wicking water in large containers

15 years ago

Could someone please explain the idea of wicking water upward through a container using cord/string?

My idea is to use 2-5gal. buckets w/lids as reservoirs centered in a 55 gal. plastic barrel. The barrel will be lined with burlap after cutting holes in the sides to plant strawberries.

I know this looks rough but I'm new to using computers. The family says I'm techno-challenged LOL. I did this sketch in paint but I hope you can get the idea.

I managed to get the sketch to Gallery section of this forum but I'm not sure how to get it here. I think the family may be right LOL.

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Comments (9)

rnewste
15 years ago
claytamer,

There is no reason it shouldn't work. I'm sure you will have to do a bit of trial and error to figure out how much wicking material you will need to keep the potting mix (and be sure to use MIX, not SOIL) in the "Moist" range on a Moisture Meter. This tool is a must have for your experiment.

Others on the Forum like Al Tapla can give you expert advice on dynamics like water table, moisture retention, etc.

Keep us posted on what you learn in the process.

Raybo
claytamer
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Raybo. I have a moisture meter so I'll keep a close eye on it. What if I ran a 2nd wick from each reservoir to the burlap liner, would it also become a wick? Just popped in my head "hey,I wonder if this will work?"

I had thought about moisture holding cap. of mix. I was planning to use Al's 5-1-1 but adjusting it to 5-2-1 to help aid the wicking process. Does this sound reasonable?

I'll be using 7/32 cotton cord as wicking material as it is readily available. We make it at work(textile plant). I'm not real worried about decay as I plan to swap out soil and wick every year.

Thanks again for your input and your patience.
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vrkelley
15 years ago
The wicking thing seems to have a lot of guess work at the cost of dead plants. Our area does not sell pine bark stuff for the Al-mix recipe so I now use 1:1 Potting mix and perlite.

I use 7/32 nylon cord with limited success on the 5 gallon pails. Even with 4 wicks going up to nearly the top of the planter, the smaller plants seem to need extra light watering from the top until their roots get longer.

* How many wicks are you all using???
* What sort of pattern or spacing???
* How close does the wick come to the top of the container??
claytamer
Original Author
15 years ago
My original plan was to use 2 wicks from each res. and spiral them upward halfway between the res. and the outside edge. The lower set to the bottom of the upper res., then the upper set to 2" below soil surface.

The new plan is to run a 3rd wick from each res. to the outside within 1/2" of the burlap liner hopefully allowing it to aid in the process. Strawberry plants are shallow rooted so I will need to get water both to the top and the sides where they are planted in the holes.

The distance between the sides of the buckets and the side of the barrel where the soil will be is only 6 1/2". The wicks will be at 1/2",3",and 5 1/2" from the outside edge. I'm hoping to run them 6" apart horizonally spiraling upward.

The lower res. will water the lower half and the upper the top half.

Thanks for your input. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. I'm open to suggestions and criticism. How else can I learn this stuff?

I hope ya'll can understand this. I wish I could draw it. It is kind of hard for me to put into words. I been trying to word and type this for more than 30min. Bad typing skills didn't help.

MJ
sb158
15 years ago
Have you looked here:

http://ft2garden.powweb.com/blog/?page_id=113 ?
claytamer
Original Author
15 years ago
I've gotten together everything I think I'll need to do this. I plan on building it this weekend. If anyone has any more suggestions, now would be the time.

Thanks again to those who have contributed their thoughts and ideas. I'm giving it my best shot and I'll keep you updated on how things progress.
vrkelley
15 years ago
[rushing off to work - havent read the links above]
The wick width and fiber content makes a big difference. Nylon seems to work the best.

Someone mentioned cutting thin cotton strips from T-Shirts. This works OK for a while until the shirt starts to rot. Then for some reason, the wicking doesn't work as well. I have 3 containers like that, and wicking seems to be failing.
claytamer
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, I have read the links above and many others. I am also familiar with many types of fibers (natural& synthetic)as I have been in the textile industry for more than 20 yrs. I have tested many different types and this is what I've found. All tests were done with 7/32" "hollow core" cord. Measurements were taken from rim of the cup and none of the cord was prewashed.

Cotton - 6.00"
Nylon - 6.00"
Poly/Cotton - 5.25"
Poly/Nylon - 5.00"
Polyster - 4.25"

Since I can't seem to find any suitable wicks to draw water high enough. I have decided to put in a double reservoir system with pond baskets and let the soil do the wicking. The second res. will be supported on top of a 5gal. bucket. It will be a bit more time consuming to make but I think it I'll be satisfied with the results.

Thanks again to all for the info and ideas, but I feel that string/fiber wicking will not be the way to go with this large a container. I'll take some pictures of the process and keep you updated.
aliceinvirginia
15 years ago
Have you tried Rayon? That seems to be what a number of people have recommended. Particularly strands from Rayon mop heads, which I think have twisted loose cords, not hollow cord.

Also does it vary based on diameter of the cord?

Alice

wicking water in large containers

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wicking water in large containers

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rnewste

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vrkelley

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