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Old November 28, 2008   #11
dice
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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While explaining the mounding over the wicking basket is a
good idea, I think people who miss that will probably get away
with it, simply because any landscape fabric that will absorb
water will also stretch when pressure is applied to it while it
is wet. The same pressure that compresses container mix
in the wicking basket would also push the landscape fabric
above it down into the top of the wicking basket, so soil to
fabric contact will be maintained.

Edit:
(There is no way for pressure above the fabric to compress the container
mix in the basket without pushing the fabric down into it too.)

There may be a different issue that instructions to mound up soil
above the wicking basket before adding landscape fabric may help
with, which is setting the whole thing up dry before adding any
water.

One thing to try: take a wicking basket on its own, outside the container,
and fill it with dry container mix, then set it in a bowl of water. After it
soaks up the water, check the level of mix in the wicking basket
to see if it still comes up to the top. Even if that happens (if users set
up the whole thing with dry container mix then add water via the fill
tube), the weight of mix above the fabric may still deform it down into
the gap created as container mix in the wicking basket loses volume
when it soaks up water the first time.

Instructions to mound up mix in the basket before adding the landscape
fabric should eliminate possible problems with setting the whole thing
up dry before adding water via the reservoir (which is the way most
gardeners transplant and repot: they use dry mix, wet it once the plant
is transplanted, then fill in a little around the top to level the mix
in the container).
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Last edited by dice; November 28, 2008 at 02:28 PM. Reason: additional detail
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