Robin I have no idea on your dilemma. But it is worth a try. But I suspect the mulberry roots will make their way through your black plastic I too have mulberry trees and have to chisel spade around the beds on a regular basis to cut the roots that get through the landscape fabric liners. Rimmer > On Oct 20, 2015, at 4:02 PM, Robin Graham Bell <rgb2@cornell.edu> wrote: > > Rimmer, I was just today trying to figure out how to drain a low spot in a raised bed I built. The base of the box has chicken wire to keep out the rodents & the ground has landscape cloth then 2 layers of black plastic to keep out the mulberry tree roots. Mulberry tree providing essential shade but roots are terribly invasive, so I don't want to put a hole in the plastic. Now I can try to put in some wicks to do the job! Thank you, sometimes the obvious is everything but. Any suggestions for large scale wicks would be appreciated.....my 'box' is 8' x 4' x 8". > Robin Bell, Medford OR. >> On Oct 20, 2015, at 12:21 PM, Rimmer deVries wrote: >> >> Bob >> >> i heard at a bonsai show lecture, (method also used by Streptocarpus growers ) >> >> that if you put a piece of yarn in the pot extending down you not only keep the pot media moist by adding a wick to soak up water from below, but it also lowers the water table in the pot. >> >> think- hydro communication with the media below. >> >> they recommend a yarn that does not rot, so not cotton but Orlon or some other synthetic yard. >> >> Rimmer >> SE Mich >> USA Zone 4-5-6 depending on the winter. >> >> >>> On Oct 20, 2015, at 3:10 PM, penstemon <penstemon@Q.com> wrote: >>> >>> Putting screen in the bottom, which is, of course, the only way to prevent the growing medium (in my case, perlite) from falling out, will still create a perched water table, but hopefully far enough down in the deep pots to prevent root rot. >>> Bob Nold >>> Denver, Colorado, USA >>> _______________________________________________ >>> pbs mailing list >>> pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >>> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >>> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pbs mailing list >> pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/