon seems to work well, at least the plants I use them on seem to be happy. The setup that Im using has taken some flak, but I like it. On the cup I use I drill one hole in the bottom and one on the side near the bottom. I sit my cup on a tuna can thats upside down , which is sitting inside of another small cereal type bowl. I like to be able to have a good view of the water level. When I accumulate more plants I may use the butters cups like crocs, seems like they would do well

Steve, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's my motto (well, that and 'It's never too early to panic'). And if you feel like experimenting, go for it.

That method of watering with perlite in the bottom of the pot is called Texas-style watering. The link below tells you how it's done; if I had more standards, I'd try it, but how do you get 1/2" of perlite in a pot that's 1" deep?? 8-P

Anywho, I hope you had a great Xmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, Hannukah, etc.

Fred, it's great to see you here; what happened to the Violet Voice? I'm used to seeing you there. Not that I'm complaining... :-)

Korina
embrace the confusion

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas-style watering

Yes Ive seen the texas style which is using the perlite in the bottom , dont like it , but thanks anyway

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