those would work like a charm!
also these things work too:
http://www.greenfinger-hydroponics.co.uk/images/upload/pic978001.jpg
I'm sure everyone has seen those types of pot before ^^^
-
ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!
Smart Pots
- Thread starter Clackamas Coot
- Start date
those would work like a charm!
also these things work too:
http://www.greenfinger-hydroponics.co.uk/images/upload/pic978001.jpg
I'm sure everyone has seen those types of pot before ^^^
simba said:
Ok, thank you for the input. I do things if they give a result. I'm not going to switch to azomite to provide my K, because I already have seaweed... pointless.
Call me conservative if you wish, but I want some results. The real question is: Have you actually seen an increase in your yields/growth times by using smart pots?
simba
Sleeping Dragon
Mr, C.
i havent been able to do any sort of yield comparison
with that said i can Say there is a huge difference in root mass at harvest vs Plastic pots = in volume
the plastic pots have so many spiraled out root ends and those roots have no major side branching.
thats visible to me when i was using a few of each "SP" and square pots (higro/coco) when it was time to reclaim my higromite i had a workout to get it untangled from the roots, in the plastic pot it was wham bam few times and done...so that shows the roots side branched and got up in everything well..
(and i Bake my Mix to Dry it out to crumble stage)
basicly the way i see it if a root spirals out the plant doesn't spend resources expanding the side shoots, (prob thinks there's nothing worthy)
the air pruning allows the root to die at the end but produce side shoots as if it where spreading in the ground..
i will say i dont care for there prices but i dont know the hard costs so it may be somewhat fair.
my last diy container was a Square Netpot (from lowes pond area 8x8x6)
that was the push to go to smart pot.. (to much media falling out but roots air pruned (they didnt have to spiral more than twice id say to get a hole..
Im working on getting a few pics up i have to xfr sony media to SD on my other pc so this PC can read it (keep few things off the grid) ..
the smartpot is a better pot IMPHO.. there's no guiding the root it will find the wall and go threw the Fabric
the only reason the airpot looks so spacey is cause it has to get around the airpot patent. and others im sure.. while not letting the media fly out.. and thus the cones actully hold the media back
so they figured patenting a "guiding Air Pruning Pot"
. i would have to say dont get a biger pot.thinking its better. that is to be determine as it will take longer for that root to get to the wall.. (if you go large)
i normally dont go for companies own studies and videos but when i worked at my fams Nursery they had talked about benies of air pruning and till a year ago i wasn't into it at all.
watch the how it works..
http://www.superoots.com/videos/index.htm
great info.. benifits of air pruning..
http://www.superoots.com/pdfs/Greeenmount Final Report IPPS.pdf
1
Air root pruning to accelerate the growth of Elaeagnus x ebbingei from
vegetative cuttings
Teresa Maguire and Raja Harun
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Greenmount Campus,
Antrim, BT41 4PU, Northern Ireland.
ABSTRACT
The following study evaluated the subsequent growth of an ornamental nursery stock
species Elaeagnus x ebbingei in 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots after being propagated in
specialised modules which allow for air root pruning compared with plug/standard
liner pot production system which does not.
Results show that air root pruning promoted early root growth compared with liner
production enabling them to be transplanted 3 months earlier and hence marketable
earlier. Height, branch number, shoot and root dry weights of plants raised in modules
that allow for air root pruning were significantly greater than those raised in liner
pots. Unlike those produced in the liner production system, air root pruned plants
increase in size as the pot sizes increase providing a technique of accelerating the
production of large specimens.
INTRODUCTION
Air root pruning is the technique whereby roots are pruned back by air movement at
the root tips in a suitable container. Once pruned the root tip is stimulated to produce
branches providing many more secondary roots. The development of many secondary
roots increases nutrient absorption enabling the plant to grow more rapidly
(Whitcomb, 2005). In the traditional system where air root pruning does not take
place the roots do not branch as much. This may result in roots coiling around the
periphery of the pots, which may cause problems when they are planted out especially
when transplanting is delayed (Ewing, 2005).
The benefit of air root pruning to produce a dense fibrous root system in large
containers has been demonstrated for tree species using open bottomed containers
(Lovelace, 1998; Hoppé et al., 2005; Hoppé and Harun, 2005) using a similar
technique of root pruning showed that five year old root pruned oak (Quercus robur)
attained double the height, girth, and biomass (above and below ground) compared
with bare root transplants.
Air root pruning of high value, seed raised Cedrus, Fagus and Ilex using
commercially available propagation modules were demonstrated by (Gamble and
Harun, 2005). Again, those plants raised in containers which provided air pruning
demonstrated accelerated growth.
The following investigation conducted at CAFRE, Greenmount Campus, on cutting
raised Elaeagnus x ebbingei was set out to demonstrate:
2
1. The effects of air root pruning at the propagation stage on the subsequent plant
growth compared with those propagated using the traditional method of production
which uses plug trays followed by liner pots.
