A Basic Overview Of The Hydroponics Wick System
A simple set up used to keep your plants watered without having to constantly be monitoring the moisture level is the hydroponics wick system. It utilizes a reservoir full of water or a nutrient solution and a wick to feed your plants.
While many different applications of the hydroponics wick system are available this set of instructions are very basic and simple to implement. The required materials consist of two buckets of equal size, a nylon rope or other fibrous material, soil or other grow medium, and some water.
The two buckets are going to be stacked on top of one another when the project is finished. The top bucket should have three or four equally spaced holes placed in the bottom. The holes should only be large enough to fit the rope through them. The rope should be cut long enough to reach the bottom of the second bucket when they are stacked all the way to the top of the first bucket.
This step is the transplanting step. Make sure to use the proper technique specific to your chosen plant. You will need to take each rope and string it along the inside of the bucket that has the holes in it. The rope needs to go through the holes and to the top. It can be held in place by the grow medium you chose for your plant.
Finally, you will place water in the second bucket and stack the first bucket on top of it. Be sure that you place all of the wicks into the water. The wicks will then begin soaking, drawing water up to the roots of your plant and will keep the soil moist as long as you keep the bucket full of water.
If you overfill the bucket you can get a flood or you could have your plants soaking in water without adequate oxygen supply. If more than the wicks are in the water you might end up drowning your plant. Other problems could occur such as root rot.
That is a very basic setup to which you can make adjustments based upon the plant type, your level of expertise, and what types of supplies you have available to you. For example, some folks like to use a grow medium that has no or very little nutritional value. They then put a prepared nutrient solution the reservoir bucket that feeds their plants. This allows the gardener to have more control over what nutrients the plants get and when they get them. Some gardeners also use a large table with holes cut in it for multiple pots. They then put all of the wicks from those pots into the same reservoir.
Each method works well it just depends on what you have to work with.
Space, experience, and supplies available are important parts of implementing this system. The basic idea is to use a wick to keep your plants fed and watered. Experimenting a little will give you an idea of what you need to do and what adjustments you will need to make. Be patient and keep notes of what you do so you can improve and enjoy a happy healthy garden.
