“Help! My ZipGrow towers are leaking!”
If you’ve got towers leaking out the front, there are three probable causes.
In this video post, Sam Gordon from the Bright Agrotech greenhouse explains the reasons that your towers might be leaking and tells how to fix them.
Cause 1: Improperly placed wicking strip
Your wicking strip should be placed half an inch back from the face of the media, so that the strip is not visible once the media has been zipped into the tower.
The Fix: If your wicking strip is not placed correctly, zip the media back out of the tower and readjust the wicking strip. You can learn more about using wicking strips here or in the video below.
Cause 2: Structure of old plants is redirecting water
If a plant like the thyme Sam showed you in the video has grown too mature, the stem and root structure could be redirecting the flow of water to run out the front of the tower. Usually woody-stemmed crops like basil, thyme, and oregano are the culprit here.
The Fix: If this happens to your mature crops, first make sure that you have the tower hanging from the front set of holes. This will shift the weight of the tower. (Learn more about it here.) If you’re already hanging the tower from the correct set of holes, you might just have to replant the tower with new plants.
Cause 3: Leaves are blocking irrigation
If your crops are planted very near the tops of the tower, the leaves might grow between the top of the media and the irrigation line. The water from your irrigation line might be hitting the leaves and be splashing onto the ground.
The Fix: The solution is probably as simple as re-positioning the leaves of the plant or pruning away the trouble-causing growth. Keep a close eye on this tower in case it starts leaking again. If it goes uncaught for a few hours you can lose gallons of water from your system.
So, did that solve the problem? If not, send us an email with pictures of the problem. We’ll get it solved for you.