2. The effects of pot sizes on plants that have been propagated using the air root
pruning technique and the current traditional method using plug trays and liner pots.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In February 2006, cutting material of the species Elaeagnus x ebbingei were taken
following standard nursery stock recommendations (Lamb et al., 1995). The cuttings
were inserted into 3 propagation type modules i.e. compressed Jiffy forestry pellets
which expand to 52 mm diameter x 95 mm height after wetting (Jiffy, 2001), ellepots
supplied preformed modules measuring 60 mm diameter x 60 mm height (EllePot,
2006) and an 84-plug tray (the control treatment) 35 mm cell and later transplanted
into 9 cm liner pots. The former two treatments allow for air root pruning as the
growing medium is only held by a biodegradable membrane whereas the control
treatment does not. Rooting was carried out in a glasshouse using a mist chamber and
a bottom heat of 18oC using a watering regime suited for each treatment as
recommended by the module suppliers.
At root formation liquid feeding was carried out on all the treatments with a low
concentration 18-11-18 of Electrical Conductivity (E.C.) 0.5 – 1.0 ms/cm.
In June 2006 after assessing root development, plants were selected for potting on.
Those in ellepots and forestry pellets were potted directly into 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots,
as they were considered ‘ready’ for potting. Plants were considered ‘ready’ when a
fibrous root system was visible within the modules. Those in plug trays were planted
into 9 cm liner pots containing standard nursery stock liner compost. The liners were
only ready for potting on in October 2006.
The 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots contained nursery stock compost with a 30% pine bark
and control release fertiliser of Osmocote Exact standard 12 –14 month at 5.5 kg/m3.
Following potting the plants where placed in a cold nursery stock tunnel and laid out
in a complete randomised block design with 3 blocks (replicates) x 3 propagation
treatments x 4 pot sizes. From potting all plants were liquid fed with 18-11-18, E.C.
of 1.2 – 2.5 ms/cm, increasing as the season progressed.
In the first week of May 2007 all plants were moved to an outside standing-out bed
with overhead irrigation. Average plant height, number of branches, total shoot and
root dry weights (drying at 85oC for 24 hours) for all the treatments were recorded at
the end of June 2007 and statistically analysed.
RESULTS
a) The effects of propagation treatments
It was observed that the plants produced in ellepots and forestry pellets were ready for
transplanting into 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots within 4 months after the cuttings were
inserted. However, those produced in the traditional method of plug trays and liner
3
pots were not ready for transplanting until after 7 months, a delay of 3 months off
production time.
Sixteen months after the cuttings were inserted, plants in the 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots
produced in ellepots and forestry pellets at the propagation stage were found to be
very significantly (P<0.01) larger (at least 36% taller) with regard to plant height (Fig.
1); with between 3 to 5 times as many branches (Fig. 3) and 2 to 5 times greater shoot
weight (Fig. 4) and 1.5 to 2.5 times greater root dry weight (Fig. 5) compared with
those raised in the traditional system. The differences were more pronounced as the
pots increased in size from 2 through to 12 litres. There were however, no significant
differences between those propagated in ellepots and forestry pellets (Fig. 2).
Figure 1. Height of Elaeagnus x
ebbingei in the 3 propagation treatments
in relation to pot size.
Figure 2. Elaeagnus x ebbingei in 2 litre
pots at 16 months from cutting was taken.
L = liner, E = ellepot, F = forestry pellet
Figure 3. Number of branches of Elaeagnus
x ebbingei in the 3 propagation treatments in
relation to pot size
Figure 4. Dry weight of shoot of Elaeagnus x
ebbingei in 3 propagation treatments in
relation to pot size.
Figure 5. Dry weight of root
of Elaeagnus x ebbingei in 3
propagation treatments in
relation to pot size
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Number of branches
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
140.0
160.0
180.0
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Dry weight shoot growth (g)
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Height (cm)
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Dry weight root growth (g)
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
4
b) The effects of pot sizes
Sixteen months after the cuttings were taken, shoot and root dry weight increased with
the increase in pot sizes ranging from 2 to 12 litres. However, the rate of increase was
Figure 6. Elaeagnus x ebbingei raised in
forestry pellets at the propagation stage
and transplanted into (from left to right)
2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots at 16 months after
cuttings were taken.
Figure 7. Elaeagnus x ebbingei raised in
liner pots, transplanted into (from left to
right) 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots at 16 months
after cuttings were taken
found to be greater in plants raised in ellepots and forestry pellets compared with
plants propagated in the traditional system (Fig. 6 & 7). This interaction was very
highly significant at (P<0.001). Also, those raised in the forestry pellets continue to
maintain the rapid rate of growth in the 5 to 12 litre pots whereas those raised in
ellepots and the traditional method of plug tray and liner pot did not continue to
maintain this rate of growth for these pot sizes.
There were significant effects of pot sizes for plant height and branch numbers in the
2, 3 and 5 litre pots for ellepot and forestry pellets (Fig. 1 & 3). In the traditional
system (liner raised) there was no significant increase in plant height and branch
numbers between the 3 to 5 litre pots (Fig. 1 & 7).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The investigation has shown that cuttings of Elaeagnus x ebbingei successfully rooted
in all the three treatments but those in modules that allow air root pruning to occur
produced more fibrous roots than those in the traditional system. This has been
confirmed with other species for example, Pinus and Eucalyptus (Jiffy, 2000).
