Water matting or capilliary matting - what do you use?

[Bren In Pots]

Here's a couple of photos from last year of my capillary matting set up its just the cheap stuff from Aldi but it works.

[Storming Norman]

Hey Bren that is pretty much what I need to do - brilliant thanks. That will work with all the seedlings as well.

The trays look good as well - are they grow bag trays? How often did you refill the bottom tray?

Aldi it is then - I looked though ebay last year and got some scrappy stuff that looked like recycled rags with plastic on top. Rather thin really so did not hold enough water for a days use but the tray on trays with the thin stuff is just ideal.

Yup no more rip off water matting for me. Its good stuff but you will have to look yourself to find out how eye wateringly expensive it is........... [two wests]

[Bren In Pots]

The top tray is a grow bag one then those two underneath are gravel trays from Wilco :-

Stewart Gravel Tray 50cmx40cm | Gravel Trays | | Mini Greenhouse & Propagation from Wilkinson Plus

those 2 gravel trays hold a fair bit of water so they last a couple of weeks between fills.

[Ger-annie-um]

On the subject of capillary matting, can anyone tell me how to keep it clean?

[vikkib]

On the subject of capillary matting, can anyone tell me how to keep it clean?

Redser mentioned sticking it in the washing machine which sounds like a plan to me!

I got a pack from Aldi over the weekend £4.99 for 2m x .6m which didn't seem too bad at all to me!

[Bren In Pots]

I wash mine with Ecover and hang it out to dry.

[Alison]

I hand wash mine at the end of the season and hang it in the greenhouse to dry.

[icom102]

Capilliary matting

Hi i tried the same idea with matting but it just drained the container very quickly and filled up the tray the matting was in what am i doing wrong?

[roitelet]

Probably the wick to the matting is too big. It only takes a very small wick to transfer the water. The other thing is that the pots need to be all the same size or the watering won't be even.

[icom102]

The top tray is a grow bag one then those two underneath are gravel trays from Wilco :-

Stewart Gravel Tray 50cmx40cm | Gravel Trays | | Mini Greenhouse & Propagation from Wilkinson Plus

those 2 gravel trays hold a fair bit of water so they last a couple of weeks between fills.

how do you get the water to last for so long?

[skeggijon]

But I would still have continued just to prove you all wrong....and not admit when I found you were right
Many years ago, my husband rigged up a toilet cistern in the GH and somehow set it to drip constantly onto the tomatoes while we went away for a couple of weeks. It worked too

I quite like the idea of a toilet cistern in the polytunnel - with a toilet attached - maybe not in the GH tho - unless I put curtains up

[Bren In Pots]

how do you get the water to last for so long?

icome my reservoir is underneath my matting so it works by capillary action drawing up the water so it doesn't flood. Do you have a photo of your set up ?

[icom102]

wick? i just cut the matting and put it in the reservoir there was no instructions in the bag it came in

[icom102]

Hi i will take a picture now

[icom102]

How do i add pictures?