Ray, I think the LECA might wick some water away, but it would also hold more water than air. With the fabric exposed to air on both sides, I posit the evaporation of moisture out of the system would be faster than if some LECA wicked some of the moisture, but held onto it.
For example, if the evaporation rate was faster than the wicking rate, then the LECA above the water line in S/H would be dry. But we know that there is a gradient of moisture only a certain distance above the water line, and the water doesn't move continuously up the pot (e.g. imagine if you had a really tall S/H pot). If the LECA wicks some of the water and holds onto it, while the fabric material keeps pulling water up from the reservoir, that would actually be the intended effect. The fabric just has to be thick enough to pull water near the top before it gets fully wicked.
It helps that when I flush, the LECA will be pre-wet, and also that the LECA is surrounded horizontally and could only evaporate a limited distance upwards, or otherwise back into the fabric, if the fabric becomes drier than the LECA (which shouldn't be the case as long as there's still water in the reservoir). If the fabric is much more efficient at wicking than the LECA, then it becomes in effect a vertical extension of the reservoir, in my opinion, and the LECA remains the actual medium.
The difference is instead of dictating reservoir height by the height of the holes on the side of the pot, the reservoir height is dictated by the fabric properties or number of layers.
Spiffy, that's an excellent idea!! I may be able to fit a reservoir on top and let it wick downwards. Then I won't have to worry about the water not reaching the top. Thanks for the tip!
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