is there an alternative to smart pots??

[GhettoGospel]

so smart pots... look like a lovely conveniant pot to use...

i had this idea... could i go to a garden nursery and try buy some of the pots they use for their fruit trees... from what i can tell they are made from the same material as smart pots...

in need to keep startup costs low, or at least reasonably low!

 

[ninjagaiden]

tons of them! look on ebay look for fabric pots or jsut search smart pots and you will see a ton of knock offs. its all the same and youll save a couple pennies!

 

[GOT DANK]

make ur own. one of the member here does. i forgot who tho sorry. good luck

 

[John Deere]

I just bought some root pots from my local hydro store today. They were half the price of smart pots so I thought I'd give them a shot.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Looks very similar excepting the color. Lower root temps, maybe?

 

[303hydro]

its not the material, its the stitching that makes them so bad ass.

If your just dirt baggin, a diy is fine but if you want to use 100 in an ebb and flow have fun with that....

I have tried like six other brands and no comparison to smart pots on stitching quality.

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

I like having a firm plastic pot that can easily be lifted and moved about. I'm trying out RootMaker plastic pots this grow. So far so good. They have internal ridges and steps which direct circling roots to an opening to be pruned by drying.

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemdesc.asp?ic=COGCRM03R&eq=&Tp=

 

[Tripsick]

I was looking around at all the different airpots and was going to try the same ones you listed. I hope to see some grows with them.

Root Maker

or these that snap together

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

I hope these RootMaker pots work out for me. I forgot to mention that they do nest together for storage like standard pots.

 

[Milhouse]

I a using the Superoots Air pots - Squat 3 gallon. I love them!! I used to use the smart pots, still do actually but find it a pain to use unless it is the final transplant. I ended up having to cut my smart pot at the seam to avoid damaging the roots of my plant. The Superroot Air pots are not cheap though.

 

[CC_2U]

i had this idea... could i go to a garden nursery and try buy some of the pots they use for their fruit trees... from what i can tell they are made from the same material as smart pots...

When SmartPots first appeared 25 years ago (under another name) they were sold to nursery stock growers - specifically for rooting and growing out saplings. They're still the gold standard for growing young trees.

The specific product 'SmartPots' is a consumer/retail product line. The ones being used at your local nursery to grow fruit trees are more likely than not from the same company but will be under another name.

HTH

CC_2U

 

[tr1ck_]

I have the Rootbuilder 2 pots which are a firm plastic option. They seem to be working well so far

 

[WasntMe]

this should stimulate your creative mind:
http://www.urbivoreonline.com/2010/07/22/diy-milk-crate-container-garden/

garden fabric and milk crates have been a staple of urban patio gardens for years.

here's another: http://www.instructables.com/id/Milk-Crate-Air-Pot-Square-Foot-Urban-Container-G/

go to links above for all the pics and the instructions.

Instructions

1. Cut the landscaping fabric to fit your boxes. You’ll need two identical strips for each box — the width must be 4 to 6 inches wider than the box width (if you bought 3- to 4-foot wide fabric, just cut it in half for most milk crates), and the length must be long enough to fit down both sides and across the bottom, plus a few inches leeway on each side. An easy way to measure is to wrap the fabric around the outside of the crate.

2. Put one strip across the inside of the box to cover two opposite sides. Make sure the fabric fits down into each corner so you don’t end up with a rounded bottom (likely to stretch and tear) when it’s filled with soil. Stitch in the handles on each — or wherever is convenient based on the placement of holes on your crate — to keep the fabric in place.

3. Do the same with the second strip to line the other two sides, so the full box is lined.

4. Fill it with soil! I used a mix that was about one half top soil, one quartercompost, one quarter chicken manure, plus a few tablespoons of dry organic fertilizer. I also added a few worms — we inherited a large family of earthworms when we got dirt from someone else’s yard, and I try to keep a few in each box, since they help keep the soil and plants healthy.

5. Plant! I’ve found that carrots, beans, and lettuces can be rowed in these containers, but that plants like eggplant and squash need a full container to themselves. I have peppers planted diagonally — 2 in one box — and they seem to do well that way. I found a really good resource on companion planting that I use to help determine what to plant with what and which boxes to put next to each other for pest control, flavor, shading, etc.

 

[187020]

make ur own. one of the member here does. i forgot who tho sorry. good luck

Aeroguerilla ??

 

[Kirby_Tokin]

Hi, I was looking at the smart pots myself last week and I just made my own instead, trying it now in my thread, two days old.. Basically it's a two liter bottle turned upside down with a bottom water reservoir.. Here's a photo, the link is in my signature

Edit: I made this for micro growing and my cabinets, It was not intended for bigger plants.. But you can use many free things laying around to make a bigger one..

Edit: My mistake, mixed the smart pots with the auto pots because of the last pic, stoner moment haha

Kirby

 

[WasntMe]

Kirby Tokin ... what you have is a micro sub irrigation container. .... basically a simple mini global bucket (http://www.globalbuckets.org/)

 

[303hydro]

The plastic air pots are definitely sick, just hope to god you don't ever get fungus nats.

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

I used to use the smart pots, still do actually but find it a pain to use unless it is the final transplant. I ended up having to cut my smart pot at the seam to avoid damaging the roots of my plant.

I dumped some male plants out of my RootMaker containers, and the soil/root ball came right out. Looked like the containers were working as designed, preventing the roots from circling.

 

[W.Less Monk]

is there an alternative to smart pots??

Dumb pots dont exist. Do they ??

 

[Kirby_Tokin]

WasntMe: Yeah something like that, just got confused with the names somewhere