$$$Air Pots and Smart Pots Club$$$
- Thread starter Thundurkel
- Start date
I'm using an Airpot for the second time, I think it's about 3L size. I'm absolutely impressed with the results and ready to recommend it to anyone. When I 'unzipped' my first rootball it was dense and solid, exactly as advertised. I used my regular 'drainy' soilmix which I realized later could have had much more moisture holding non nutritive organics, like coir, peat or shredded bark. This time I'm using a mix with more NNO's. Next time I might even get crazy and try some topsoil with lotsa clay in there too, the Airpot breathes that good. In fact, it breathes too good, and is kind of hard to water. There is two rows of un-holed cones around the top edge which hold water, if you fill it with enough soilmix to reach that rim.
Because of the way the roots get airpruned, a small plant could be put directly into a large Airpot and both vegged and flowered in that same pot. Thats huge. If you want to repot, it's easy and shockproof because Airpots just unzip. The resulting rootball is ideally shaped for growing into a larger container.
I guess anyone can see I like 'em. My only concern is for an Airpot shortage as the community catches on. They are a mainstream nursury product after all.
Because of the way the roots get airpruned, a small plant could be put directly into a large Airpot and both vegged and flowered in that same pot. Thats huge. If you want to repot, it's easy and shockproof because Airpots just unzip. The resulting rootball is ideally shaped for growing into a larger container.
I guess anyone can see I like 'em. My only concern is for an Airpot shortage as the community catches on. They are a mainstream nursury product after all.
Yea I'm going to buy a few more, I might get some 2gal ones and the 1liter ones to veg in as I hear that's really how you get a fat yield is to veg in the 1liter and then transplant that bitch into a 1gal or 2gal pot and she takes off!
Interesting shit this MicroKote I never even heard of it before haha I'm surprised that I hadn't until now cuz I just saw a site that sells 30 1gal pots coated with MicroKote for $37 that's not bad considering that's less than $1.50 a pot
strictlybongz
Member
im down with alternative pots and tents...but how bout a does everything need a club, club? eh...eh...badoom chahhh
I've used 3gals and one (free) 7gal smartpots in organic soil. The root structure is amazing! When growing in smartpots, roots seem to behave as if underground. Little roots everywhere. Add tea every watering and you have a decent microbe farm. I bet a plant could nearly outlive it's owner in a smartpot.
If vegging is the plan, smartpots or air-pots are clearly better. However, in an SOG will the roots have time to get cranky in a 16oz-2L container? Wonder what the yield differential be for SOG smartpots, air-pots, and plastic under say 400w?
I dig the club Thundurkel, been reading much of you and others lately. I'll look for some rooty pics.
If vegging is the plan, smartpots or air-pots are clearly better. However, in an SOG will the roots have time to get cranky in a 16oz-2L container? Wonder what the yield differential be for SOG smartpots, air-pots, and plastic under say 400w?
I dig the club Thundurkel, been reading much of you and others lately. I'll look for some rooty pics.
#3 smart pot of pure coco, sitting on a bed of perlite
Matanuskan Flo
Member
I'm trying out MicroKote for the first time. Also first time with 2.5''x2.5''x10'' containers in my micro cab. I koted all the containers for now, but I'll do a side by side comparison some time down the road and will let everyone know the results.
i use these same tall containers, but not with microkote. never heard of it. more info would be great. i can just google it actually, but your experience with it would be great.
do you find even though the pot is 2.5" wide, that the roots still just grow str8 down before veining outward?? i have not noticed roots at the bottom until around week 4-6 of veg, but i do not know if thats optimal. your experience would be great there, as well. i reaaaaallly am loving the 2.5"x2.5"x12" pots soooooo much for space. but, i am wondering if during mid-late flower the roots will be tooo rootbound & hinder yield. I am only on my 2nd thorough run w/ these tall/slender pots & am still perfecting them. but, they really are throwing out some bushes this round & am extremely happy thus far....
mjactivist
Active member
Just wanted to let everyone know, Auroa Innovations has also come out with their version. They are called Root Pots and they are almost half the price of Smart Pots. I have 35 on the way let u guys have a look when they get here.
