JMO for what it is worth but I have tried various types of capillary matting in the greenhouse on several occasions in the hopes of stabilizing soil moisture levels with less personal attention required. But I always ended up with the same problem - unless very closely monitored it way over-watered most any soil media I tried. At times, to the point of sopping wet pots and drowned plants. But I have never used violet mix as it is unique for those plants where good drainage is mandatory between waterings and I don't grow them. When germinating most flower and vegetable seeds minimal moisture is required to begin with. It should only become an issue after germination when growing on. But even then, even with established plants in pots, careful monitoring is needed. Don't leave the wicking end in a constant supply of water or IME you'll likely soon find sopping wet soil in your pots. Dave

You will have to transplant the blocks into larger containers or blocks now. The longer you wait to do it the more damage that will be done. Transplanting prior to true leaf developments is done all the time by experienced growers. Waiting for true leaves is just a guideline used for those new to growing from seed. Dave

Donna - depending how humid is the air where you live - if the humidity is high - acrilic blanket is OK, if it is low - the eggcrate sitting above the water and your blankie touching the water on the sides would be better - otherwise it dries too fast. Be sure that you soil is light - the recommended 1:1:1 mix or can be even a bit lighter. If you stick wicks in as well - it will help. You move your plant - disrupt the contact - and your plant will dry.Or if your mat dries, the soil shrinks from the bottom. - it will be hard to rewet it. They do not use wicks at the Violet Barn - but they ask visitors not to pick the plants - because of that. I use the acrilic blankets or leftover fleece from Walmart too. Be sure to wet and rinse - or even run it through the laundry before using, sometimes it just refuses to soak water otherwise. It shrinks with time - so when you cut it - add some. It is a nice place for growing algae - so be prepared to soak it with Clorax and rewash it at least every 2 months. But your violets will be happy and grateful. Irina

What kind of 6 packs do you have? Are they the kind with the small drainage holes cut into the bottom edges? If so, it will be slightly challenging, though not impossible to convert. Probably well worth trying in any case. The capillary mat works only by direct contact with the growing medium. If the holes in the cell packs are too small, there is little or no contact with the growing medium, so the cells don't take up water. For best results, you should carefully cut out the bottoms so that there is direct contact. When you set the plants onto the capillary mat, gently compress each cell down to ensure good contact. I think that will be easier than creating a small wick for each cell. Besedes that, I think it'll work fine and that you'll be very pleased. Just remember to lift the cell packs periodically or the roots will start to grow into the capillary matting. -Kris, proud owner of a 100' roll of Capmat II