What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Individual saucer or a huge tray for better water retention? It's drying up quick

I notice the water evaporates really fast for plants in individual saucers.

So today I decided to buy a larger tray because I have 3-4 plants coming in next week that would fit in that tray.

When it's around the 90's I have to water the individual saucers twice a day so it doesn't dry out.

Any tips on preventing water evaporation?

Also, the wasps keep drinking my water and taking baths in them.

Does the depth on the tray matter?

This is the comparison

Tray_zps95fc9a21.jpg


Tray3_zpsce9d00bd.jpg


Tray2_zps72ad5622.jpg
 
Last edited:
With a larger tray you don't need to water the individual plants but you also have a larger surface area for evaporation. I think the best thing to do would be to cut holes for the pots in a cover for the tray to reduce evaporation, because that would reduce the area from which water can evaporate from by a lot, but I haven't tried it yet.

I never water trays directly; I top water each plant individually and the trays just holds the excess water so my experiences may be different from yours. At the end of a hot day usually both communal and individual trays are dry.
 

Ya, I thought of cutting holes but too much work. I'll try this out and see but I honestly think this will loose water quicker because like you mentioned more areas for evaporation.

If it fails, I'll switch back to the individual saucers by top watering. thanks!
 
I had this issue as I have a divided collection and may not get back home to check on some plants for a month or two, so I use short storage containers and inverted bottles, similar to a dog water bowl.
 
I guess I"ll have to look for more shallow bowls. ya I did use a dog bowl before. :)
 
Back
Top