Even the most strong and powerful tree begins as a fragile sprout coming out of a tiny seed. Nurturing that sprout or clone when it's young requires much more attention than when it's older and in a larger container. In general, the larger the container, the less frequently it needs irrigation; the smaller, the more often it needs watering. For this reason, capillary mats frequently become one of the grower's most time-saving tools for starting seedlings and propagating clones. They water plants from the bottom up, preventing many problems while providing many advantages. Although not well-known in the USA yet, capillary mat systems in Europe have a long history with extensive use. Before these water-holding fabrics became available, people used wet sand beds and even thick layers of newspaper. And even in the USA now, retail garden centers, greenhouses, and nurseries have installed over 8 million square feet of AquaMats, saving roughly 70% of their water use - 889,000 gallons per season per garden center.
Capillary Mats
DIY Cap Mats
Simple, easy to set up, and extremely useful. Just get a 10' x 4' plastic sheet or tray for under the felt, add the UnderCap if using outdoor or planning to walk on it.
$52.92
Outdoor Cap Mat Kit
We mainly use cap mats in greenhouse and grow rooms. In Europe though they have a great track record for using them in many different ways -- on the ground in gardens, on rooftop, walls, balconies, and even large fields. The bottom layer included in this kit makes it possible to walk on the mat without worrying about small sharp things on the ground causing leaks. It also has the perforated foil for the top to prevent evaporation, algae and biofilm growth. You can supply the water manually, with a Surface Blumat, with a Tropf Blumat in a pot, or with a timer.Here are some of the advantages Water comes from bottom so roots grow down Flexibility -- water different plant types in different sized pots on same bed Move plants on and off without needing to change water lines or emitters Easy set up -- just get water to the bed, don't worry about getting it to the plants Sensitive foliage not spotted by overhead watering Lower water use, little evaporation Increased and uniform growth Low maintenance Lower costs, less labor
$61.56
Seed-Starting Cap Mat/ Thick Mat & top; 2 Sets
Seed-starting Cap Mat setsHelp protect and nourish those plants starts, seeds, and clones!The smaller the plant and the less soil or potting mix, the easier to both dry out and get too wet. And when either of those happen, plant momentum slows or stops. Keeping this cap mat set on your trays, under your plants can help prevent both of those problems. If one plant gets too much water a, it will spread to the water to other ones on the tray. If a plant doesn't get enough, it can share the water from another one that got more than it needs. These come 12" wide by 23" long so they easily fit into a standard 10" x 20" seed-starting tray or anything smaller -- just cut with scissors to fit. The cap mat holds and spreads the water around, the MicroFab goes on top of the mat, under the plants and prevents algae, evaporation, and the roots from growing into the capillary mat.Put water in the tray manually, automatically with a Surface Blumat, a Tropf-Blumat in one of the pots, with a strip of cap mat going to a water source, or with our new Clear Globe connected to a Surface Blumat.Key Benefits Water comes from bottom so roots grow down instead of staying closer to the surface; Prevents both under- and overwatering Flexibility -- water different plant types in different sized pots on same bed Move plants on and off without needing to change water lines or emitters Easy set up -- just get water to the bed, don't worry about getting it to the plants Prevents fungal diseases, powdery mildew, and root rot. Lower water use, little evaporation; can reduce water usage by up to 50% Versatility -- use for everything between a small windowsill to a large commercial operation; from a deluxe automated system to manual, low-cost choices Increased and uniform growth Low maintenance Lower costs, less labor
$15.12
