@jaimelebird do you have time to monitor them before you go away? The capillary matting I have (which admittedly was a very cheap roll from amazon) says it works with a wick length up to 4 inches. You might find that you need to raise the buckets a bit higher for the main mat to get wet enough.
I did wonder about that too, but haven’t ever used the ‘proper’ stuff so couldn’t say. Might be better to have the pots on the floor to ensure good take-up? You could then also use your tables propped on their sides to shade them a bit more. Give them a good water before you go anyway. Good luck, and make sure your brother turns up - bribery if necessary!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Good idea to fill the buckets and make sure it's wicking properly before you go. If the strips are separate pieces, make sure there's good contact with the main matting pieces and they can't move if it get windy (I think I'd staple them to the main fabric to make sure they don't move, and maybe put stones or something on the ends that are in the buckets).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Singing Gardener, Nollie and Jennyj, thanks for the tips. I will test one out over the next couple of days. My brother is on board so fingers crossed 🤞🏻
What I do is get empty plastic bottles fill them with water, make a couple of tiny holes in the screw top. Then place the bottles upside down into the pots, the water will slowly drip into the soil. It works for me every time, and it is one way of using the plastic bottles in a practical way. Good luck and have a great holiday.
That area still looks quite sunny. Move them into a shady area before you go and group the pots close together. Give them a thorough drenching on the evening before you leave. Fingers crossed.
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
Thanks Hogweed, the area gets a bit of sun for an hour in the evening so am hoping it will be ok. jacqueline29 I will try out the bottles in my other pots, thanks. This has made me realise I have far too many pots....if that is possible.
Being a gardener is totally incompatible with going on holiday, I am finding. OH always seems to announce we need one at a critical stage! Do all you can, then go away, have a fab time and try not to worry about your babies.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Do make sure they are in as shady a spot as possible, as otherwise the capillary matting could dry up from the sun and stop working. I’d use bottles as well! I have two pots of dahlias and they each use over 3 litres of water a day!
Posts
jacqueline29 I will try out the bottles in my other pots, thanks.
This has made me realise I have far too many pots....if that is possible.