As observed by Hoppé et al., (2005), Hoppé and Harun (2005) and (Gamble & Harun
2005), air root pruning produces vigorous trees and young hardy ornamental nursery
stock plants. Present investigation showed that air-pruned, vegetatively raised species
could be directly transplanted into the final pots producing a saleable 2 or 3 litre pot
plant three months earlier compared with the traditional method of production. The
liner stage of production is hence omitted saving labour and materials.
5
Plants produced using the air pruning technique increase in size as the pot sizes
increased. It is likely that these plants, with their larger root system, were able to
exploit the larger amount of nutrients (even though at the same concentration on a
volume basis) in the larger sized pots. On the other hand, plants produced using the
traditional liner method did not respond to increasing pot size which conforms with
the traditional rule of thumb of potting on to larger pot sizes as the plants increases in
size. Hence, air root pruning at the propagation stage accelerates the production
Elaeagnus x ebbingei in larger pots within a shorter period of time.
Either of the root pruning modules promote root pruning and produce accelerated
growth far superior to those plants produced in the traditional method. Investigations
are still continuing to evaluate other seed and vegetative raised species under different
levels of fertiliser.
Acknowledgements.
We would like to thank the staff of the Horticulture Development Centre and the
Laboratory staff of Greenmount Campus, for their contribution to this paper.
Literature Cited
EllePot, 2006. Product Catalogue, Vapogro, Winscombe, Avon, UK.
Ewing, K. 2005. Development and construction of an air-pruning propagation bench,
and its proper use, Guide book for Native Plant Propagation, [Online] (ESRM 412),
(http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Chapters/air-pruning.htm)
Fertil, 2006. Fertilpot: Biodegradable plant fibre cultivation pot. Product Catalogue,
Fertil S.A.S Boulogne Billancourt, France.
Gamble, R. and Harun, R. 2005. High Value Ornamentals. Seminar to Northern
Ireland Growers and Landscapers 14th April 2005 at College of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Enterprise, Greenmount Campus, Northern Ireland.
Hoppé, G.M, Nelson, A., Dardis, M., Jennings, C. and Bell, K. 2005. Response of
Oak (Quercus robur) to root pruning. Botanical Society of Scotland, Atlantic
Oakwoods Symposium, 14-17 September.
Hoppé, G.M and Harun, R. 2005. Improving establishment of field planted trees
using root pruning techniques. Seminar to Northern Ireland Growers and Landscapers
14th April 2005 at College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Greenmount
Campus, Northern Ireland.
Jiffy, 2000. Guidelines for the use of Jiffy – 7 forestry peat pellets. Jiffy International
AS, Storgaten 2, N-1440, Drobak, Norway.
Jiffy, 2001. Jiffy-7 Forestry System. Product Catalogue, Jiffy International AS,
Storgaten 2, N-1440, Drobak, Norway.
Lamb,K., Kelly, J. and Bowbrick, P. 1995. Grower manual 1, Nursery Stock
Manual, Grower books, Nexus Media Limited, Kent.
Lovelace,W. 1998. The root Production Method (RPM). System for producing
container trees. Combined Proceedings International Plant Propagators Society
48:556-557
Whitcomb,C.E. 2005. Plant Production in Containers: Roots the next step forward.
Lacebark Inc.,Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
i havent been able to do any sort of yield comparison
with that said i can Say there is a huge difference in root mass at harvest vs Plastic pots = in volume
the plastic pots have so many spiraled out root ends and those roots have no major side branching.
thats visible to me when i was using a few of each "SP" and square pots (higro/coco) when it was time to reclaim my higromite i had a workout to get it untangled from the roots, in the plastic pot it was wham bam few times and done...so that shows the roots side branched and got up in everything well..
(and i Bake my Mix to Dry it out to crumble stage)
basicly the way i see it if a root spirals out the plant doesn't spend resources expanding the side shoots, (prob thinks there's nothing worthy)
the air pruning allows the root to die at the end but produce side shoots as if it where spreading in the ground..
i will say i dont care for there prices but i dont know the hard costs so it may be somewhat fair.
my last diy container was a Square Netpot (from lowes pond area 8x8x6)
that was the push to go to smart pot.. (to much media falling out but roots air pruned (they didnt have to spiral more than twice id say to get a hole..
