Prasad recommended coir/ coco peat/ coco pith (all the same) as a wicking agent, but roots will grow through the drain holes into the coir and coir is different chemically and physically from peat. It has a much higher pH than peat - which precludes use of dolomite as a liming agent, and less loft - which is why it compacts so readily when top watered and why it has so much less aeration when wet. It is very high in potassium, very low in sulfur and, often excessively high in manganese - which can limit uptake of iron, potentially very high o/a in dissolved solids (residual salt from being processed in sea water), and studies have also shown the significant presence of phenolic allelochemicals in fresh coir can be very problematic for a high % of plants, causing poor growth and reduced yields. My personal experience using coir as a direct substitute for peat have been very disappointing. Chamae (short for chamaecyparis?) said: In a container on a patio, elevated with planter feet, would it make a difference either having the wick dangle and drip versus touching the ground and acting as a bridge? Specifically regarding the competing forces to avoid perched water, it seems one might be better. I find the dangle and drip to be more satisfying, but for no reason I can articulate. You might feel that way because it's more satisfying to actually be able to see the concept at work as water drips off the end of a dangling wick, but having the wick in direct contact with soil beneath the pot has greater potential when it comes to effectiveness. What pushes water off the end of a dangling wick is gravity's effect on the water column in the pot - it's gravitational flow potential. Once a drop of water falls off the end of the wick, the force of cohesion to the remaining water on the wick is nil; whereas, if the wick is in contact with soil having the ability to absorb water (the pot is not sitting on a cement slab or in a puddle), the added 'pull' of water molecules to water molecules and soil particles increases the gravitational flow potential of the water in the pot by exactly the force exerted by the additional capillarity (which we know is the sum of adhesion + cohesion). Al

When you put on a concert, everyone needs to play well or the performance as a whole is diminished. The same is true with your set-up. The wick and soil need to work in concert to be able to draw water upward into and through the soil fast enough to satisfy the water needs of the planting. This is a challenge that the SWC container guys are always working on for an ideal solution, but there are so many variables involved, that it is usually pretty elusive. The good news is you get better at it as you gain more experience. I think what you're attempting is very ambitious, and I have some doubts that you can get it to work well, but please don't let that stop you from trying. You shouldn't have to wet the soil at first, but it would take longer to initially wet the soil if you didn't. What I would do is make a small setup and start it dry. Drop the wick into the water and leave the whole t6hing set for a day with no plants in the container. If the soil is wet or damp at least half way up, you're getting close. Remember that a mature planting will be pulling lots of water from the soil too, so the set=up needs to keep up with that aspect as well - not just wet the soil w/no plant material in it. For wick watering, you'll use as much wick material as it takes to wet the soil. PWT are much less a concern when watering with wicks, but one wick won't work as a 'supply' line and another a drain line. Mulching would be helpful. Perlite retains water only on its uneven surface and it has a steep release curve (releases water rapidly). You always need to worry about cooking roots in container culture. Shade your containers, paint them white, use pot in pot, ..... to keep soil temperatures down. There is no need to use specialty fertilizers for your tomatoes unless you're sold on the idea for some reason. All-purpose 24-8-16 fertilizer to start and then 20-20-20 after the plants have put on some foliage is a pretty simple strategy. Many of us use 9-3-6 or 24-8-16 for a while and then reduce the solution strength and add ProTeKt 0-0-3 to the fertilizer solution, but you don't need to get that complicated if you're willing to have the 2 types of fertilizer on hand. Al

Sphagnum Peat Moss is the magic that makes SWC work, I have grown in it straight before but tomatoes are so vigorous they would probably grow in anything. I had so much trouble finding a potting mix locally that had the 70% peat as suggested by EarthBox that I ended up adding half Peat to purchased potting mix. Recently, my local Home Depot began stocking Promix HP which works great.

Panty hose, Chaz. I've used acrylic yarn--no problem. Nylon seine twine works well for me with little plants and with larger plants on matting, but with larger plants on individual reservoirs, even the large size cord tends to quit working, and I often find my plants all dried out and wilted with a reservoir full of water even if the cord was wet to begin with. I've switched to pantyhose which works beautifully in all situations for me. I start near the toe and cut about a 1/2" wide strip/circle. I make a cut in the circle. I find it amazing that the pantyhose strip rolls neatly into a narrow round tube that can easily be threaded through a hole in the pot. I can't figure out for the life of me why the same panty hose that just got a run when I wore them doesn't tear into shreds when I cut them like this for wicks. If your "just twine" is not a synthetic material, it'll rot real soon. Other people seem to use the nylon cord/seine twine with no problems. Of the three options you mentioned, I suggest the acrylic yarn if you don't have handy access to old panty hose. Betty