Quinn -

when I use the twine #18 - it gives me less water - but it is prone to salt accumulation and stopping

when I use acrylic baby yarn - it gives a lot of water - but it doesn't get "pickled". So - if you have large plants -like Opera Romeo - baby yarn is just what doctor prescribed. I would say precut it and presoak before you start repotting - works better than if you use a dry one.

I am sure you will get the knack and never go back to pre-wick time.

Irina

I never did think of going back to pre-wick time. Unless I chose to only have about 5 AVs (yeah, right). Thanks for the tip about the acrylic baby yarn. I will give that a try if I have further issues. For the moment, I've already put a new wick in. Well, actually, I added a new wick, but left the old one in too, for now. I still have to work on Nymph Fly, Chanticleer, Rob's Pewter Bells, a NOID trailer, and possibly Harmony's Little Stinker. For the moment, I'll just have to keep an eye on them, and water them by hand, until I get the chance to fix their wick situations.

Good Choices, by the way!

Irina

Hmmm, I did list five there, didn't I? I have about 65 to 70 AVs. Not as many as some, but more than your average person, definitely. Which is why I can't go back to watering by hand, it just takes too long. I have a problem listing favorites, because I am still waiting to see first blooms on quite a number of my plants. Chanticleer has a pretty pathetic looking first bloom right now, probably because of the wick issue, even though that one actually gets moist. I do like the leaves on Chanticleer a lot, though. Nymph Fly is really neat (not first bloom), and I do have a backup already, so we'll see how that one goes. Harmony's Little Stinker is close to blooming (first time), but again, that wick issue is hampering things. But if I had to make a list of 5 to 10 that I would always want to have, Opera's Romeo would be among them. And Rebel's Astro Spinner, which used to be a very reliable bloomer until I wicked it and moved it. Oh well. It was getting sunburnt leaves, it had to be done.

I'm sorry you are having trouble with your plants when you least need that to happen.

I use the baby yarn also. I've had the best luck with it.

I read someplace to wash any wicking with a little soap to take out the sizing and such used in making it. I don't, but some people have said it works much better.

Just was wondering if all the plants having trouble if they were wicked at the same time, using the same wicking, same soil mix, etc? I know others use physon without a problem.

Dale Martins, a hybridizer uses a baggie inside her resourvours as a liner. ...then when the inside gets bad, she tosses it and puts in a new baggie.

tish