At Two Wests & Elliott we have been selling capillary matting since 1982 and capillary watering systems have been used in commercial greenhouses for decades. So, the question is ‘How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse’ so that you and your plants both benefit from it.
In this article we will explain how any gardener – amateur or professional – can use capillary matting in their greenhouse.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse – What Is Capillary Matting?
Before we look at how to use capillary matting in a greenhouse let’s take a brief look at what capillary matting is.
Capillary matting is basically a flexible material which can soak up and retain water. For it to be suitable to use when growing plants, it is made from material which is non-toxic to plants – the capillary matting which we stock is made from recycled fabrics (polyester, polypropylene, cellulose and viscose). So it can be used for long periods of time it is also rot proof and mould proof – in fact capillary matting can be used for years if it is regularly cleaned and stored when not in use.
An important feature of capillary matting – unlike ‘water matting’ which is also a flexible material which can soak up and hold lots of water - is that it has a ‘capillary lift’. The matting we supply has a capillary lift of approx. 4 inches / 10cm, which means you can have a ‘reservoir’ of water up to 4 inches below your capillary matting and you can use a capillary ‘wick’ (a strip of capillary matting) which goes from the reservoir to the capillary matting on your bench.
Top Tip
If you want to learn everything about ‘What is Capillary Matting?' just click here to read our other blog post.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse – What Did Gardeners Use Before Capillary Matting?
Before water matting and capillary matting started to be manufactured, gardeners used lots of different materials which would soak up and hold water to ensure their plants remained hydrated. Alternatives included:
- Sand – beds of wet sand were used, similar to traditional plunge trays or benches
- Newspaper - a thick layer of old newspapers would be laid on benches to soak up and hold water
There are still many DIY gardeners who will happily recycle what they have around the house rather than using capillary matting. In fact, you can use almost any absorbent material if you are willing to carry out some experimentation! There are a few things to be aware of if you decide on this DIY adventure:
Many suitable materials will decompose if kept constantly wet – for example, newspaper will usually need replacing with new sheets after about 10 weeks of use.
Avoid using paper with lots of coloured ink – you don’t know what the ink may contain and it could be toxic to some plants.
Some materials could become smelly fairly quickly - if you want to try off-cuts of material or recycle old clothes it is worth giving them a try - just be careful as some could become smelly which means they are holding bacteria you wouldn't want your plants to get. We have heard of fleece, cotton t-shirts, old cotton towels even hessian being used by some gardeners. What we know doesn't work well is pure nylon or polyester materials. All of these materials will rot over time - unlike capillary matting which is rot proof.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse – Why Is Capillary Matting Popular?
Capillary matting is both efficient and economical which makes it popular not only with commercial growers of pot plants, but also amateur gardeners.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse – What Makes Capillary Matting Economical?
You can purchase as few or as many metres as you need – we sell capillary matting per metre, being easy to cut using scissors or a sharp knife, you can cut it to fit your existing benches, shelves, trays, pots etc. So, there should be no wastage.
It’s reusable – amateur gardeners can use capillary matting season after season, in fact when we spoke to the manufactuers of our capillary matting they said they are still using some capillary matting after two years and it continues to provide their plants with water, albeit the matting is a little discoloured!
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse – What Makes Capillary Matting Efficient?
It is quick and easy to set up – you can cover the whole surface of your greenhouse bench with capillary matting and use a drip system to drip water onto the matting. In this way you don’t have to put drip nozzles into individual pots and lay out complicated watering systems. Basically, you can drip water onto the matting at any point and the water will spread evenly across the whole of the matting so all your plants will have access to water.
You don’t have to water different plant varieties at different times – whether the plants you are growing are greedy for water or don’t need a lot, you can have them all on the same bench and water them all at the same time. As you are applying water to the capillary matting and not the plants in their pots, they can take up as much or as little water as they need.
