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Pots vs Smart Bags. Is a Root Ball better or "air pruned" roots?

Charx

Charx

Hi Everyone
 
I'm starting my 3rd season of growing and had a couple of thoughts about growing in "Smart Bags" versus pots.  I used the bags last year and my growth was good.  I had lots of foliage... but... low yield of pods.  I know there could be many reasons for this (started late, too nitrogen rich, wrong night-time temperatures etc etc) but it just occurred to me that the bags may contribute to the problem.
 
POT:  roots get more and more confined as the plant gets bigger.  Does that contribute to increased signaling for the plant to bloom and fruit?
 
BAG:  roots are air-pruned and don't get so confined but continue to receive the "keep growing signal"..... maybe the fact that the root growing really never turns off interferes with the signal to "flower and produce fruit". 
 
So the question:  could this air-pruning just cause the roots to keep growing .... interfering with the signal to bloom and fruit?
 
Thanks!
 
 
 
The smart pots are far superior to growing them the regulars. Only issue I had is the same with the regular pots, which is in time unless your looking at a 20+ gallon, most need to be upsized, and if the roots become too dense, then the plant becomes more prones to problems. As far as fruiting, mine did fine and gave me plenty of peppers. No worries there. Usually if its not the variety itself being a low producer, then a lack of some nutrient(s), too much nitrogen, too much or too little sun, too much or too little water etc are the reasons it does not produce like it should.
 
Bags evaporate more water through the fabric which means lower root-ball temperatures.
 
In a temperate climate, this might (?) affect fruiting.
 
Here in Aridzona, it's very much a good thing.  My Wallybag plants always grow and produce better than those in plastic pots. 
 
AaronTT said:
The smart pots are far superior to growing them the regulars. Only issue I had is the same with the regular pots, which is in time unless your looking at a 20+ gallon, most need to be upsized, and if the roots become too dense, then the plant becomes more prones to problems. As far as fruiting, mine did fine and gave me plenty of peppers. No worries there. Usually if its not the variety itself being a low producer, then a lack of some nutrient(s), too much nitrogen, too much or too little sun, too much or too little water etc are the reasons it does not produce like it should.
Click to expand...
 
 
Thanks.... what sizes do you generally use?  I have 3, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 gallon bags.  Most of plants were grown in the 7.5 and 10 gallon bags.   
 
From my solo cups my plants go into 1 gallon smart pots and stay outside, then come out the smart pots and then go inground. I get high temperatures here in Southern California and my roots cook in a regular plastic pot. In the smart pot there's no stress at all.
 
Charx said:
 
 
Thanks.... what sizes do you generally use?  I have 3, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 gallon bags.  Most of plants were grown in the 7.5 and 10 gallon bags.   
Click to expand...
 
I used 10 gallon, but it was not big enough, and used 15 gallon for larger sized plants like Large Orange Thai. Even then the roots overgrew the pot, and wanted more space. I noticed that as the roots consume more soil, it becomes stressed, and wants more water too often. That's a problem, because if you water most peppers too often, they don't grow properly and produce optimally. As well they become more prone to bugs and stuff. Nothing beats putting them in the ground, but if you use pots, use the largest one you can get within reason. I personally think most peppers should have a 20+ gallon, and even the smart pots are not optimal. Reason is they tend to increase more vertically instead of horizontally with the size increase. If I ever grow using pots again I am going to get a 30 gallon, and trim some of the pot down, to reduce the amount of soil needed, but still have more horizontal room for the roots to grow.  Most regular pots in general impede root growth horizontally. One reason why smart pots are superior to many, is because of their shape. Most pots start big at the top, then slope inwards towards the bottom. That is bad, because it causes the soil to compact over time, as the soil is crammed into a smaller area, impeding oxygen. At least the smart pots are even from the top to the bottom, which improves this problem. 
 
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