Starting in net pots

[BoarHead]

I just watched a few videos on Utube where some are starting their seeds in net pots/soil plugs over solo cups. They claim that the roots air prune themselves in these little pots/plugs and create a denser roots since the roots don't wrap around the container and are forced to "branch out" inside versus just wrapping around.
 
Will this air pruning make much of a difference at this early stage? I understand the benefits of air pruning after the final transplant phase, but what are your views on this in the early stages.
 
 
P.S. I will be using 15-20 gallon root pouches for final transplants.

 

[Ozzy2001]

I've wondered the same thing. I don't have an answer but I'll be curious to see some answers. I actually have some smaller fabric pots that are solo cup size and I'm wondering if they would be better than using solo cups. I'm going to try a couple as an experiment.

 

[BoarHead]

I like the idea of the soil plugs but getting the mixture dead on and not having them completely crumble is not worth the risk to me. I usually just start in seed starter trays, then solo cups, then into 1-2 gallons pots when I harden off. But if I could go from starter trays to 6" round net pots which should be @ 1/2 gallons, then maybe I could bypass the 1-2 gallons for hardening off.