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I need an idiots guide to watering! How does capillary matting help with keeping plants watered?

Ok, so I know it isn't good for pots to stand in water, so capillary matting is used. But is it used with one end in some sort of water reservoir?  or does it mean you have to water little an often if you use it?

capillarity matting draws water from a reservoir(bucket etc) and keeps the pots moist with out water logging them.

so when you go to a garden centre and see just normal trays with a piece of capillary matting sitting in the bottom of them. I assume they won't work as intended?

We've put pieces in a recessed area with geraniums on top, we just water into the capillary matting every couple of days so the flowers grow quite dry, no mildew or rot  :)

they will hold water for quite a time i use mine the same and just water when needed but if im away i pop and end in a bucket and it keeps things watered for a over a week.

Capilliary matting in a tray ensures that water put in the tray spreads out, but TBF water will do that anyway.... last year I had lines of a dozen trays on the big staging on the verandah with a piece cut as a long strip runnign through all of them with a water tray at each end and it worked well. Fill the watering trays up each morning and the plants take what they want without waterlogging...