How to Make a Wicking Bed

How to Make a Wicking Bed

A wicking bed is a water efficient garden made from easy to come by materials.

Wicking beds are becoming increasingly popular and unique in that they water plants from below rather than above. Wicking beds have a waterproof lining that holds a reservoir of water at the bottom from which water is drawn upwards acting like a giant self-watering pot. Wicking beds are so water efficient that they only need to be watered 1 or 2 times a week over summer in most cases even less.

Advantages of A Wicking Bed System

Easy Grow Low Care System

Wicking beds are low maintenance. Little watering is needed making it possible to go away for two or three weeks at a time without your wicking bed drying out.

Save Water

Wicking beds use a quarter of the water needed for a conventional garden bed. Watering from the bottom up prevents evaporation of surface.

Reduce Carbon Emissions

They also reduce the amount of nutrients lost or leached from the soil by re-distributing them again and again for the plants to use. What’s more, Wicking beds enable the plants to absorb carbon from the air and in doing so, create less carbon emissions.

Easy Pest Control

Wicking beds make it much harder for weeds to establish as the soil on the surface is drier. They’re also ideal for gardens that have trees with invasive roots or are infested with Couch grass as its very hard for tree roots and Couch runners to penetrate into a wicking bed. 

What you will need to create a wicking bed:

  1. A wooden box, fridge (degassed) , Old Bath, Container of some sort, no more than 50 cm Deep.
  2. Porus Stone, Such as pea gravel
  3. Geo Fabric, Old Sheets, or fabric
  4. Soil Mix with good drainage
  5. Ag Pipe or PVC pipe with holes in the bottom section of an “L” shape
  6. Overflow valve drain
  7. Mulch and Plants as per usual garden bed scenario
  8. Builders Plastic or Pond Liner if the container is not water tight

Steps for Making Your Wicking Bed:

  1. -Line the box with the pond liner and secure into place. Allow for plenty of ‘give’
  2. -Create over flow valve at 15-20 cm up from the bottom of the box
  3. -Place in ag pipe/ pvc pipe for feeding the reservoir
  4. -Gently place in porous rock matter to the depth of 15-20 cm
  5. -Place Geo fabric or fabric over the rocks, tuck into sides so that it creates a neat and secure layer, keeping the soil separate from the reservoir
  6. -Wet Geo fabric and fill reservoir
  7. -Fill garden bed with soil
  8. -Plant and mulch as normal

*It will take around a week for the “wicking” to take effect in this time and at times when new seedlings are planted overhead watering as well as filling of the reservoir is essential.

Wicking beds are a great system when they are done correctly. We have seen a lot of wicking beds go completely wrong (#wickingbedfails ), And we know how frustrating it is to go to so much effort to set something up and to not see any results in the end.

5 Main Reasons for Wicking Bed Epic Fail

  1. Set up was not completed correctly
  2. There are leaks and flaws in the system
  3. The wrong soil/aggerate/materials are used
  4. User does no completely understand the way the system works therefore it is misused and system never reaches full potential
  5. Lack of enthusiasm, continuity and interest as time goes on   (usually due to lack of result as caused by any or all of the above scenarios

DON’T WORRY WEVE GOT YOUR BACK, READ AHEAD!

Want To take the guess work out of getting it RIGHT? We have developed a unique and incredibly successful wicking bed system that gets you growing faster. Take advantage of many years of research and testing right away. We will also show you while we are there how build your own. Does this sound like something you and your family would benefit from?

We can help you get it right the first time, and guide you through the process so you will understand every why and what not, every nook and grannies cranny. You will get our fully qualified, experienced and professional team guiding you through the process and leaving you as an expert confident green thumbed gardener! (don’t worry we offer maintenance visits if you need too!)

We can help you get amazing results, the first time!

So if you would like to take advantage of our wicking bed blog special for 5% off or fully installed & inclusive handcrafted wicking bed systems, Just mention this blog. Let us help you take care of the dirty work. So you can get back to seeing your garden grow and prosper while you enjoy the abundant fresh organic produce you are growing right there at your back door. We are here to help gardening is about making life better not more work.

If you have any questions at all please contact Carla on 0430902434 or email on carla@gaiasorganicgardens.com.au

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