Inside Urban Green

Simple Sub-irrigation Using Poly Wicking Material

It was interesting to see this capillary liner on the Garden.com website. It is sold as a replacement part for their "self-watering" patio planters. I'm guessing that the flap in the center is meant to be poked up through a drain hole.

I use polyester batting (or felt) material instead of capillary matting. It is one of the easiest ways to make sub-irrigated planters (SIPs). I call them aquapads.

Use Pellon Thermolam Plus - No. TP970 or equivalent. Here's a spec sheet thanks to Tamra Van at Pellon (tamra.van [AT] pellonusa.com).(toll free) 877-817-0944 ShopPellon.com

Buy a bolt or a yard but buy some.

All container plant growers should have some of this material. It has excellent capillarity and is sustainable. Simply wash it in a diluted bleach solution. I do it all the time.

Photos of more ways to use it are on the way. Stay tuned.

via www.garden.com

Capillary Liner for Self Watering Baskets

Conserves Water

Replacement capillary liner for use with the Self Watering Hanging Basket and the Self Watering Patio Planters. Available in 12" or 14"

EasyBloom: Taking Another Look

The Wall Street Journal featured the EasyBloom and I posted about it back in December 2009. Maybe I was too quick to dismiss this product as just another gimmicky green gadget. I have an overflowing file of them that never see the light of day on this blog because I do not want to waste your time.

Thanks to reader James Thompson, I now know that there is a different technology used in the EasyBloom that appears to be more accurate than the commonly available moisture meters that I do not recommend.

I'm going to buy one of these and test it in a variety of situations. I am particularly interested in how it can be used to help urbanites grow fresh food. If you own an EasyBloom, please share your experience with it in a comment.

A New Era For The Wall Street Journal

As a long time reader of the Wall Street Journal it was amusing to find this video on their website. Would we have seen this before Rupert Murdoch bought the paper? I doubt it for whatever that's worth.

I might have some confidence in this green gadget if the Journal's well respected personal technology columnist Walt Mossberg had reviewed it. I'm being felicitous. Not likely, unless Rupert ordered him to and even then, he'd likely have to hold a gun to Walt's head.

If you have no knowledge about plants and you have fifty bucks that you don't care about it may be worth it. Even then, I'm dubious.

One of the main features of this thing is its claimed ability to measure soil moisture. At this price, most likely it is a moisture meter measuring galvanic reaction to salts in the soil. Results with this type of meter are highly variable.

It is essentially measuring the soluble salts in the soil rather than the presence of water molecules. Put the meter into deionized water and it will read dry. High salts (fertilizer) in the soil can give a moist reading in dry soil. Caveat emptor!

The Cutting Room Floor

This is a still photo from a video with Chris Raimondi, president of Raimondi Horticultural Group one of the largest interior plantscape companies in the New York metropolitan area. Notice that Martha is holding a soil probe like this one. Raimondi obviously broght it with him to the video taping. I watched the video a few years ago. This part never made the final cut. It was edited out. 

Eek, it's plastic! Unfortunately, Martha Stewart only knows fingers and clay pots and that's what she preaches to her adoring followers. They deserve better. She is obviously creative in areas other than indoor plants...which is not a good thing for houseplants!

A Better Way To Check Soil Moisture

Testing soil moisture of container plants by probing with a finger is tricky for most people to learn. The results are often inaccurate. Do your plants and fingers a favor and use a soil probe. The red one in the photo is called a Soil Sleuth.

This soil probe is in widespread use in the interior plantscaping business. It is a fine product that should be available in retail stores across the country but isn't. You need to order one online. Do yourself a favor and order one for yourself and as gifts for friends. 

The 12” durable plastic Soil Sleuth will work well for pot sizes up to 10”. Use the 16” aluminum probe for larger planters such as sub-irrigated grow boxes. .

The most important zone of a container plant soil system is down at the bottom rather than the top. This is where the highest concentration of roots is located. It is beyond the range of fingers.

Push the probe down to the bottom of the planter. Twist the probe and pull it back out of the soil. There will be small plugs of soil in the notches. Pinch the bottom plug. If it feels moist and the soil particles stick together, do not water.

It’s time to water when the soil particles do not stick together. If the soil was allowed to dry too much it will not form plugs and will be light in color. If the soil is very dry, the probe will come out empty of soil particles.

The probe will not harm the root system. If you inadvertently hook the probe on a root, merely twist the probe to unhook before removing it.

Probing also has the beneficial effect of aerating the soil each time you use it. A novice can learn to use a soil probe and judge soil moisture with great accuracy. A green thumb is not required. It takes longer to explain it than use it.