You avoid water marks on ornamental plants and water blemishes on cropping plants – by watering onto the capillary matting which is below your plants, you will avoid unsightly spots on leaves or fruits which can be caused by overhead watering.
Sensitive or delicate plants are easily watered – their foliage won’t be damaged by a deluge of water from above and small plants won’t be knocked over as they could be when watered with a watering can or overhead system.
You get enhanced, uniform plant growth – as capillary matting provides water from below this encourages your plants to grow strong roots to search out the water. Using capillary matting also means that your plants only receive the water they need – they are never under or over watered – which should result in even, uniform growth.
Did You Know?
Although we think of capillary matting passing water to the compost surrounding your plants as they need it – so as the compost starts to dry it ‘wicks’ water up from the matting to stay moist – it also works in the opposite direction! If there is excess water in the compost the matting will draw this water out of the compost into the matting. In this way capillary matting is preventing overwatering as well as under watering.
You use less water – using capillary matting means you shouldn’t get water being wasted – your plants only take up the water that they need and water isn’t lost through evaporation which can occur when you water from above.
Less pest problems and diseases – by watering from below there is a reduced risk of foliar diseases and because there will be less standing water this should help to reduce pest problems.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse - On Your Greenhouse Staging
Capillary matting works efficiently when it's on a flat, level surface. When you want to use it on your greenhouse staging the first thing to check is that it is level - with uneven benches you will get water accumulating in low areas and as a result uneven watering of your plants. If you find your staging is uneven and it's stood on gravel or the ground, you could try using our aluminium foot plates to create a level surface. These sturdy plates can be simply slipped under the legs - they don't need bolting in place.
To use capillary matting on slatted staging you need to create a flat, solid surface first - the easiest way to do this is to cover the staging with some thick polythene and then place the matting on top of the polythene.
To protect wooden staging from the water in capillary matting cover the staging with a waterproof material - again, the easiest thing to do would be to pin polythene to the surface of the staging to prevent it from being constantly damp, which would damage the wood and shorten the life expectancy of your staging.
Before using your capillary matting it needs to be thoroughly soaked in water and any excess allowed to drain off - if you try to use dry capillary matting it will not work.
With your benching and matting prepared as described above, you can now go ahead and lay the capillary matting over your staging. You should cover the whole surface of your staging as this will enable you to automatically water plants in pots or seed trays placed anywhere on the benching. If the capillary matting you have is not large enough to cover the whole surface in one piece, then make sure to overlap pieces by approx. ½ inch / 1.5 to 2cm so that the water will carry from one piece of matting to the next.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse - On Greenhouse Shelving
Using greenhouse shelves – whether they are attached to the wall of your greenhouse or hung from the roof of the greenhouse – makes maximum use of your protected growing space. However, it can prove awkward to water the pots or seed trays which you have on them - so using capillary matting on the shelves makes this much easier.
The image above shows one of our wall mounted shelves on the wall of our greenhouse, above some of our staging. We lined the aluminium shelf tray with polythene before cutting a length of capillary matting to completely cover the surface of the tray. To make watering this shelf as simple as possible we used one of our water reservoirs to ‘feed’ the capillary matting with water. A ‘wick’ of capillary matting fits between the water reservoir and the capillary matting – drawing water from the reservoir to the matting as your plants demand it.
When we first set up the system we made sure the capillary matting and the wick were thoroughly wet before placing them in position. We also watered all the plants in their pots when they were placed on the shelf from above first – making sure the compost in the pots is already wet ensures that the capillary action – drawing water from the matting as it dries out – will work correctly and efficiently.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse - To Make Your Own Self-Watering Trays
If you don’t need to cover a whole bench with capillary matting, or if you just want to create an area in your home where you can automatically water your houseplants whilst you are away, then it’s possible for you to buy a ‘Self-Watering Tray’ or make one yourself.
The self-watering trays which we supply consist of the following elements:
- A watertight tray – which acts as the ‘reservoir’ where you add water. We have six different sizes of tray for you to choose from.
