Smart pots .... opinions....

[Budley Doright]

I see that smart pots can be used for ebb and flow....

However what Im curious about is do they wick????



That is if you have a new smart pot and set it in 1 inch of water.... would the water wick up the sides of the pot and how far?????


I can see their use in a passive wick application outdoors if they wick reasonably well.....


If you have a new smart pot..... do an old stoner a solid.....

 

[yeah]

Im running root pots which are basically the same thing but less expensive. I run them with coco in an ebb and flow set up. They really dont wick much at all. I found that the coco does have some wicking capabilities, but I would be very hesitant to leave my plants sitting in stagnant water. I was under the impression that you shouldnt have your roots submerged any longer than 15 min cause they will start to die without fresh O2. I do perfer the root pots to standard pots though. I dont think they will improve wicking but they still have many advantages over standard pots. hope this helps

 

[Budley Doright]

Thank you very much for your answer....

I had thought that the material in smart pots was quite thick....


I just saw a picture showing they are quite thin...


As far as the roots dieing due to lack of oxygen.....


I dont think that if a plant sits in an inch of water it will do the plant any harm....


Only if all the roots are submerged....


There are growing styles where you do no put drain holes in the bottom but instead in the side of the container up and inch or two.....

Thats more or less what I was considering......

 

[Budley Doright]

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=63136


Here is a very successful thread from johnny chimpo using autopots....

The autopot has a res and 2 grow pots....and sits on a capillary mat....


The roots without much doubt would grow down into the reservoir....


What I was considering in putting the 3 gallon smart pot inside a 5 gallon bucket....

Actually several around a controller bucket....and float valve


which would keep the same amount of water in each bucket....


Thereby operating similarly to the way the autopot works......


I would like to try a run in tomatoes before I try anything else.....

\
smart pots and autopot totally different concept.....


The long and short of it is....


I want to make a device which acts much like the autopot....


but uses 3 gallon smart pots inside a 5 gallon bucket.....


actually say 10 buckets.... all attached to a controller bucket to keep the same amount of water in each

and the controller bucket hooked to rubbbermade trash can with float valve....


Totally maint free other than adding to the rubbermade res......

 

[Budley Doright]

http://futuregarden.com/hydroponics/autopots.html


Based on this I was wrong how the autopots work...


They dont in fact sit on a capillary mat but the bottom 1 inch of the container sits in water.....


In their system the valve allows the water level raise 1 inch between cycles.....


The valve allows 1 inch of water to come into autopot....


then when the plants reduce the level about an inch the valve opens to allow more fertigation

 

[nameless]

burnt rope - i use rootpots also but with peat moss. i used to handwater them and occasionally would just water their trays. i thought bottom watering worked quite fine the peat would suck up all the water they needed from the trays if i kept adding to them.

 

[Darth Fader]

See my threads for smartpots with wicks. Just keep an eye open for ppm buildup in your res.

 

[IwannatokeNbone]

id say they are overated, ive read side by side grows on theese threads, people saw no differance just less money in there wallet.

 

[Cheeb]

Really? I've talked to several people who swear by smart pots now.

slowandeasy had this to say

Why not switch to Smart Pots? I will never use a regular pot ever again. I use Blumats as well. I can tell you from experience that you will yield more in Smart Pots than in regular pots. I have yielded 7oz per plant in 1Gal Smart Pots. I used to use 2 Gal, but experimented with 1 Gal the past few runs. I would go with 1 or 2 Gal Smart Pots. Using extra medium does not help much since the roots are always being air pruned.

I run blumats so I'll be investing in some smart pots in the future to see for myself, but it definitely makes sense. Plant unable to get rootbound in a smart pot paired with an auto-watering device like blumats = excellent yields in a smaller then common pot.

They are pricey though.

 

[DHF]

Smartpots are very affordable if purchased from the manufacturer instead of from hydro whores/stores........

High Caliper Growing System`s in Colorado are reasonable but you must purchase a minimum of 100 from em.........I bought # 5`s for $ 2.20 per shipped to Hell , and the # 3`s were only $ 1.70......

Totally re-useable and very cost effective IME........There are knockoff`s with handles and sq bottoms for closer spacing , but where the application works best is with ample room around each container so they can breathe , dry out , and keep rootzones cooler outside in the sun , or inside under megawattage......

The air/root pruning function they perform eliminates "root spinning" in plastic containers that steals energy from the plants that could be better spent creating more above ground foliage/budsites before the flip and end of stretch when roots cease to grow and their only function is to suck juice and swell colas.........

The more rootmass accumulated before end of stretch , the more efficent nutrient uptake will be till end of cycle......

You`ll use more juice in the long run , but the explosive growth was more than worth the increased feeds.......Now , keeping em submerged in 1" of nutrient solution would defeat their purpose since they`re designed to dry out faster ........

Using em in ebb and flow setup`s work with coco for the wicking factor above the floodline , but one must be aware of the residual salt buildup that occurs and will get ppm`s and ph outta whack unless topflushed , or using H&G`s "Drip Clean".........

Hope that answers your questions BR......

Peace....DHF.............

 

[IwannatokeNbone]

id say smart pots=bigger plants in smaller containers that need more nutes

reg good size containes=just as big of plants with less nute water needs.


in the end all things equal out , it all depends on ones canapoy size n not always the floor space, meaning that a room of small pots with spaces between them n a full canopy = large pots put tightly together with a full canopy is the same in the end. the smart pots will need more attention but might save u medium but cost u more nutes n the need to flush more often.

 

[Cheeb]

I personally would opt for less medium and more nute/water consumption.

If a plant is using more nutes/water I dont see how that could be considered a bad thing.

I see lots of folks going with giant pots and dense soils to increase the time between waterings. I dont understand it. We want plants to drink.. alot and often.

-

I agree with you on canopy being everything. A full even canopy is the aim regardless of how its achieved.

 

[IwannatokeNbone]

same medium, not denser in anyway. in the end the yeild will be the same, id go with what ever u want and what ever is cheaper, i keep it simple. air pots are great for nursery as they are cheaper to ship larger plants in smaller contianers but for people who dont need to move plants id rather a nice 5 gallon bucket of dirt over a 2 gallon air pot anyday, its just me, call me old fashion. and if your really into cutting roots it is minimal effort to pick your plant out of the container weekly n trim any visable roots, people have been doing it for ever. wide containers grow the bushiest plants, air n smart pots tent to be narrow.

 

[DHF]

My # 5 SP`s were fed once a day Cheeb , and twice after end of stretch with lil more runoff for insurance from residual salt buildup till end of cycle......

Juice in the rootzones for the plants to eat runnin coco is "directly" related to container size and frequency of feeds if runnin smaller containers....but.......

If there`s enough moisture in a bigger container for em ta thrive and suck the juice that`s right there surrounding em , while the outer perimeter`s airing out and pruning roots , then shit get`s dialed quick.......

Smaller sp`s........feed more...............Bigger one`s , feed less....

All in what yer after with more lil plants , or less big 1`s.......

Peace......DHF...........

 

[GeorgeWBush]

I used a smartpot once. Once.

Didn't notice any difference in yield, but it was a bitch to work with. I'll stick with a nice 3 gal black square pot, thank ya very much.