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Growing from Seed

watering while away

18 years ago

I will be going away for five days and worried about my seedlings. I have done a search on this forum and thought I would place the pots on wet newspapers and try the wicking procedure. Do you think this would work? Any suggestions? I don't want to come home and see them all dead, I would be devasted.

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Comments (5)

dragonplant
18 years ago
As long as your newspapers will be connected to a big source of water (like in a bucket of it) so they don't dry out and suck moisture away from the plant, that should be okay.
gardengal2
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you for your reply! I leave Friday and am getting nervous about leaving the seedlings. I will put a large bucket with a rope to the tray. I hope this works! Thanks again
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After read tapla's info here and on the original thread, I did a search for grins. It seems the easiest way to find 100% rayon material cheaply is to look for a mop head. I don't know if the diameter of the wick is critical or not, but you can just cut the strands right from the mop head and voila! instant wick. You can buy a whole rayon-head mop here with shipping for $ 18.24: http://housewares.hardwarestore.com/35-174-wet-mops/rayon-wet-mop-684403.aspx You can buy just a rayon mop *head*, shipping included, for $ 16.88 (freight saver option): http://doityourself.com/store/6433478.htm Actually, the doityourself has mop heads of various sizes, by weight. That one was a big 32 oz, I now see. For the 16 oz mop head it would be only $ 11.98. http://www.doityourselfwarehouse.com/6433387.htm Obviously mop heads are the way to go for the 100% rayon. And if you can't find it near you, online ordering will get it to you in a week. Cheers, Mel
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Thanks all, it is pretty humid here in Georgia this time of year as well, so that will probably help. Most of mine are in plastic pots, they are the ones that the guy at an orchid symposium used to show how to re-pot. 2 are in clay pots. They are mostly in that bark, orchid planting stuff, except 2 that I got at a local orchid specialty nursery that are in a soil, bark mixture of some sort. Those 2 are my healthiest, happiest plants and I'm debating on switching the rest out to the orchid nursery medium. The owner told me he'd sell me a bag for about $10. That will have to wait until after I get back, plus I know if I go there to get the stuff I'll come home with more orchids!! Annette
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*Water Grabber*, and I think you could get it at Home Depot or even Walmart in the garden section. You just soak it in water and add it to the soil. Since the holidays are coming they might not have as much garden stuff out and you might have to order that online though. Or you could get some of those glass things you put water in and stick in the pots, if you don't want to disturb the soil. They have them at the dollar stores and drug stores now. Some plants of mine did fairly well when I went away placed in a tray of pebbles with water. (But I left them in zone 4)
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If you plan on repotting, I highly recommend using these self-watering pots sold at WalMart called "Plant Spa" I use these for almost all of my plants and never have to worry about overwatering any of them. Whoever designed these pots knew what they were doing. Just as long as you use a fast draining soil, you'll have nothing to worry about. Even tho they're self-watering, only the "X" actually sits in the bottom tray. The rest of the pot remains suspended above the water and the "X" is surrounded by slits that allows the soil to breathe. Allowing the roots to breathe is just as vital as providing them with water, if not more so.
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cherryirene
18 years ago
Hi garden Gal
This info may be too late to help you but may be helpful in the future. i grow hundreds of seedlings and they are all on wicks. As a matter of fact, all my plants in up to six inch pots ,never have to be watered because they are on wicks. I don't use newspaper. I set up trays or sweater boxes and fill them with water. Then over them I set those plastic diffusion grids that are used for light fixtures. they can be purchased at any home improvement store like Lowes. The seedlings are placed in pots with a six to eight inch length of yarn threaded through the holes. The thread has to be good and wet for the capillary action to work. you slip the wet yarn through the holes so they are hanging in the water. As long as you have water teh plants will drink it as needed. If there are only a few seedlings, you can use the plastic food containers and burn a hole in the top for the yarn. the soil mix has to be soiless lightened up with perlite. Loam, because it is so heavy, will cause the roots to rot. Whew!
gardengal2
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you cherryirene, I really like your setup! When I get back I am going to try the set up! It seems I spend a lot of time watering. This will take alot of the burden off!I am really not sure what the Plastic diffusion grids are, I will ask at Lowes.Does any grade of yarn work, or is it anything special?
sharon_ga_zone7
18 years ago
Cherryirene,

Thanks for posting your method!

Just lost a bunch of plants due to overwet Jiffy thingies.

Every year I learn more (usually the hard way!)

Thanks again.

Sharon

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