Quote:
Originally Posted by katsucats
<snip>I have a question/concern about this. In loam/clay soil, drip works because saturated soil allows excess water to be absorbed horizontally over a wider area. However, in orchid media with medium bark or LECA that allows water to flow through faster than sand, the water may never spread more than a couple centimeters horizontally, so the roots besides the point where the drip is installed wouldn't get water. At least that's the way I envision it in theory.
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All media will spread the water horizontally. The issues are the rate at which is does so, and the evaporative forces of your environment working against that.
If the water is dripping on a single media particle, it will eventually become saturated and will start to share water with the particles making contact with it. As they become saturated, they will do the same.
LECA wicks really well, so will probably be a better choice for such a setup. Besides, having an automated watering setup is bound to bring out a bit of laziness, and it may be too late before you notice that constantly-moist bark (or other organic components) has decomposed and damaged the roots.
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