root stopping fabric

[HUGE]

I veg in the small cap ebb &gro buckets then transplant into 5 gal for flower. I want to put some root blocking fabric in the bottom of the 5 gals to keep the roots from growing out the bottom and siting in the little water that remains down there. What should I use. The #1 pic so far is Rootek fabric as it seems to also root prune and allow water through. Any ideas or recommendations would be helpful.

 

[HUGE]

So Boone has any experience with rootblocking materials?

 

[CannaBunkerMan]

I tried rootblocker as a filter on the end of a 1" PVC drain. It didn't let the roots through, but it also didn't allow enough water through, so I scrapped that idea. The bottom of a 5 gallon bucket might have enough surface area to work...

 

[ninjagaiden]

u can try coco mats.

 

[supersmallgiant]

Smart pots in the buckets? The work great for ebb and flow trays for me. The water fills up in the smart pot at the same rate as the tray around it. The only thing is the 5 gallon smart pots are a lot wider than a 5 gallon bucket so the taller skinnier pots from htgs might fit better. Here they are: http://www.htgsupply.com/Category-Felt-Gro-Pots.asp

 

[HUGE]

I think the roots will go through the amaryllis if it's under 5 gal of hydration. Those Rootek liners say they have copper that stops the root. Think this will be an issue? They look like they should drain fine. I'm gonna order some and give it a rip.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

just get that black shit they sell at home depot? why you trying to make it so complicated? or just cut up one of those new cloth shopping bags.

 

[HUGE]

just get that black shit they sell at home depot? why you trying to make it so complicated? or just cut up one of those new cloth shopping bags.

The clash stuff is plastic that won't let water through and the shopping bag might work. I know my roots grow out the bottoms of my smart pots all the time. I don't know I shopping bags have the same prob.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

the black stuff for your garden it comes in a roll. its to block light from getting to the soil in your garden and growing weeds im quite sute its not plastic or maybe it is since plastic is recycled into those polywhatever grocery bags, same material in the black shit im talking bout. and it does let water through, how else would you water your garden?

 

[Solidopc]

Autopots have these square black material sheets, which you put in the bottom of the pot before adding your medium to stop the roots coming out the bottom and blocking the aquavalve. They also use another square thing, which has a gold side and a black side, and seems to have some sort of metalic feeling as though its woven in with the fabric. This is placed in the tray undernearth the pot.

If you google autopot matrix pads/dics, you should fine them. Cheap too, and they do work as im using them with my autopots now. Though i did get a couple of roots pop out of one particulary huge vigourous plant, but just cut em back and they aint come back.

 

[HUGE]

Autopots have these square black material sheets, which you put in the bottom of the pot before adding your medium to stop the roots coming out the bottom and blocking the aquavalve. They also use another square thing, which has a gold side and a black side, and seems to have some sort of metalic feeling as though its woven in with the fabric. This is placed in the tray undernearth the pot.

If you google autopot matrix pads/dics, you should fine them. Cheap too, and they do work as im using them with my autopots now. Though i did get a couple of roots pop out of one particulary huge vigourous plant, but just cut em back and they aint come back.

You are my fucking hero. That exactly what I'm looking for lolls o be the dames copper woven material as rootex.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

yeah spending money on something you can do for free is always the best solution.

 

[HUGE]

How can I do it for free?

 

[Solidopc]

Whgo knows, seems a bit daft to say that and then not give you the answer. At least these things are pretty dam cheap, and you know they'll work, that worth 49c of my cash anyday.

 

[HUGE]

Still trying to find a supplier in the USA. Rootex and autopit seem to only ship UK.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

you understand the principles behind what you are trying to do right? let water out and prevent the roots from going out and clogging your pipes. you cant find anything in your entire house that does that? you dont have a single old tshirt, towel or sheet you could use to line the bottom of your pots with?

 

[HUGE]

you understand the principles behind what you are trying to do right? let water out and prevent the roots from going out and clogging your pipes. you cant find anything in your entire house that does that? you dont have a single old tshirt, towel or sheet you could use to line the bottom of your pots with?

You do understand that in that dark moist environment the roots will grow right through tshirts,towels,sheets, shopping bags. So I'm looking for something that will actually stop roots.

 

[SRGB]

HUGE:
"root stopping fabric
I veg in the small cap ebb &gro buckets then transplant into 5 gal for flower. I want to put some root blocking fabric in the bottom of the 5 gals to keep the roots from growing out the bottom and siting in the little water that remains down there. What should I use. The #1 pic so far is Rootek fabric as it seems to also root prune and allow water through. Any ideas or recommendations would be helpful.

