I have been working so hard trying to get all of my AVs wicked. I finally went to HD and bought the pipe that I needed and I have made 7 of these so far. I hope to finish the other 5 in the next couple of days if I do not run out of PVC pipe. Here is a picture of one that is finally finished. The other thing I have to do is repot a lot of them because they do not have wicks in them. But little by little I'm getting them done.
Jesse
Jesse, that looks great. I'll need to do this when I get some free time. Currently I am spending alot of my time outside working on our yard.
Deb
I just bought a few outside flowers but not that many. I do not have any other flowers in my yard so I devote all my time to my inside garden.
Does anyone know how to keep the water in the wick trays from getting yucky and turning the end of the string black? Is there anything that I can put in the water?
Jesse
Black? I've seen algae turn things green, not so sure about black, wonder if you're seeing mildew?
There are anti-algae things that people add to water in fountains or even freshwater fish tanks, but I'm not sure if that would be OK for the plants.
You might try using one of the things that folks here have added when watering AVs to combat one problem or another... Hydrogen Peroxide (1 Tbsp. of standard 3% solution per quart), Lysol or Murphy's Oil Soap (1 capful per gallon). A little extra hydrogen peroxide wouldn't hurt, but you probably want to back off a little on the other stuff to make sure concentrations in the tray don't get too high with evaporation.
Thanks critter. I don't really think it is black. The string is yellow and with the algae being green, it might just look black. I have to put something in there since they are all new trays and I want them to stay looking that way. My biggest task now is repotting all of those that do not have wicks. But I will get it done, eventually.
Jesse
Jesse you don't won't your wicks to be turning black or green yuck. Not good, nor do you want your trays to have build up of Algea .
1. A good idea to empty trays every one-two weeks dump water and soak in hot bleach water several hours.
2. In-between this is the best thing to use it has been recomened for use with African violets for years !
Physan 20
All purpose disinfectant
Use Physan 20 to control fungus (damp-off) virus, bacteria, mildew and algae in your greenhouse. Disinfect cutting tools to prevent transfer of disease, and sanitize your pots and flats. Protect cuttings and bulbs by soaking briefly in Physan 20. Control mildew, rust, black spot, and gall on roses and extend cut flower life. Also use to control algae and fungus in evaporative coolers. Physan 20 is a concentrate that mixes easily with water, and does not leave residue marks on foliage
You can buy it here.
http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_productdetails&productid=7620&cid1=350&cid2=290&cid3=-99
