Self Watering Technology            
Watering Your Violets is Easy with Optimara MiniWell or Watermaid           

Optimara's simple and reliable self-watering devices employ capillary action to draw water into the soil. This can be done using either specially-woven wick or felt matting. The Optimara Watermaid, for instance, uses felt matting, while the Optimara MiniWell uses a braided wick. Both types of self-watering devices are equally effective. The real secret to making them work, however, is in their absorbency, which is a factor of the material, the thickness and the weave. Regardless of which type is used, i.e., either felt matting or wick, it much be meticulously tested to insure that plants are neither underwatered nor overwatered.

The type of wick employed by the Optimara MiniWell is part of a patented device called a wicklock. The wicklock is assembled from two parts: a braided wick and something that might appear to be a modified, plastic plug. The "plug" is actually a specially-molded piece made to fit a precise thickness of wick. Once the wicklock has been assembled, the plug locks into the bottom of the pot, while forcing the wick up into the soil.

In addition to the MiniWell, the wicklock is also used with the WaterShip (for 2-inch plants) and the MaxiWell (for 4-inch plants). However, these devices often employ a new and different type of wick. Instead of being braided, the wick is cut from an absorbent fiber. And instead of being assembled as part of a wicklock, a special tool is used to insert the fiber wick directly into the bottom of the pot.

Other Optimara products, which use either the wicklock or the fiber wick, include the Optimara MiniGarden and the numerous Optimara Self-Watering Ceramics.

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Copyright 1999-2002 Optimara/Holtkamp Greenhouses, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. Doctor Optimara, the Doctor Optimara logo and Optimara Field Guide are trademarks of Holtkamp Greenhouses, Inc. Optimara, the Optimara logo, EverFloris, MiniWell, MaxiWell, WaterShip and Watermaid are trademarks of International Plant Breeding, A.G., Switzerland.