Im working on getting a few pics up i have to xfr sony media to SD on my other pc so this PC can read it (keep few things off the grid) ..
the smartpot is a better pot IMPHO.. there's no guiding the root it will find the wall and go threw the Fabric
the only reason the airpot looks so spacey is cause it has to get around the airpot patent. and others im sure.. while not letting the media fly out.. and thus the cones actully hold the media back
so they figured patenting a "guiding Air Pruning Pot"
. i would have to say dont get a biger pot.thinking its better. that is to be determine as it will take longer for that root to get to the wall.. (if you go large)
i normally dont go for companies own studies and videos but when i worked at my fams Nursery they had talked about benies of air pruning and till a year ago i wasn't into it at all.
watch the how it works..
http://www.superoots.com/videos/index.htm
great info.. benifits of air pruning..
http://www.superoots.com/pdfs/Greeenmount Final Report IPPS.pdf
1
Air root pruning to accelerate the growth of Elaeagnus x ebbingei from
vegetative cuttings
Teresa Maguire and Raja Harun
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Greenmount Campus,
Antrim, BT41 4PU, Northern Ireland.
ABSTRACT
The following study evaluated the subsequent growth of an ornamental nursery stock
species Elaeagnus x ebbingei in 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots after being propagated in
specialised modules which allow for air root pruning compared with plug/standard
liner pot production system which does not.
Results show that air root pruning promoted early root growth compared with liner
production enabling them to be transplanted 3 months earlier and hence marketable
earlier. Height, branch number, shoot and root dry weights of plants raised in modules
that allow for air root pruning were significantly greater than those raised in liner
pots. Unlike those produced in the liner production system, air root pruned plants
increase in size as the pot sizes increase providing a technique of accelerating the
production of large specimens.
INTRODUCTION
Air root pruning is the technique whereby roots are pruned back by air movement at
the root tips in a suitable container. Once pruned the root tip is stimulated to produce
branches providing many more secondary roots. The development of many secondary
roots increases nutrient absorption enabling the plant to grow more rapidly
(Whitcomb, 2005). In the traditional system where air root pruning does not take
place the roots do not branch as much. This may result in roots coiling around the
periphery of the pots, which may cause problems when they are planted out especially
when transplanting is delayed (Ewing, 2005).
The benefit of air root pruning to produce a dense fibrous root system in large
containers has been demonstrated for tree species using open bottomed containers
(Lovelace, 1998; Hoppé et al., 2005; Hoppé and Harun, 2005) using a similar
technique of root pruning showed that five year old root pruned oak (Quercus robur)
attained double the height, girth, and biomass (above and below ground) compared
with bare root transplants.
Air root pruning of high value, seed raised Cedrus, Fagus and Ilex using
commercially available propagation modules were demonstrated by (Gamble and
Harun, 2005). Again, those plants raised in containers which provided air pruning
demonstrated accelerated growth.
The following investigation conducted at CAFRE, Greenmount Campus, on cutting
raised Elaeagnus x ebbingei was set out to demonstrate:
2
1. The effects of air root pruning at the propagation stage on the subsequent plant
growth compared with those propagated using the traditional method of production
which uses plug trays followed by liner pots.
2. The effects of pot sizes on plants that have been propagated using the air root
pruning technique and the current traditional method using plug trays and liner pots.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In February 2006, cutting material of the species Elaeagnus x ebbingei were taken
following standard nursery stock recommendations (Lamb et al., 1995). The cuttings
were inserted into 3 propagation type modules i.e. compressed Jiffy forestry pellets
which expand to 52 mm diameter x 95 mm height after wetting (Jiffy, 2001), ellepots
supplied preformed modules measuring 60 mm diameter x 60 mm height (EllePot,
2006) and an 84-plug tray (the control treatment) 35 mm cell and later transplanted
into 9 cm liner pots. The former two treatments allow for air root pruning as the
growing medium is only held by a biodegradable membrane whereas the control
treatment does not. Rooting was carried out in a glasshouse using a mist chamber and
a bottom heat of 18oC using a watering regime suited for each treatment as
recommended by the module suppliers.
At root formation liquid feeding was carried out on all the treatments with a low
concentration 18-11-18 of Electrical Conductivity (E.C.) 0.5 – 1.0 ms/cm.
In June 2006 after assessing root development, plants were selected for potting on.
Those in ellepots and forestry pellets were potted directly into 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots,
as they were considered ‘ready’ for potting. Plants were considered ‘ready’ when a
fibrous root system was visible within the modules. Those in plug trays were planted
into 9 cm liner pots containing standard nursery stock liner compost. The liners were
only ready for potting on in October 2006.
The 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots contained nursery stock compost with a 30% pine bark
and control release fertiliser of Osmocote Exact standard 12 –14 month at 5.5 kg/m3.
Following potting the plants where placed in a cold nursery stock tunnel and laid out
in a complete randomised block design with 3 blocks (replicates) x 3 propagation
treatments x 4 pot sizes. From potting all plants were liquid fed with 18-11-18, E.C.
of 1.2 – 2.5 ms/cm, increasing as the season progressed.
In the first week of May 2007 all plants were moved to an outside standing-out bed
with overhead irrigation. Average plant height, number of branches, total shoot and
root dry weights (drying at 85oC for 24 hours) for all the treatments were recorded at
the end of June 2007 and statistically analysed.
RESULTS
a) The effects of propagation treatments
It was observed that the plants produced in ellepots and forestry pellets were ready for
transplanting into 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots within 4 months after the cuttings were
inserted. However, those produced in the traditional method of plug trays and liner
3
pots were not ready for transplanting until after 7 months, a delay of 3 months off
production time.
