Hydrotron drying at top

[Ray]

In a S/H pot, you are trying to balance the evaporation rate from the top with the wicking rate from the bottom. If wicking wins, it's moist all the way up. If evaporation wins, it won't be.

Wicking rate is fixed, and depends upon the brand of LECA you have. (Hydroton is one brand, folks. It is not the generic term.)

Evaporation will change with your environment, including weather and seasonal changes.

[glengary54]

Originally Posted by Wjs2nd

Thanks everyone for the help. I am going to water everyday and mist if needed. I'm doing the S/H right but it's in a little pot, it was all I had at the time, which I am putting it into a bigger pot today. I will eventually get some stuff from Ray. I just need to save some money too.

I guess you do have to save some money, Phrag Fritz Schomburg is kovachii X besseae and does not come cheap.

[Wjs2nd]

Hahaha, no it does not. I think the water is just evaporating to fast. I increased the size of the reservoir (new pot) and it seem to work much better with my lower humidity.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Wjs2nd

Hahaha, no it does not. I think the water is just evaporating to fast. I increased the size of the reservoir (new pot) and it seem to work much better with my lower humidity.

In other words, you have decreased the distance the water has to wick to get to the top.

While it's actually a bit more complex, dependent upon particle size, shape, absorption and release characteristics, humidity, temperature, and air movement, it's simple just to think of it in percentages and steps, with each "step" being a fixed distance:

Step 1: X% wicks up.
Step 2: X% of that wicks up.
Step 3: X% of that wicks up.

All else being constant, if the X is the percentage determined by the specific product used as a medium, you can see how it might rapidly decrease.

If X = 90, then by that third step, the amount of water available for further wicking is 73% of the first step. If X = 75, that third step is down to only 42%, and the apparent "dry line" will be lower in the pot.

[Merlyn]

Thanks, Ray, that made sense !!!

[Wjs2nd]

I get what your saying (in a way). My purpose for making a big reservoir was for a few reasons. It adds more water to be wicked up, adds more humidity (hopefully, more water, more humidity?), and it does decrease some distance. So far it seems to be working.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Ray

In a S/H pot, you are trying to balance the evaporation rate from the top with the wicking rate from the bottom. If wicking wins, it's moist all the way up. If evaporation wins, it won't be.

Wicking rate is fixed, and depends upon the brand of LECA you have. (Hydroton is one brand, folks. It is not the generic term.)

Evaporation will change with your environment, including weather and seasonal changes.

Ray,
How far up should the moisture be? Should wicking win, evap win or is there some ideal 'dry line' level within the pot?

[Wjs2nd]

You want wicking to win. Drying on top can cause mineral build up. Plus, your roots will prefer the moister.