Superoots- Air-Pots

[islandgrow]

So found theses pots that look really interesting, I had read somewhere that a bunch of medical growers in Oregon where using theses.

seems like a lot of potential to help reduce flowering times if coupled with smaller pot sizes.


http://www.superoots.com/air_intro.htm

[c-ray]

thanks for the link
looks like a nice product, I also like the looks of their other product the superoots fielder -> http://www.superoots.com/fielder_intro.htm

[Lundin]

we have to copy that... I've seen some material very close to it...

radon insulation mats and a drill

[islandgrow]

thats cool! I wanna check that stuff out more albi.

But the pots don't cost that much, pays for its self after 1 grow.

[Lundin]

sorry for being so ghetto minded, nice to get the consepts and make things yourself you know

I have to admit the prices was low...even found a local distrb.


I have to try them out, thank you so much!

[islandgrow]

Makes me happy that your happy

No, no the more I actually pondered on making your own the more I found that might be a great idea, just because you can choose the size the diameter and having a wider base might help stability.

Anyways you gotta keep me posted on how they turn out for you!

[billybigbud]

Can you post that distributor?

[Lundin]

http://www.superoots.com/distributors.htm

Hey all,

Yea, it's me Gojo....but I'm not at home and I forgot my LONG password so I made a temp account to post here temporally calling myself "gojo-redux" for the next few days....can you tell i'm addicted to CW???

Anyway, air-pots!

I got the complete down-low from the manufacturer about why they work and why they are SOOO superior to all other containers for gardening. It's a long explanation so I will wait until I get home on Friday before I explain it all to ya'.

FOr now:
The main reason these pots are so good is they contain air pockets via the contours of the container, like an egg shell carton (where regular containers are flat sided). SO when a root hits an air space it it calluses off and then tells the 'mother' root system to produce more roots from the calloused point on the previous root. This egg shell shape means constant and exponential NEW root growth every time a root hits an air pocket and becomes calloused.

These pots claim to produce 30% greater root growth rates (I'd like to see trials) vs. any other type of container...this is called "air pruning" of the roots hairs.

ALso, the more soil in the container the greater the air ratio (due to the pots) and hence greater root growth...I specifically asked about diff growing mediums and he said peat is EXCELLENT as it compacts a bit which works in symbiosis with the air pot designs and theory. I told him my mix was going to be pine bark fines (1/8-1/2"), peat, Turface MVP and e.castings...he got really excited and said a 60-75% peat mix would be outstanding and the 1/8-1/2" fines will help the air pockets a good deal.

Another bonus is these are made from RECYCLED milk jugs (HDPE) and you can reuse these pots for AT LEAST 5 YEARS!!! talk about environmentally friendly...one orchard grower uses them for 7 years!

So a 15 gallon air pot costs a little under .90 cents and a case of (20) 15 gallon conatiners costs only $200.00!!! And if they can be reused over and over it's way cheap in the long run.

ON the topic of root zone temp I asked about covering the outside of the pots to prevent root zone heat. I usually layer the outside of my above-ground pots with an inch or two of native soil which I then seed...this acts as insulation for the root zone and helps retain moisture. But he said I didn't need to do this with the air pots because of there design the main root ball sits in the center of the container and only smaller roots are near the edges. He said this insulated the main root zone because they are not near the outer surface of the container. (but I'm still going to layer a pot or two with soil and seed....just to see is there's a difference between insulating the air pots and not insulating the air pots...I'm gonna use a soil thermometer to do the readings.


Heck, he said he's seen 20-30' fruit trees being grown in 3 gallon air pots and they looked excellent!

@ C-ray

Quote:

Originally Posted by cray"

thanks for the link
looks like a nice product, I also like the looks of their other product the superoots fielder ->

Sorry mate those are no longer available in North America. You can try to find them in France or Germany but they don't work half as well as the air pots so theve been discontinued.

-----------------------------

OK, I have to go now but I've got a TON of more info on these AMAZING pots I will DEFINITELY be using this summer...I can't wait to use these...I'm super, duper stoked after talking to this guy! THe greatest part is the rep for my state live 15 minutes from me and I'm going to visit him next week to see these things in action first hand...I'll take some pics and let you'll know how it goes!!!

Thanks IG!!!! GREAT FIND I'll be doing more research on these in the coming weeks...the guy I talked to was cool and even invited me for a beer while we talk about air pots

[islandgrow]

Im happy for you gojo. I can't wait to see how well theses pots truly work!

A couple things

Did he talk about them needing more or less water?

Also, do you plan on doing a side by side with a normal pot? just to see how it compares.

What size are you thinking?

excited to see the pics! Ig

Quote:

Did he talk about them needing more or less water?

No. But that's a good question, more root area with more healthy roots and a higher air/h20 ratio could mean more water uptake overall. I'll ask him when I visit the gardens.

Quote:

Also, do you plan on doing a side by side with a normal pot? just to see how it compares.

Yup! Verses a 15 gallon grow bag

Quote:

What size are you thinking?

10, 15 and 20 gallon I'm gonna try all three and see whats what I'll prolly do a 1:6:1 ratio of 10:15:20 while testing

That site mentions the pots assist in root restriction which will help induce flowering....but I'm on the fence about that one in regard to the air-pots. I'm gonna call them tomorrow and get a bit more info...or I'll just drive over and talk to them next week. I wonder how they consider it to be restricting root growth? Maybe they mean you can grow a bigger plant in a smaller air-pot vs. traditional pots which would lead to root restriction???