- A flat raised platform / insert – which stops your pots or seed trays being sat in the water yet keeps them close to the source of water.
- Capillary mat – this is the same size as the platform above and is used to cover the surface of the platform before you place your pots and trays on top – remembering that you need to wet the capillary matting first!
- A capillary wick – this is a small strip of capillary matting which has one end put into the water held within the watertight tray and the opposite end under the piece of capillary matting covering the insert. Its job is to enable the water to transfer from the watertight tray to the matting to keep your plants supplied with water.
Buying a self-watering tray like this is the quickest and easiest way to create a small area where you can keep your plants watered. If you already have watertight trays you can use, then it’s simply a case of getting the other three parts required to make your own self watering tray.
The capillary mat and capillary wick are easy as you can purchase capillary matting by the metre and cut it to fit your tray and to create a ‘wick’.
All that leaves is something which you can use to form a flat, raised surface for your plant pots to sit on. Ideally it needs to be water resistant – so it doesn’t decompose as it is going to be sat in water – so another plastic tray small enough to fit inside the one which will form the watertight reservoir would be ideal. Or you could make two ‘platforms’ at either end of the reservoir which you could then rest a flat surface on for you to cover with your capillary matting. The inventive DIYer is sure to be able to solve this.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse – Capillary Matting Is Perfect For Holiday Watering
If you don’t want to have to rely on other people to water your plants when you are away on holiday, then using capillary matting to automatically water your plants will mean that your plants will be able to survive at least two weeks watering themselves and being perfectly hydrated for healthy growth.
Top Tip
If you are only using capillary matting when you are on holiday – and not permanently in your greenhouse – then make sure that you set the system set up and working at least a week before you are due to go away so that you can make sure everything is working correctly. Hopefully this time spent in pre-preparation with mean you come back to plants green and healthy rather than finding plants which are wilting or dying due to lack of water or as a result of over-watering by a well meaning friend.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse – Pots And Trays Which Work Best With Capillary Matting
To ensure the water can pass from the capillary matting on your greenhouse bench or shelves to the compost your plants are growing in, here are some vital things to take into account:
Your pots or trays need to have a flat base – in order for the water to ‘wick’ up from the damp capillary matting into the compost the holes in the base of your pots or trays where the compost can be seen need to be able to touch the surface of the matting.
Using clay pots on capillary matting – although most gardeners use plastic pots, those using clay pots to house their plants can still successfully use capillary matting. In fact, with clay pots water from the matting will ‘wick’ up into the absorbent clay of the pot, keeping the compost within the pot perfect moist for your plants.
Don’t add gravel or crocks to the bottom of your pots – although this is often recommended for good drainage, with a capillary watering system this will prevent the capillary action between the matting and the compost.
Avoid plants taking root – as the roots of your plants are seeking out water, by watering from below with capillary matting you are encouraging strong, healthy root growth as the roots will be growing down to seek the source of water. This means, that if the roots reach the bottom of your pots or seed trays they will go through the drainage holes and grow into the surface of the matting. To prevent this we recommend turning or moving the pots on capillary matting at least once a week. Or, if you have covered the capillary matting with perforated polythene this will also stop your plants taking root into the capillary matting.
How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse - Some Plants Won’t Benefit From A Capillary Watering System
With so many different varieties of plants which you could be growing, just bare in mind that those plants which like their compost / soil to dry out before being watered again – this includes cacti, succulents etc. Specialist growers will know this about their plants – but if you are growing a new type of plant for the first time it’s worth checking whether it likes its soil to become dry before your water again.
Our guide to How To Use Capillary Matting In A Greenhouse has been created from our personal knowledge, information gathered by speaking to other gardeners or manufacturers in the gardening industry, by reading gardening magazines and devouring information from books and the internet. We aim to be as accurate as we can, so if you find a mistake, please remember, we’re only human. if you have any queries you can contact us today!