Sixteen months after the cuttings were inserted, plants in the 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots
produced in ellepots and forestry pellets at the propagation stage were found to be
very significantly (P<0.01) larger (at least 36% taller) with regard to plant height (Fig.
1); with between 3 to 5 times as many branches (Fig. 3) and 2 to 5 times greater shoot
weight (Fig. 4) and 1.5 to 2.5 times greater root dry weight (Fig. 5) compared with
those raised in the traditional system. The differences were more pronounced as the
pots increased in size from 2 through to 12 litres. There were however, no significant
differences between those propagated in ellepots and forestry pellets (Fig. 2).
Figure 1. Height of Elaeagnus x
ebbingei in the 3 propagation treatments
in relation to pot size.
Figure 2. Elaeagnus x ebbingei in 2 litre
pots at 16 months from cutting was taken.
L = liner, E = ellepot, F = forestry pellet
Figure 3. Number of branches of Elaeagnus
x ebbingei in the 3 propagation treatments in
relation to pot size
Figure 4. Dry weight of shoot of Elaeagnus x
ebbingei in 3 propagation treatments in
relation to pot size.
Figure 5. Dry weight of root
of Elaeagnus x ebbingei in 3
propagation treatments in
relation to pot size
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Number of branches
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
140.0
160.0
180.0
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Dry weight shoot growth (g)
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Height (cm)
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
2 litre 3 litre 5 litre 12 litre
Pot Size
Dry weight root growth (g)
Liner
Elle pot
Forestry pellet
4
b) The effects of pot sizes
Sixteen months after the cuttings were taken, shoot and root dry weight increased with
the increase in pot sizes ranging from 2 to 12 litres. However, the rate of increase was
Figure 6. Elaeagnus x ebbingei raised in
forestry pellets at the propagation stage
and transplanted into (from left to right)
2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots at 16 months after
cuttings were taken.
Figure 7. Elaeagnus x ebbingei raised in
liner pots, transplanted into (from left to
right) 2, 3, 5 and 12 litre pots at 16 months
after cuttings were taken
found to be greater in plants raised in ellepots and forestry pellets compared with
plants propagated in the traditional system (Fig. 6 & 7). This interaction was very
highly significant at (P<0.001). Also, those raised in the forestry pellets continue to
maintain the rapid rate of growth in the 5 to 12 litre pots whereas those raised in
ellepots and the traditional method of plug tray and liner pot did not continue to
maintain this rate of growth for these pot sizes.
There were significant effects of pot sizes for plant height and branch numbers in the
2, 3 and 5 litre pots for ellepot and forestry pellets (Fig. 1 & 3). In the traditional
system (liner raised) there was no significant increase in plant height and branch
numbers between the 3 to 5 litre pots (Fig. 1 & 7).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The investigation has shown that cuttings of Elaeagnus x ebbingei successfully rooted
in all the three treatments but those in modules that allow air root pruning to occur
produced more fibrous roots than those in the traditional system. This has been
confirmed with other species for example, Pinus and Eucalyptus (Jiffy, 2000).
As observed by Hoppé et al., (2005), Hoppé and Harun (2005) and (Gamble & Harun
2005), air root pruning produces vigorous trees and young hardy ornamental nursery
stock plants. Present investigation showed that air-pruned, vegetatively raised species
could be directly transplanted into the final pots producing a saleable 2 or 3 litre pot
plant three months earlier compared with the traditional method of production. The
liner stage of production is hence omitted saving labour and materials.
5
Plants produced using the air pruning technique increase in size as the pot sizes
increased. It is likely that these plants, with their larger root system, were able to
exploit the larger amount of nutrients (even though at the same concentration on a
volume basis) in the larger sized pots. On the other hand, plants produced using the
traditional liner method did not respond to increasing pot size which conforms with
the traditional rule of thumb of potting on to larger pot sizes as the plants increases in
size. Hence, air root pruning at the propagation stage accelerates the production
Elaeagnus x ebbingei in larger pots within a shorter period of time.
Either of the root pruning modules promote root pruning and produce accelerated
growth far superior to those plants produced in the traditional method. Investigations
are still continuing to evaluate other seed and vegetative raised species under different
levels of fertiliser.
Acknowledgements.
We would like to thank the staff of the Horticulture Development Centre and the
Laboratory staff of Greenmount Campus, for their contribution to this paper.
Literature Cited
EllePot, 2006. Product Catalogue, Vapogro, Winscombe, Avon, UK.
Ewing, K. 2005. Development and construction of an air-pruning propagation bench,
and its proper use, Guide book for Native Plant Propagation, [Online] (ESRM 412),
(http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Chapters/air-pruning.htm)
Fertil, 2006. Fertilpot: Biodegradable plant fibre cultivation pot. Product Catalogue,
Fertil S.A.S Boulogne Billancourt, France.
Gamble, R. and Harun, R. 2005. High Value Ornamentals. Seminar to Northern
Ireland Growers and Landscapers 14th April 2005 at College of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Enterprise, Greenmount Campus, Northern Ireland.
