Yes NoshwagBag that is a passive system. An active system would require some sort of energy to start the process which at that point the osmosis action would be taken on by the plant .
The system I am using is like this. We will use a five gallon bucket for demonstration purposes, although this works on a grand scale.
I poured 4 inches of growstone into the bottom of a five gallon bucket. Then inserted (2) one inch irrigation tubing cut long enough to be an inch above the top
of the bucket not pushing the tubes into the growstone. You need the 4 inches of space.
I then cut a piece of landscape material to fit the system. ( holes for the tubing ). This ensures the material fully covers the bottom layer of material.
I then poured another two to four inches of growstone on top of the landscape material which also holds the tubing in place.
Now after I had done that, I mixed an appropriate amount of growstone to cocogrow. I added all my favorite organic amendments , mixed it all
together and poured it on top of the growstone to about eight inches from the top. I then added my plant(s) to the bucket.
I watered the plants in from the top for the initial watering to set the roots. After that , the remaining water goes into one of the tubes.
This is what I did. It works quite well. The natural changes in the atmosphere make it work. As the top dries it draws water to the top
and balances out perfectly, as long as you never flood it. It is a good idea to weigh the system dry, add the liquid, and weigh it again.
let it dry out every now and then.
I hope this explains it.