"You do understand that in that dark moist environment the roots will grow right through tshirts,towels,sheets, shopping bags. So I'm looking for something that will actually stop roots."

Hi, HUGE.

We normally try to not post in the general forums, but maybe we can help you. If you would like for us to remove this post, then please just post, and we will remove or delete it.

The easiest way to prevent root growth through fabric is to keep the bottom dry. The tips will still grow through the material, because the tips are the youngest and fastest growing portion of the root mass. However, the tips should wither and perish if there is no constant source of moisture, or water to sustain their cell division (growth).

Another way to manage root growth is to simply lift up the top container and physically shave or snip off the root tips that grow through the inner-container. This should only have to be done approximately weekly.

Since the bottom container in an ebb and grow -type system stays wet, constantly, the roots will seek that moisture. They are programmed to do so by geotropism and gravity.

The alternative is to not try to restrict the growth of roots at all, and to promote their mass. We can only presume that the reason you want to prevent the expansion of roots (growth) into the lower container is to prevent clogging of the drainage hole(s) that lead back to the central reservoir. Is this the reason that you want to restrict root growth out of the top container, into the lower container?

There are remedies for preventing the clogging of the drainage, or return lines, by roots that grow into that lower area. A strainer, like in a standard sink, placed around the return escape, should prevent root growth that would clog or block the return of nutrient solution to the reservoir. The mesh should be fine, or, approximately 1-2mm. The reason that roots are able to grow through certain materials is that they exert a force, and expand as they grow. They literally bore through some materials, increasing the diameter of the bore as they grow in girth.

A stainless steel -type material should prevent the girth expansion of the root tips as they mature and expand.

It may be more difficult to find a material to restrict root growth, than engineering a way to keep the return lines ublocked, or unclogged. Increasing the bore diameter of the return line is another option, though that would require some work.

Placing a domed strainer around the return line connection inside of the lower bucket, and bonding it to the inner wall and bottom of the container should work. The roots will not grow strong enough during a short-season to expand the 1mm holes in the mesh screen. a regular kitchen, or utility strainer, or the mesh itself, formed to fit the inside of the bucket, should restrict roots from forming a mass that would block your return lines.

...|Inner|..
|..|Buckt|..|
|..|::::::::|..|<Outer Bucket
|..|____ |..|
|Rts/|\.../<|Mesh Screen (Rts:Roots)
|_____/_ 0<Outlet:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;<Return Line (0:Return connection joint)

The inner bucket has roots coming out of it. The outer bucket has a fine mesh screen, or strainer forming a catch, or filter, on the inner-side, forming a domed, or 30-45 degree, fine-meshed shield around the return line. This restricts root tip progression and expansion through the mesh, at least to the point where the roots clog or block the return flow.

Our product is designed to promote the type of growth that you want to prevent. Our position is that roots should be given as much space as possible, to increase total root mass, which increases total final fruit mass. Our goal would be to fill that entire space beneath the top bucket, with roots, grown through the top SRBGB, or other container. We would much prefer to have a large root mass, than a restricted root mass. Drainage and return lines can be configured for unrestricted return flow. We believe, generally, it is advantageous to increase root mass as much as possible during a given period, as that contributes directly to the mass of the final fruit.

However, we do hope that the modification suggested above helps you to build a solution for your current gardening efforts.

/SRGB/

 

[HUGE]

thank you for the post much appreciated.

the reason i dont want roots growing into the bottom container is there is about 1/2 inch of stagnant water that sits down there even with the buchets raised. this isnt a problem if i reduce my waterings to 3 per day and let those bottom roots suck up all that water before the next flood.

in veg that bottom area is a complete mass of roots by week 4-5. then into the tubes after that. thats fine cuz thats about when i transplant. the roots have filled up the bottom of the 5 gals by about week 5 of flower. i usually have to start dialing the watering frequency back at week 4 to 3 a day instead of 6 a day to prevent bad conditions down there.

my thought is that with an ebb and flow system the primary bennafit is the frequent wet dry cycles bringing in copious amounts of fresh air to the roots and an almost constant food supply. if you feel i am wrong in this presumption please correct me but the main objective i have is to keep the roots from resting in standing water.

option 2 is redesigning the buckets to be more like the sentinal system with a bottom drain but i thought just throwing a copper root stopping disk down there would work great.

 

[HUGE]

Any opinions?