Hoppé, G.M, Nelson, A., Dardis, M., Jennings, C. and Bell, K. 2005. Response of
Oak (Quercus robur) to root pruning. Botanical Society of Scotland, Atlantic
Oakwoods Symposium, 14-17 September.
Hoppé, G.M and Harun, R. 2005. Improving establishment of field planted trees
using root pruning techniques. Seminar to Northern Ireland Growers and Landscapers
14th April 2005 at College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Greenmount
Campus, Northern Ireland.
Jiffy, 2000. Guidelines for the use of Jiffy – 7 forestry peat pellets. Jiffy International
AS, Storgaten 2, N-1440, Drobak, Norway.
Jiffy, 2001. Jiffy-7 Forestry System. Product Catalogue, Jiffy International AS,
Storgaten 2, N-1440, Drobak, Norway.
Lamb,K., Kelly, J. and Bowbrick, P. 1995. Grower manual 1, Nursery Stock
Manual, Grower books, Nexus Media Limited, Kent.
Lovelace,W. 1998. The root Production Method (RPM). System for producing
container trees. Combined Proceedings International Plant Propagators Society
48:556-557
Whitcomb,C.E. 2005. Plant Production in Containers: Roots the next step forward.
Lacebark Inc.,Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
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DEDHEDFRED
Hey Mr. C.............I understand your skepticism and believe me I`m of the same mind when it comes to hype versus results......I mean Hell...........I`ve never used any nutes but GH 3 part.....That in and of itself should let everyone know I`m not easily swayed by so-called new and improved products..........I can only attest to the fact that my mom plants in 5 gal. buckets of coco did not hold a candle to the explosive growth I received from the smartpots once I flowered and replaced the plastic buckets with SP`s...........But.........In my vertical racks my sp`s haven`t done a lot of air root pruning due to the coco staying wet from daily feeds and if most of you don`t know this then here it is.........For the rootmass to explode in SP`s there hasta be a certain amount of drying out between feeds...........My mom plants get fed and watered every few days or thereabouts and in the first 2 weeks I used em , the SP`s almost busted from the rootmass and veg growth like I`ve not seen from any other system and I grew krusty buckets for yrs. with 24/7 feed so I`ve seen explosive veg growth..........Now that being said , I can`t attest to the same with my coco SP`s staying wet in my bloom rooms............I`ve got nothing to base yields against other containers as I said couple months ago I`m running a new vertical system and none of the 3 gal. or 5 gal. sp`s have filled the containers with roots yet so my next move is to acquire the 2 gal. sp`s and let em dry out some between feeds during the short time I veg under t-5`s to see if I can get the same results I`ve gotten from the bigger SP`s........All in all I`d say the bigger sp`s are more suited to bigger plants with longer veg times cuz with coco kept wet you can grow 4 ft. plants out of a plastic 2 liter coke bottle.........I`ve seen it .........The roots just don`t grow like other systems and don`t have to for results.......My mom plants are kept in constant veg and supply 100`s of cuts on a regular basis and that`s where the 5 gal. SP`s have proved their worth to me ...........Ya`ll take care.............DHF............ 
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I'm with you. I made a half-assed attempt at a smart pot / air pot using maybe a thousand holes in 2 gallon Bato pot, and maybe 300-500 holes in another one, using clones of very similar flip size. So far I can't exactly say I see any real noticeable results, but maybe time will tell.Mr Celsius said:
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dongle69
Mr Celsius said:
I tried some Smart Pots with coco.
They didn't work any better than my square or round plastic pots.
The roots looked different when I was done, but the plants were no better/worse.
I'm back to plastic because I don't like the flimsy "ness" of the Smart Pots.
Theory=good, results=meh.
dongle69 said:
Thank you.
Not to be a pessimist, but I figured it would be like that... I still want to hear from others to see if there's an actual difference.
So far... DHF has had good/better then results and dongle69 has seen no improvement from using em.
For now, I'll be sticking with my nice 3gal pots. I already bought em and they'll last for at least 10 years.
D
DEDHEDFRED
As noted earlier ......I only saw results in my mom plants Mr. C.........I will say that if given the time to fill the SP`s with roots would haveta show more yield as the end result cuz rootmass is directly related to yield IME........I think I said that my coco kept wet in the flower rooms did not utilize the potential of the SP`s in flower although in constant veg allowed to almost dry out between feeds my mom plants have exploded with growth as I`ve never seen before in ANY system.......Now that being said........I can GUARANTEE that if plants in SP`s were allowed to veg as my mom plants and then flipped 12/12..........Somebody better have some chickenwire on the ceiling to tie and hold up all those massive colas produced during the stretch on thru into choptime.......My cycles and rotations revolve around 31-35 day swapouts in all my rooms so tree grows aren`t in my gameplan anymore........Dongle......I`m not sure how you used your smartpots in coco.....How bout giving us more info rather than generalizing they`re no better than plastic where roots circle constantly taking energy away from the plants ability to explode with growth during veg cuz as we`re all supposed ta know roots don`t grow once the stretch is over but the amount of roots amassed during said veg period directly relates to the amount of fruit that will be on tha vine come the end result but not with a choked out rootbound pot...........Ya`ll take care........DHF........ ........
