How to use capillary matting?

Hi all,

new to here, just starting to garden and grow seedlings with mixed success. I’ve been told that lining my seed trays with capillary matting will help keep seeds properly watered but my seed pots seem waterlogged and like mud.

I soaked the matting in water then lined the trays, should I have wrung out the matting first?

any general practical advice on how to use capillary matting would be appreciated,

thankyou
Glynn

 

I've never lined a seed try with capillary matting.
The idea is you lay the matting on the bench, on top of polyethylene, then the end of the matting is placed in a water reservoir of some kind.
It when draws up water and spreads it over the matting.

You place seed trays or pots on the matting and water is drawn up via the drainage hole by capillary attraction.

 

Hi Pete and thanks for the explanation, makes sense to me. I didn’t explain myself so well before. What I meant was that I lined the bottom of my propagators with the capillary matting. So I can’t do that in the way you described. Hope that’s a bit clearer?

thanks
Glynn

 

I wouldn't use it in a propagator.