Houseplants Under Lights

Lesson 3: Watering, Humidity and Fertilizing

Alternative Watering Methods

Busy people have little time to spend watering houseplants. There are two possible techniques for coping with this problem. First, you may use wicking (see directions below) or you may add water crystals to the potting media to provide a source of extra moisture.

Wicking Systems

Begonias, African Violets and other Gesneriad species are often wicked. You need these items to set up a wicking system:

• Clear plastic deli containers and lids (l pound size is usually sufficient although you may choose any size you desire). You can also recycle yogurt or margarine/butter containers or any other container with a lid.
• A nail or knife that can be heated. Alternatively, use a solder gun.
• Wicking material such as acrylic or polyester yarn, thin strips of polyester blankets, or nylon parachute string. If you use polyester blankets, be sure to cut narrow (1/4" or less) wicks.

Set up the wicking system by following these steps:

• Use a hot knife or nail to poke a good size hole in the center of the container lid. Make the hole wide enough to allow the wick to slip through easily. Gas stoves or solder guns are nice for this step. You may also use a propane torch, or even an old curling iron to heat the nail or knife tip.)
• Cut up your wicking material into strips six inches long (for 4" planters, longer if the pot is larger and deeper).
• Unpot the plant to be wicked. Carefully wash all the soil off the roots.
• Pull about 1/3 of the wick through the bottom of the empty pot. Then begin filling the pot with potting media that is suitable for wicked plants (I use 2/3 perlite with 1/3 potting soil). Be sure the wick is still upright. Put the plant in the pot and gently spread out the roots. Then finish packing potting media around the plant. See Lesson 7 on properly potting a plant.
• You should now have a potted plant with 4" of wick hanging below the pot. Thread this portion of the wick through the hole in the lid of the deli container. Your potted plant is now sitting on the lid with wick hanging below the lid.
• Fill the container with water (fertilizer is usually added at 1/4 the normal rate.
• Put the lid (with the potted plant) on the container. Then, move the plant to its new home.
• Refill the container with water and fertilizer as needed.

Using Water Absorbing Crystals or DriWater™

Plants requiring consistent moisture levels in the media may benefit from the use of water absorbing crystals. Follow package directions to determine the amount to mix into your potting media (varies according to pot size). These are dry crystals that absorb many times their weight in water. The water is released as the media dries out.

DriWater (trademarked name) is a product that combines water with food grade ingredients to form a semi-solid gel. Tubes of this gel are enclosed in a plastic tube, which is slipped into a heavy plastic sleeve. The sleeve is pushed into the potting media so that the gel has contact with the media in the root zone. This gel releases water if the media dries out. DriwWater™ is now being sold in various garden centers across the United States.

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