Watering the capillary matting
Before putting the matting to use you have to make sure that they have been covered with water with a low surface tension. A low surface tension of the water makes that the water will soak in well. U can test if the surface tension is low enough pouring a cup of rain water on the mats. If the watering mat does not soak in fast enough then the surface tension is to high. You can lower the surface tension by adding a soap based product to the water.
After the mats have been watered, they can be taken into use. Note: new capillary mattting need some time to stabilize completely. So please know that the results of new mats are not entirely stable and optimal in the beginning.
Keeping the capillary matting wet
Now the capillary matting is ready to be used. Make sure that the capillary matting never dry out entirely. Chemical and other substances can extract from the capillary mat when it is dried out. This will have a negative reaction on the lifespan of the capillary mat. Always check that the mats will be watered in time.
Note: when the capillary matting will be used for multiple crops we advise that you keep the mats wet enough during the crop rotation. This will make it easier to start with a new crop, because the water distribution will be stable.
Cleaning during crop rotation
-
If you use the capillary matting for multiple crops, make sure that you clean the watering mats during the crop rotation. This way you prevent damaging organisms from the old crop to be taken in by the new crop through the capillary matting.
There are two ways to clean your capillary matting:
Wash & disinfect: wash the capillary mat with clean and pure water (note: never use a high pressure hose, this will damage the mats) and disinfect them with a cleaning product like Menno ter Forte.
Steaming: you can also choose to steam the mats.
-