RickCorey,
I always enjoy your explanations. This one was especially helpful and timely, thanks.
Plus another use for parachute cord!

I do think the little "wicks" in the grooves make this work much better.

The "reservoir" is only the water held in the flannel, plus water in the grooves of the tray. When there are wicks in some of the grooves, the flannel can "get at" the water in the grooves.

I wish I could thnik of something from Goodwill that would lift the flannel and the pots or inserts UP an inch or so. Then the whole 1020 tray could be a reservoir (if the flannel dangled down into it).

How about corks under a polystyrene sheet to hold the tray up an inch or so. They cost nothing, the champagne ones have rivet heads, they can be trimmed to fit?

Leave the polystyrene sheet a quarter inch from each end and drop the end of the capillary matting into the reservoir.

You could glue the corks to the bottom of the polystyrene sheet.

>> glue the corks to the bottom of the polystyrene sheet.

That answers my concern about it being fragile or tending to tumble if I bumped the tray.

Where do you find cheap polystyrene sheets? If they are cheap enough and stiff enough, I would glue one under all my 1020 trays, to stiffen them.

I guess you could get them in Home Depot for next to not very much, or Lowes, I'll have a wander around tomorrow and report back.

Thank you!

Home Depot is so big that they should offer GPS locators! I'm trying to think of which department I would look in.

Actually Hobby Lobby or some of those places would have sheets. It might be as simple as measuring, drawing a line across the sheet , then snapping it. They also sell corks so you don't drown yourself in vino trying to get all the little seedling feet dry.

I agree with Home Depot and Lowes, every trip is a life time and somehow not very satisfying sometimes.

I was thinking that squares cut from 2x2 lumber might be more stable than corks, for supporting a cap mat plus cells or pots.

Also, I've been looking for cheap, deep, cheap, sturdy cheap trays. Dollar store cat litter boxes come closest. But they never fit 1020 - sized plug trays or inserts.

I finally realized that I don't need them to be 12"x22" (or whatever). I always cut my prop trays and inserts into manageable sizes, like 1/3rd or 1/5th of a 1020 tray. Then I can sow all one varioety in one "segment" and move it to another tray with no dome or humidity film when it emerges.