If you're going to try wicking your violets, keep in mind that once you set the plant on top of a reservoir, it will be closer to the lights. You may have to adjust the amount of time your light is on. Also, I do not keep wicked violets on lower shelves during the winter, as they can easily get chilled. Other growers sometimes do not have good results wicking in the winter if their plant room gets chilly. And as always, with everything in the violet realm, try wicking on just a few plants at first! Do not risk your entire collection on an experiment. Even though it works well for many people, the learning curve can be discouraging. Keep trying, because wicking can produce some absolutely stunning results!
A recent discussion on the facebook page African Violet Nerds sparked this post about my wicking set up. When wicking, consider the three main components: potting mix, wicking material, and water reservoir. Potting Mix: Since the soil will be constantly damp, you need to use a mix that is very light and airy. This is achieved by using a lot of perlite in the mix. A minimum would be one part perlite to each part peat moss. More perlite would not hurt either. Vermiculite can also be added if desired, but it isn’t really necessary. I use the commercial soil mixed by Cape Cod Violetry. They make a regular potting mix and one specially formulated for wicking, which is what I use. I’ve had very good results with it. If you can only find a commercial mix sold in stores, add lots and lots of perlite before you attempt to use it for wicking! There are many variations on the mix used for wicking. Many growers fill the lower half of the pot with perlite and like the results. I’m happy with my method, and if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Wicking Material: The best thing to use is something inorganic, such as nylon twine. Cotton will eventually rot away, and it also tends to wick a bit too much water than is wanted. Here is a photo of the nylon twine I use for my plants. I use the same size twine for small ones and standards. You can always add two wicks to a large pot if you wanted to. Make sure the wick goes up almost all the way to the top of the pot, but still below the soil surface. Check the wick periodically to be sure the roots haven’t plugged the hole or cut off the water movement. Also be sure that the wick is completely saturated before using it. Water Reservoir: You’ll need something to hold the water for the wicks. The wicks dangle inside the reservoir and pull up the water as the plant requires it. It’s a very easy way to set up plants to give away to friends, since it’s fairly fail-proof. The reservoir can be just about anything. I’ve used jars, butter or sour cream containers. Right now, I use the cheap Ziploc food containers that come 3 or 4 in a pack. I soldered or cut holes in the lids for the wick to go into. If you grow in large trays, you can also use the tray as the reservoir and add egg crating to the top to set your plants on. Algae: Algae will grow in the reservoir and can be unsightly. There are a lot of different ways of managing this, but I just choose to wipe them out each time I refill them. You can also line the reservoirs with plastic baggies and dispose of them periodically. Some folks go to the trouble of painting their reservoirs black to block out the light, and other people have used copper inside the reservoirs to prevent the growth of algae. (I admit I tried this years ago and got mixed results and a whole lot of nasty looking pennies.) They also make a product called Physan 20 that will prevent algae from growing in reservoirs. Keep in mind:
If you're going to try wicking your violets, keep in mind that once you set the plant on top of a reservoir, it will be closer to the lights. You may have to adjust the amount of time your light is on. Also, I do not keep wicked violets on lower shelves during the winter, as they can easily get chilled. Other growers sometimes do not have good results wicking in the winter if their plant room gets chilly. And as always, with everything in the violet realm, try wicking on just a few plants at first! Do not risk your entire collection on an experiment. Even though it works well for many people, the learning curve can be discouraging. Keep trying, because wicking can produce some absolutely stunning results!
6 Comments
Julie Cox McCamish
1/8/2013 11:39:57 am
Thanks Amy for posting this. I like wicking and have had good and bad results. In the beginning I didn't realize that I had my soil to heavy. I now do as you suggested with the perlite. I can get very creative with the reservoirs.
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1/8/2013 11:17:10 pm
It seems like everything with violets is a learning curve, and we just tweek little things here and there to get what we need. I think that's part of the fun of growing them.
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Tim F
1/9/2013 11:48:42 pm
Amy -
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1/10/2013 12:17:58 pm
Hey Tim,
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1/15/2013 06:02:28 pm
I'm wondering if leaving out the vermiculite might be a solution to my next round of wick experiments? Just seems too wet so far. As a top water-er I would never leave them this "heavy". Tried thinner wicks yesterday so will see how that changes the feel. I have plants in same mix that seems to dry out almost overnight when top watered, that feel soggy with wicks. Maybe my ratio for each ingredient is not translating per pot...more of one thing ending up in the individual pots.
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1/15/2013 10:42:55 pm
Hi Laurie,
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