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air-pot benefits for pepper plants?

ebh

ebh

Hi all,
 
I've been growing some peppers for the last few months (my first grow) and was wondering about the value of the air-pot containers. 
 
Before starting my grow, I've been watching this forum all the time, especially the grow logs. Here I noticed a lot of experienced growers were using air-pot containers. Why is that? From what I've seen on their website, the benefit of usig an air-pot is for trees and such, helping the root ball grow in such a way that the transplant in real soil (final planting spot) is successful.
 
At the moment I have 3 habaneros in 6l air-pot containers and 2 growing in 9l coconut bags. They are simple plastic bags with a coco "brick" inside, with really poor draining. The ones in coco, at the moment, are much bigger. They all had the same nutes and about the same watering schedule (in the last weeks the ones in soil/airpot were wattered more often because they were drying out faster). Something I don't like about the ones in air-pots is the fact that most of the water (with the nutes) goes straight out - through their side holes.
 
I also have 7 varieties of super-hots in pairs of two - one growing in a 10l air-pot and one in a 11l normal, square continer. At the moment they are about the same in size... They were all started in 1l air pots (this is after their first transplant). I find the air-pots (all sizes, but especially the 1l) really hard to water. I either waste a lot of water (with expensive nutes), or it takes a really long time.
 
Thanks!
 
i have no experience or say in air-pots, i do know they make a more tight compact root ball and in the long run is better, but thats all i really know
 
Air pots are amazing!!!! Especially the "super-roots air-pots."  There are multiple advantages to using them.  Firstly, air-pots allow for more drainage so that you can water your plants more often without them getting water-logged which basically turbo charges the plants.  Secondly, they provide more air to the roots and microorganism in the soil (roots breath oxygen)... this helps in the drying/drainage front as well as the third and arguably most awesome function of an air-pot and that is "self-pruning" of the plants roots.  In standard pots, your plant will put out large strands of roots that will seek the bottom of the pot.  However, these roots will invariably hit the side of the bottom and begin to circle around the bottom, wrapping around each other in a highly inefficient tangle of thick, ropey roots and will barely even try to put out latteral, fibrerous roots.  These fiberous roots are the ones that do all of the work.  They are the ones that form relationships with microbes in the soil and thereby feed.  They also take up most of the water.  In an air-pot, when your plant initially sends the ropey roots out they will not just go to the bottom at first.  They will go toward the sides... and once they "feel" the air, they will send a hormonal signal to the main tap root/stem and tell it to begin forming fiberous roots, as well as to send another primary root in the other direction... the second primary root does the same thing.... and this process continues rapidly, until you basically have a fractally uniform root system that is composed of an entire ubiquitous network of fiberous roots. 
 
The way i understand it is that when the roots reach the sides they are exposed to the air and naturally pruned (air pruning). When this happens the plant sends out signals for the roots to put out more offshoots thus creating more mass and nutrient uptake. Which in turn leads to bigger better plants.
 
This video talks about the super-roots air-pots... but the process it shows is essentially what every "air-pot" does.  However, i can testify that the root balls from the "bag-like" airpots do still cause some root circling.
Also... one con of using air-pots is the fact that they have to be watered more often... but when you do water them more, as I mentioned before, they will become super-charged.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_YLqkpatBk
 
I understand the theory behind it all, I'm just asking for real life experiences as I see them in a lot for grow logs. I am mostly curious why the plants I have in plastic bags filled with (cheap) coco are growing faster/bigger than the ones in canna soil filled air-pots (more expensive - both the medium as well as the container). I am using the original air-pots (super roots).
 
Thanks!
 
From my experience growing in airpots, you can avoid the overflow problem by slowing down the rate at which you pour the water in.  Give it a little... let it sink in and give it a 5-count before adding a little more. If you try to pour it all in at once it'll just run out the sides.
Airpots do very well connected to a low pressure irrigation system with a hose timer via half gallon per hour drippers. That adds the water slowly enough that it all sinks in. If you get a siphon rig that you can add to the irrigation setup then you can add liquid nutes along with the water.
 
I've always thought they looked cool, but they look about impossible to up-pot. Do you air-pot users have a special trick to get the plant out of a pot that is too small for it?
 
Jeff H said:
I've always thought they looked cool, but they look about impossible to up-pot. Do you air-pot users have a special trick to get the plant out of a pot that is too small for it?
Click to expand...
 
 
Maybe I don't understand the question, but you just open up the pot...
 
Jeff H said:
I've always thought they looked cool, but they look about impossible to up-pot. Do you air-pot users have a special trick to get the plant out of a pot that is too small for it?
Click to expand...
Maybe peeling it like a banana?
 
Jeff H said:
I've always thought they looked cool, but they look about impossible to up-pot. Do you air-pot users have a special trick to get the plant out of a pot that is too small for it?
Click to expand...
 
If you unscrew the things that hold the pots together then you can eaisly re-pot.  You assemble the super-roots air pots.  They are just as easily disassembled.
 
Just posted this in another thread.  10G air pot with soil.  When you put soil in these you need to make sure the soil gets in the holes so the water doesn't run through them.  The little blue screws twist out and it's one piece that wraps around a circular bottom.
 
 
Jeff H said:
Oh, so it isn't a one piece pot like a typical nursery pot?
Click to expand...
No Jeff. They are rolled like a newspaper if you will with a bottom placed in there before rolling and then two plastic pins are inserted to hold them in the cylindrical shape.
I believe they are probably the best science yet for container growing although I don't think they are that much better than fabric pots.
I would have to see a comparison to see the difference in plant growth. It would have to be significant to justify the cost in my opinion.
 
i dont think there is much difference in growth, the only upside would be im sure superoot is better if you have to start indoors
 
I'm also growing in Walmart bags and don't see much of a difference yet,but I did put my best looking plants in the air pots because they hold twice as much soil. The only advantage that I know of( so far )is that it is way more easy to clean,lasts forever, and up pot with the airpots.
 
ebh said:
At the moment I have 3 habaneros in 6l air-pot containers and 2 growing in 9l coconut bags. They are simple plastic bags with a coco "brick" inside, with really poor draining. The ones in coco, at the moment, are much bigger. They all had the same nutes and about the same watering schedule (in the last weeks the ones in soil/airpot were wattered more often because they were drying out faster). Something I don't like about the ones in air-pots is the fact that most of the water (with the nutes) goes straight out - through their side holes.
Click to expand...
You answered your own question, you're using 2 different systems without adjusting for the differences.  Soil and coco have different characteristics, so they'll need different watering schedules.  Because the watering schedules are different, the amount of fertilizer used needs to me adjusted, more so because the soil is in air pots which means they'll dry out even faster.  If by "soil" you mean a peat based medium, that'll make the problem even worse as peat is hydrophobic and repels water forming dry pockets if it's not watered properly.  Without knowing more details, my guess is that the plant in coco is bigger because it's a more forgiving medium so the plant hasn't been stressed as much.
 
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