The Capillary Mat Experiment

Factual blip tonight. Planning a holiday inevitably leads to potential issues around care of house plants. This is by way of an early experiment to see how effective capillary matting is when laid into a tray (the type used to mix mortar) and fed by a bowl of water (in the foreground).
Ingenious I hear you cry (clearly it's not my idea)!
If it works then it may be pressed into service in the summer (whenever that is).