L8
MJ
L8
MJ
Sweet! Sounds interesting I just have a hard time trusting anything from Roots Organics people since I had 2 bad bags of their Coco Fiber mix and it's the reason for losing some moms and having all kinds of nutrients problems being in a sandy/rocky mix of shit! I may fuck around with them on this next run but still iffy ever since I switched to ReadyGro cuz it's just SOOOOO much nicer IMO...
mjactivist
Active member
Well dude I understand how that can feel. I heard they had a problem with the Coco fiber a few years ago. But, I've never had a problem with them. As a matter of fact I found that a 2gallons of Roots Coco out performed 3 gallons of Canna and B'cause Coco.
But to each his own.
L8
MJ
But to each his own.
L8
MJ
Yea? Like I said I'll give em a try if the same or cheaper than my Ready Gro cuz the 3/4" fibers are nice it just seems like the quality of RG is just sooooo damn nice I even like it more than Canna when I felt it at the shop.. There's some new brand Gold something or other I'm not sure but it's supposed to be better than Canna from what they say... Maybe when I have the money I'll do a run with Ready Gro with CES and then do Roots Organics Coco with H&G which I hear doesn't out yield GH's 3part but it's the quality that's ridiculous just COVERED in crystals is what my shop owner was telling me so I really want to give em a try. I've just been taken care of so well by CES I'd feel like a piece of shit if I didn't buy a cycle worth of their nutrients so they can get some money back for all the free shit they gave me. Also the fact that it's out performed by PBP grows and the quality I'm getting since I started using the new carb/sweetener product of there's called Sugaree and the name says it all I got some fucking nice SUGARY buds right now and the smell is so lovely and more complex and pronounced than before with PBP and Humboldt Nutrients Honey ES ...
The first thing I see wrong about that one is dude is recommending to use them the WRONG WAY!!! The distributor told my buddy TheRealDeal that E&F systems are the one setup you can't use Air Pots in. The only way it would work out right is if you have a table deep enough to flood the pots all the way up to the top 2 rows that don't have holes so all the medium gets nutrients and oxygen ect. The guy said Drip System is the best way to use them. For folks that want to have a pot that air prunes roots to use in a E&F table go with the Smart Pots
Thanks though GrnMtnGrwr I'll take a look through the replies and see if I find anything interesting to add here...
GrnMtnGrwr
Here's a link to a study on auto-pruning/air-pruning pots conducted by the Oregon State University @ Corvallis in conjunction with the OAN (Oregon Association of Nurseries) that you might find interesting and perhaps helpful.
What kind of pricing on these pots are you folks finding out there? I have a link to a company which sells these but is not listed on the manufacturers web site if that would be helpful.
HTH
CC
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Hey Clackamas Coot that link just takes me to the Air Pot thread that GrnMtnGrwr posted a link to was that a mistake? I'd like to see that study too..
Here is a link to a article with pics showing what air pruning is all about and why it's they way to go ect looks VERY interesting I'll be reading it today for sure I just glanced at it really quick just now..
Air Pruning 101 Click Here!
Air Pruning 101 Click Here!
What an idiot I am - I copied GrnMtnGrwr's link to open in another window and when I found the article I failed to copy the correct link to the study - duh!
I fixed the link and tested it out - it's working correctly now.
Wee!
CC
How much do these things run on average? Kroger carries small cloth shopping bags for $1 a pop that look as though they would work quite well. (UncleFishStick was using them at one point)
I am finishing up my first run with #2 Smart Pots with 100% Cana coco and Rez GH formula. I have never grown these strains before - so, I can not provide a dumb pot vs. smart pot comparison, but the plants are doing amazing. I should average about 3 oz per plant in the smart pots.
Here is a picture of the roots busting out of the sides about 2-3 weeks after transplant:
I will report back in a few weeks after the plants get the chop and I can examine the root mass.
WFF
Here is a picture of the roots busting out of the sides about 2-3 weeks after transplant:
I will report back in a few weeks after the plants get the chop and I can examine the root mass.
WFF