My thoughts of root space:
If you live in an area where you get strong sun until Oct-Nov and you'r grow location is in a safe location then I think it's best not to restrict the roots and let um' get HUGE. But, if you need to bring them in by say Sept, you grow location isn't too safe, etc, I think it's best to restrict the roots a bit.

C-ray posted that you generally can increase yeild if the roots are slightly root-bound when plants are flowering so that's something else to consider.

It's be nice to have a database of strains and there preferred growing conditions...eg: low/high ferts, little/lots of root space, med/high amounts of light, etc, etc...just some stoner thoughts

Quote:

excited to see the pics! Ig

Me, too...thanks for the heads up! From the pics on the site it looks interesting and my hippy side is really getting hyped...recycled milk containers that can be reused for 5+ years AND has the potential to increase root growth... is all I can say

[caddis]

Take a peek at these, think mini-beds. http://www.earthbox.com/

Hey Caddis

Yea there good but they are expensive but here a great DIY version by a guy named "jmalt31". These self-watering systems are good for water consercvation and OD grows.:

New improved homemade self watering container / Earthbox

But they don't offer what the air-pot offers (ie. increased root/shoot growth) becuase the air-pot and auto-watering system are for different purposes (yes i know im stating the obvious but I'm just covering my bases...there's a few stoner's on this site! )

HTH thanks

[2broke2smoke]

hey I.G.,

I got a flier form the florikan website and it says in the air-pot best management practices section that "due to the increase in feeder roots and growth rate, Air-Pots may gradually require more water and fertilizer."

2b2s

[hazedaze]

dam now I want to make some self watering air pots.......
I think i will drill a ton of holes in a recycle container. line it with landscaping fabric. then put the wicking tunnels in the bottom and set it all in an other tub sligtly bigger.... mabey throw a bubbler in the watter chamber to bubble it up a bit. Thanks for the insperation

Hey all,

Heres a few links to threads on making your own super roots "fielder" bags:

DIY Grow Bags - Window Screens & Mesh

DIY Grow Bags - Sandbags & Other Bags


I also found two really good options for using the air-pots outdoor:

1. If you want to use air-pots and you bury your containers then heres a good idea:
Use say a 12 gallon air-pot and a 15-20 gallon soild-sided regular pot. You dig a hole and bury the regular pot then you put the air-pot inside the bigger regular pot. Then fill in the space between the two conatiners with large sized mulch...this will allow the air-pots to function and still be buried...IMVHO this option is better then using a "fielder" bag

2. If you want to use the air-pots and not bury them while mulching the sides (to retain moisture and cool roots) heres a good idea:
it's the same as above, get a 12 gallon air-pot and put it inside of the bigger say 20gallon hard sided regular pot. Then fill the space between pots with large mulch. I also plan to put a layer of soil around the outside of the bigger pot and seed/mulch that soil for added protection of the root zone....this also has the benifit of camouflaging the pots...

Hey,

So here my current thinking for OD grows in above ground containers with root pruning via. the "fielder bag" concept:

1. Grow in say a 15 gallon plastic grow bag

2. buy a 10 or 12 gallon hard sided plastic grow container

3. cut the bottom off of the hard container

4. buy a insect screen, preferably aluminum (holes should be 3 millimeter or a bit bigger)

5. fill the bottom 2" of grow bag with media

6. mold the insect screen around the outside of the hard conatiner, cover the bottom of the hard conatier with screen but not the top...you may also cut the side of the hard container so it can opened (good for when it's time to remove the hard container)

7. put the hard container (with the screen wrapped around the outside and bottom) into the middle of the grow bag, on top of the layer of media

8. fill the space between the grow bag and hard container with media.

9. fill the inside of the hard container with media and transplant the plant into it.

10. pull the hard container out of the meida, the screen will stay. If you cut the side of the hard container then just spread it wide so you don't injure the plant when removing it.

11. so now the roots will get pruned inside of the grow bag

thoughts? I'm looking for a source of screen with 3mm holes...

[c-ray]

cool I like that idea

thanks!

I like it too because it offers the best of both worlds:

Root restriction to induce flowering with a 10gal "root screen", I think this should function like a 10 gallon grow bag and tighten up the buds and bring them in earlier...

Water retention and root space is increased because the little feeder roots will grow into the media on the other side of the root screen. I think this should help increase the duration between waterings and offer increased yield from a larger root system. The nice thing here is you could grow in huge "outer bags" like a 20-30gallon grow bag and still use a 10 gallon root screen...that would rule for those OD growers who don't like to water too often and still want to practice root restriction...though I don't know if a root screen will have the same affect as actual root restriction via. a 10 gal grow bag...

[Lundin]

thank you gojo for sharing your toughts

You very welcome my friend! I do so for selfish reasons...the more I share the more I learn

have a good night...I'm about to spark a nice bowl of straight bubble hash

[purplehaze2]

dam! how did I miss this post? thats bad ass.

[purplehaze2]

what about wire lathe ? would the metal rust to bad?

[hazedaze]

i have been using some home maid earth boxes and they rock!!!!!!!

the plants in the DIY-earthboxes are one third bigger. and happy happy

i find watering earthboxes easy too

[Lundin]

!!

HD,

Did you use any kind of root restriction or just the earth box (eg. auto watering)?