MEL Chemistry | How to keep indoor plants alive over the holidays @melchemistry7035 | Uploaded July 2019 | Updated October 2024, 21 hours ago.
The simplest way to water plants remotely: myth or reality?
Equipment: potted plant, paper clip, pliers, yarn, deep container.
Use some pliers to unbend a paper clip and form it into a loop. Use the loop to help thread some yarn through the holes in the pot of a potted plant. Fill a deep container with water and arrange the pot in the container so that the bottom of the pot isn’t quite touching the water.
In this experiment, the water wets the threads, but gravity interferes with its ability to rise to the soil. Yarn consists of fibers of plant or animal origin, and thus contains numerous capillaries for the water to rise through. Once in the narrow capillaries, the water’s surface adopts a concave shape, forming a meniscus. Meanwhile, the water pressure under this meniscus becomes lower than atmospheric pressure, and the water begins to rise. The thinner the capillary, the higher the water rises, trying to balance the pressure difference. As the water reaches the top of the yarn, it is gradually released into the soil.
Safety precautions: none.