The Wick Method
Wick Method
– is one of the most basic and inexpensive forms of hydroponics. It is incredibly easy to set up. The basic theory for the wick method is simple. A Wick System uses one or more wicks to deliver water from the reservoir to the roots via capillary action. Simply suspend a plant in an inert media, run a wick from the media to the water container below.
2 Litre Bottle Wick System
To make a wick system use a clean two litre soda bottle cut into two pieces. Use a sharp knife or a pair of scissors to cut the bottle carefully about 1″ to 2 1/2″ below the fattest point below the curved top of the bottle. (Note: the illustration shows the smaller top.) Throw away the cap. Make a wick or two from a clean piece of cloth cut into strips. Push the wick through the neck of the bottle. Make sure that it fills the neck, but is not so tight that water has a hard time flowing through it.
Invert the top section (growing pot) of the soda bottle into the bottom section (water reservoir). Fill the bottom with water. Do not overfill. The water with nutrients added, should not be higher than 1 1/2″ into the neck of the pot section. The wick(s) should reach right to the bottom of the water in the reservoir.
Growing Media
Next you need some inert media to grow you plant in. You can use almost anything that will not dissolve in water. If you have the budget, you may wish to purchase suitable media like rockwool cubes, coco coir, or hydroton clay pellets. Should you prefer, you can use free stuff that you have available. Use clean, small pebbles – a collecting activity for the children; marbles are also great. You can use some types of Styrofoam, but you will need to add some pebbles or marbles on top to keep the plant stable. Fill around the wick(s), but leave about 1 1/2″ of space to put your germinated seed. Ensure that some wick is sticking above the media so that the roots can get water immediately.
Planting the Seed
Once your seed has an inch or so of roots, it is ready to plant. Be careful not to damage the roots when you transfer your plant to the growing pot. Place the media around the plant with the roots as close to the wick as possible, without damaging the roots. Watch the plant grow. Note to parent – drip a little water around the stem of the plant for the first couple of days just to ensure that the plant gets a good start.
If you have some potting mixture, you could use it as the media and save buying nutrients.