Steve, you goofball! Do you want me to send you some? I can include a dress or two also if you like..........LOL Actually, making wicks out of old hosiery was my World Series activity. During the playoffs and the series I cut a lot (as in must be a gazillion)of wicks. I shouldn't have to cut wicks again until the NEXT series. So, my husband says on Saturday "I have to be in Boston all next week for a meeting, do you want to come?" I said sure enough, I can't think of a better place to be. So, we all know what happened on Sunday!! I declined to go to the parade on Tuesday after they predicted one million people would turn out. (I think one million and one is just too many.) I watched from the hotel, and at the end of the parade I heard a siren 'woop-woop' looked outside, and saw they were blocking the intersection. I flew downstairs and got to the street just as the parade with all the duckboats was approaching the intersection and heading back to Fenway Park. I got to see the whole thing right in front of me, and only had to share it with about 10 people. Pretty exciting stuff!! Let me know about those nylons..... Barbara

Hi Donna, I DO have wicking experience & can say that Christmas Cacti (CC) are not something that comes to mind when one thinks wicking. It's more commonly used w/ things like African Violets, (where I learned it), Sinningias & other Gesneriads. I've never heard or read of anyone else trying it before this, but likely someone somewhere has also wondered about it. Since CC plants naturally grow in the crooks & branches of trees, they can handle frequent rain because they don't actually grow in mix, rather just bits of leaf debris & stuff, anything that falls into the crotch of that branch; since they drain almost immediately. Given that, I'm not so sure they can handle the constant moisture provided in wicking. My sense is they would rot, but one never knows, I could be wrong on this. (I'm currently growing a Sans, or Snake plant from leaf in Hydro (Water & clay pellets), where one could easily think it would rot & yet, it's happy as a clam, grown into a whole new plant.) So I try not to assume things like this anymore. If that's the only part of the plant you have (on the wick), I'd take cuttings to root to grow in mix, just in case. Pls. let us know what happens, good luck w/ it.

I'd love to see photos! Excellent! Thanks so much for taking the time. Now I know a few questions to ask :) I've got a bunch of those netted pots from orchids and pond plants when I bought them years ago, they've been around just in case. Do you use all netted baskets or a mix of them and other containers for the inner one? Wow, that Kerrii is gorgeous! Love the leaves. From doing some reading - Correct me if I'm wrong, I've never tried this and am very new - some versions, specifically Rays which I'd heard of, use one pot with holes toward the bottom, filled with media and plant so, when watered, only a small amount of water can stay in the bottom of the pot. I didn't try this system because that one pot couldn't hold the amount of water for the time I'd need without being huge and using a ton of media = financially a waste and I'd assume way too much is not a good thing for the plant. The system you're using, one I hadn't heard of, uses a solid outer pot and inner netted basket and possibly a decorative outer pot if desired? Again, correct me if I'm wrong. I see a water meter - have you found that really helpful or necessary? I realize it's probably helpful since it's tough to tell what the water level is. Any suggestions how deep to make the water if I don't have a water meter? Using 2 pots would keep the media in the inner one the right size for the plant. I assume that the outer pot could be as large as needed to start the water at a good height for the plant yet hold as much water as necessary for a length of time. From doing wick watering I've found that, surprisingly to me, the pot really doesn't have to be all that big since there is a constant draw of moisture. I'd assume this media would be the same? This media would probably work better with plants that need to dry a bit because I assume it will hydrate quickly if it goes totally dry. Wicking can be a challenge in that way because it can be hard to start up again. It's been horribly hot and dry here too, weird tho but our humidity is still very high. Not sure which is more unhappy, me or the plants!

I have never used AV mix. I use one part Miracle Grow, 2 parts perlite and 1/2 part vermiculite mixed thoroughly for the adult plants on wicks. For rooting leaves I mix one part MG, 2 parts perlite and 1 part vermiculite. For my measuring cup I use a Dannon yogurt cup. This works for me. Try it on a couple plants but remember,,,,,,different climates need different proportions. Adjust til it works for you. I had to re adjust several times in the last few months. I also don't fertilize constantly. I use an extremely weak mix of fertilizer with the first number being the highest. I let them drink it up for about 2 weeks, then I empty the water and refill with plain water for about 2-3 weeks. While I don't have show plants (I am not trying for that) I do have a respectable amount of bloom and good growth. Also when I buy a plant if it is an Optimara and has that peat type of medium, I try to get as much of it off as I can. THEN I repot and put it on a wick system. Oh and when you make up this mix, perlite is hard to incorporate into the mix unless you dampen the mix with water. You don't want it too wet, just barely damp. THEN it is ready to use. Good luck! If you have any more questions, just ask! Rosie