permaculture

["Johnathan Avery Yelenick" <yelenick@riseup.net>]

Hi Paul,
Is this where the website http://www.aquamatsystem.com/en/home/ comes into
play, which you sent me? Is this the company whose capillary mats you use;
the 4 layer mat right?
Best,
Johnathan Yelenick

> Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:27:20 -0600
> From: Paul Cross <charybda@newmex.com>
> Subject: [permaculture]  ebb and flow greenhouse irrigation

>
> I have used capillary mats for greenhouse production for many years and
> find them very useful and efficient. The growing area has to be very
> close to level for them to work.
>
> Calling that an ebb and flow mat is misleading. It's only a 3-layer
> capillary mat and does not have (or need) a drain, tank, and pump to
> raise and lower the water level as you would in a true ebb and flow
> system with recycled water. Ebb and Flow systems use raised tables with
> specialized channels, or alternatively grow directly on the floor with
> flood floors.
>
> There is at least one innovation used by another capmat manufacturer
> that I like, which is the addition of an evaporation barrier layer to
> reduce the evaporation layer where the pots are not sitting on the mat.
> I believe it's a polyester batting layer that resists transferring the
> water to the ground cloth later unless it is compressed. The 4-layer
> mats we use are fully dry on top unless you press your hand onto the mat.
>
> Paul
>

"If your experience is that your water comes from the tap and that your
food comes from the grocery store then you are going to defend to the
death the system that brings those to you because your life depends on
that; if your experience is that your water comes from a river and that
your food comes from a land base then you will defend those to the death
because your life depends on them. So part of the problem is that we have
become so dependent upon this system that is killing and exploiting us, it
has become almost impossible for us to imagine living outside of it and
it's very difficult physically for us to live outside of it."
— Derrick Jensen