Using Capillary Action to feed my orchid barks water

[eager2learn]

I was thinking of putting several cotton wicks inside my pot spread around the bark and having it come out of the water hole at the bottom of my pot.

Then, I will lay the cotton wicks in a pool of water in the catch tray beneath.

The idea is to have capillary action feed the bark water whenever needed and all I have to do is feed the catch tray at the bottom.

Here is an article explaining the idea I am talking about.

gravity - What is the effect of water 'climbing' over a cup via a wet string? - Physics Stack Exchange

[jcec1]

I would doubt you would have enough capillary action to keep the bark moist. All the air gaps between the pieces of bark would stop the moisture spreading.

Given it is not a common practice for growing orchids - I would say that it is not a successful method. But, try it if you want perhaps you may have come up with a new solution.

[bogdan]

If you do decide to try it, use synthetic wicks, otherwise the cotton will rot and cause problems.

[Mountaineer370]

Having acquired a few African violets a year or so ago, I learned that the wicking method is popular as a means of watering those plants. (I don't personally use it but some do.) However, AVs are grown in a soil or soil-like mixture, much different than the media used for growing orchids. I think there is probably a very good reason why the wicking method of watering is not something you hear about from orchid growers.

[Ray]

Back when I sold Aquamat, I tried an experiment in which I lined a pot with the stuff, bunching it together and ran it out through an enlarged hole in the pot, and had that sitting in a tray of water.

Aquamat wicked very well, but the potting medium didn't, so only the perimeter stayed moist.

I later replaced that with a spiral of aquamat, spaced with EcoWeb, and that actually worked quite well.

[jkofferdahl]

Something about this bothers me. If you use these wicks then you'll eliminate the wet/dry cycle, keeping the roots always wet. You're inviting root rot.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

Something about this bothers me. If you use these wicks then you'll eliminate the wet/dry cycle, keeping the roots always wet. You're inviting root rot.

Sorry, John. That's a myth. If it was factual, many of the equatorial species we know and love would all be extinct, as they can stay dripping wet for months at a time.

Water does not cause rot; suffocation caused root death, and then the dead tissue rots.

I have had plants in semi-hydroponics for decades, and they've never had an opportunity to dry out.

[Orchid Whisperer]

There is a difference between orchids on a tree and a pot full of bark. I could water my mounted plants 5 times a day and they would be fine. Water that pot 5 times a day and that will hasten decomposition and suffocating mush.

I would not do the wicking, at least not with bark. Maybe LECA?

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Ray

Sorry, John. That's a myth. If it was factual, many of the equatorial species we know and love would all be extinct, as they can stay dripping wet for months at a time.

Water does not cause rot; suffocation caused root death, and then the dead tissue rots.

I have had plants in semi-hydroponics for decades, and they've never had an opportunity to dry out.

Ray, doesn't that presume air exposure? Air movement would be drastically reduced under these conditions.

[greenpassion]

Eager to learn, I am curious as to why you would want to water them this way. I'm familiar with this method with African violets, as Mountaineer mentioned, but are you thinking it would save time? Or...? I am still very much learning here, but it feels like it wouldn't be a very good method of watering.... Just my