Clay pebbles not wicking properly? What have I done wrong?

15gal AutoPots.
there are 2L of clay pebbles in the bottom of each pot. That means that the soil itself won’t be sitting in the water. The water line is about 3/4 inch below the clay pebbles. I primed the system the other day and left the bottom trays full of water.

I would have expected them to wick up the water by now but it seems not. There’s still about 1/3 of the water left. Stuck my hand right down the pot and although it feels somewhat slightly moist near the bottom, it’s not what I would call well watered.

what have I done wrong? Do I need less clay?


I’m just getting ready to transplant from solo cups. But am going to hang fire until I get some better answers.

Clay pebbles neither hold water or wick it. You're confused.

eyderbuddy said:

Clay pebbles neither hold water or wick it. You're confused.

Click to expand...

clearly I’m very confused hence making a post.
I know they don’t hold water but I was always led to believe they would wick it up from the bottom of the auto pots...

who would have thought a hydro to soil move would be so difficult. I guess if it was the case that they wicked then I would havehad wet baskets in my old hydro system. -face palm- I didn’t even consider that.

anyways. Some ideas Of how to move forward would be great , alongside the constructive criticism, make this a positive Learning experience !

You don't want to get a bottom feed system going anyways. Thats a guaranteed way to get salt buildups and root rot.