........
simba
Sleeping Dragon
i think i was totally ignored..by some... and feel it.. to boot...
i have played with DIYED AIrpot, smartpot and then the real deals.. for the past year before saying anything.. (got a few grows under.. be confident myself)
now i do have a question before i go on.. well few..
1. are we debating whether or not air pruning works..
2. are we discussing the air pruning abilities of either SP or AP
a few points..
1. every time you change something no matter how small to big.. you will have to relearn something or change something else..
IE>>
water less often.. especially let the plant media dry a hair..
keep it close to nature wet dry cycle's..
thats for coco soil etc.
root mass is a direct collation to Top mass. always has always will..
im posting pics now..
Mind you i come from Higromite/coco mix.(love that mix).
this is my first run with organic Soil all around..
and here is my first DIY attempt, 2nd attempt and finally the SP...(got a bunch a year ago.from a buddy in EU.. surprising there made in my backyard.. Not literally.. )
heres a pic of my small garden at home. it is small for the moment and nothing good grwoing ;(
it was the whole room (15x20ish) but no time for large ops any more..
i still got goodies growing at my buddies op.. *(no cameras allowed she says)
this is the 2nd time growing watermelon (4) and cantaloupe (6) in these things.. I was never able to do it in Any other plastic pot.. (several plants per planter.. )
side note my CMH's are at a set height of 36" and no Stretching to the light .. like with HPS/.
those lil baby seedlings will be in SP's within a week or so..
there is. Kolrobi, Brussle Sprouts, Cherry tomatoes, Big beef tomatoes, Bellpepers Sweet (incl purple, green, red, orange, yellow)
(they are to young to be transplanted to big pots.
i have played with DIYED AIrpot, smartpot and then the real deals.. for the past year before saying anything.. (got a few grows under.. be confident myself)
now i do have a question before i go on.. well few..
1. are we debating whether or not air pruning works..
2. are we discussing the air pruning abilities of either SP or AP
a few points..
1. every time you change something no matter how small to big.. you will have to relearn something or change something else..
IE>>
water less often.. especially let the plant media dry a hair..
keep it close to nature wet dry cycle's..
thats for coco soil etc.
root mass is a direct collation to Top mass. always has always will..
im posting pics now..
Mind you i come from Higromite/coco mix.(love that mix).
this is my first run with organic Soil all around..
and here is my first DIY attempt, 2nd attempt and finally the SP...(got a bunch a year ago.from a buddy in EU.. surprising there made in my backyard.. Not literally.. )
heres a pic of my small garden at home. it is small for the moment and nothing good grwoing ;(
it was the whole room (15x20ish) but no time for large ops any more..
i still got goodies growing at my buddies op.. *(no cameras allowed she says)
this is the 2nd time growing watermelon (4) and cantaloupe (6) in these things.. I was never able to do it in Any other plastic pot.. (several plants per planter.. )
side note my CMH's are at a set height of 36" and no Stretching to the light .. like with HPS/.
those lil baby seedlings will be in SP's within a week or so..
there is. Kolrobi, Brussle Sprouts, Cherry tomatoes, Big beef tomatoes, Bellpepers Sweet (incl purple, green, red, orange, yellow)
(they are to young to be transplanted to big pots.
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dongle69
DEDHEDFRED said:
Not much to it.
Fill them with coco.
Water and feed as needed.
Simba, you were not ignored.
I appreciate everyones input. So far, not even a handle-full have reports have come in. I'm sitting on the fence.
If someone can prove to me that smartpots create more feeder roots and less tap roots, I'd be willing to go ahead and use em without anyones reports.
We are mostly debating whether these things actually increase growth/yields.
I appreciate everyones input. So far, not even a handle-full have reports have come in. I'm sitting on the fence.
If someone can prove to me that smartpots create more feeder roots and less tap roots, I'd be willing to go ahead and use em without anyones reports.
We are mostly debating whether these things actually increase growth/yields.
D
dongle69
After talking to some nursery guys, it seems the benefit from the smart pots is in using them long term (4+ months) outdoors sitting on the ground - dirt or grass, not cement or gravel.
I used them 1 month veg and 2 months flower indoors.
No difference in final yield/quality for me.
Believe me, I really wanted them to perform better, they just didn't in my situation.
I used them 1 month veg and 2 months flower indoors.
No difference in final yield/quality for me.
Believe me, I really wanted them to perform better, they just didn't in my situation.
D
DEDHEDFRED
I guess what I meant Dongle was were you using the coco in your smartpots as a "hydro" medium keeping your plants wet 24/7 or were you letting em dry out as in a soil grow between feeds as I did with my mom plants..........I saw negative results with my bloomroom plants staying wet constantly but outrageous veg growth letting my mom plants dry out for days at a time.......I`m talking 3'x3' wide and tall outta nowhere and that`s why I said these things if used for bigger plants would bust some yields although I`ve not tried that situation due to my schedules......... Ya`ll take care.......DHF......... ..........
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I wonder if when the root hits the bottom, that you can create a little pan to set it on, so that the bottom tip of the root is always saturated. If ya think about it, it must benefit the plant...always having the water to diffuse nutrients throughout it's roots.
Only reason I think that is because some guy doing aeroponics (podracer) says that they do better once the root tips hit the bottom of the reservoir.
Trying to help
Only reason I think that is because some guy doing aeroponics (podracer) says that they do better once the root tips hit the bottom of the reservoir.
Trying to help
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I made some air pruning pots out of some 5 gallon buckets with the bottom cut out and replaced by wire mesh. they work great and do air prune the roots but i had a couple heat waves here which could effect the final yield. but the pots do prune the roots. there are still a few questions up in the air about this technique . even if it does air prune i am concerned that the continual dying off of roots may represent a stress that will hamper growth... still undecided... I will be running some trees in them in a couple months indoor around a 1000 w HID. this should give a better understanding of the pots potential in a controlled setting. after than i hope to pick up the real deal air pots and give them a try. my feeling is that these do best in long veg applications. at the very least you wont see any benefit unless you downgrade your pot size ( you can get the same yield out of a smaller pot).
I've been playing with this for a few months now.
I came across these, searching for oldschool Pyramid pots.
http://www.rootmaker.com/rmprod.php
Those closed a 20yr gap to exactly "Why?" transplanting 3-4 times has always made such drastic improvement in all areas of growth & gave me the idea of trying net pots with a pantyhose sleeve on the outside. (They worked OK, not heatwave friendly though)
Saw smart pots in the store a few weeks ago, held one up & asked the guy "Air pruners?"
He said yeah & went into his sales schpeel...
Trying a 10gal on a big girl now, no control, but experience translates her reaction so far as "ooh baby, I like that!"
Planning on running all 10gal phase in them next run, will try & add a control for documentation too.
I came across these, searching for oldschool Pyramid pots.
http://www.rootmaker.com/rmprod.php
Those closed a 20yr gap to exactly "Why?" transplanting 3-4 times has always made such drastic improvement in all areas of growth & gave me the idea of trying net pots with a pantyhose sleeve on the outside. (They worked OK, not heatwave friendly though)
Saw smart pots in the store a few weeks ago, held one up & asked the guy "Air pruners?"
He said yeah & went into his sales schpeel...
Trying a 10gal on a big girl now, no control, but experience translates her reaction so far as "ooh baby, I like that!"
Planning on running all 10gal phase in them next run, will try & add a control for documentation too.
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Air Pruning???
Air Pruning???
I transplanted some clones str8 into #7 smart pots and have had some amazinf results so far. The reason I came to this thread tonight was because I noticed roots coming out through the sides around the bottoms of the pots. I guess I am just concerned about what these roots are going to do. I am two weeks into veg, i am using coco, hand watering, and have my pots above the waste pans. I assumed these were to be used alone without a plastic bucket am I wrong? I have read different things at different sites. I am just concerned about these roots dieing off and affecting plant growth or is this o be expected with these pots? sounds like they are very new to everyone but any advice or words of experience would be appreciated.
Air Pruning???
I transplanted some clones str8 into #7 smart pots and have had some amazinf results so far. The reason I came to this thread tonight was because I noticed roots coming out through the sides around the bottoms of the pots. I guess I am just concerned about what these roots are going to do. I am two weeks into veg, i am using coco, hand watering, and have my pots above the waste pans. I assumed these were to be used alone without a plastic bucket am I wrong? I have read different things at different sites. I am just concerned about these roots dieing off and affecting plant growth or is this o be expected with these pots? sounds like they are very new to everyone but any advice or words of experience would be appreciated.
Those roots that come out are supposed to die off, that's the entire point of these types of containers. Unless you let the coco dry out just enough to let those roots sticking out to die off then it defeats the point. That's the reason I haven't tried these, I am using nothing but coco right now, and I think the dryness needed by these containers doesn't go well with the moistness needed by coco.
Thanks
Thanks
Thanks for the response. Everything is going super well. I was just concerned because I saw the roots coming through so soon since they were just clones 2 weeks ago. I didnt even expect the roots to be at the bottom of the pot already let alone coming through the pot at the bottom. I am using #7 smart pots. Evwen though I have only peronally grown a few crops this is the best I have ever had any of my plants do. I am using the house and Garden line of ferts which I am positive is a contributing factor with how well they are doing. Thanks again
Thanks
Thanks for the response. Everything is going super well. I was just concerned because I saw the roots coming through so soon since they were just clones 2 weeks ago. I didnt even expect the roots to be at the bottom of the pot already let alone coming through the pot at the bottom. I am using #7 smart pots. Evwen though I have only peronally grown a few crops this is the best I have ever had any of my plants do. I am using the house and Garden line of ferts which I am positive is a contributing factor with how well they are doing. Thanks again
