Smart Pots

[Stankie]

I ordered some seedling heat mats and a controller for my Smart Pots next round. I monitored my soil temps last time fairly well, and the SP keeps the soil temp consistently on the low side.

Anybody else monitor their soil temps?

 

[Clackamas Coot]

I ordered some seedling heat mats and a controller for my Smart Pots next round. I monitored my soil temps last time fairly well, and the SP keeps the soil temp consistently on the low side.

Anybody else monitor their soil temps?

In greenhouses at commercial nurseries it's not uncommon to find heat mats. The largest that I've seen at the supply houses are 24" x 96" - there may well be larger mats.

When I used the small commercial mat I found it helpful to raise the tray (or pot) up a bit with wood strips. Particularly on cuttings.

Or I simply had a bad unit.

CC

 

[mad librettist]

the secret to heat mats is a good thermostat.

 

[Stankie]

I bought the digital controller, which is supposed to be able to dial it in to a specific degree range. I purchased a 20"x20" and a 10"x20" mat. I would have preferred a 36"x36" mat but couldn't find one. They seem to be made with most concern to nursery flats and seed starting needs.

Am I overly concerned with soil temp? I always hear it's important to maintain temps in AACT, compost piles, cooking soils, etc, but people seem to forget about, or at least never mention, soil temperatures when they are actively growing. A user on another forum mentioned this to me. Smart Pots and their effect on temperature are known to the nursery industry, but that is mainly outside. Inside they also have the same effect. My plastic pots soil is always about 10-15 degrees warmer than my Smart Pots soil is.

Since I live in Colo and grow downstairs in the winter, my soil was hovering around 60f-65f last round. My plastic pots that I use to start my clones/seedlings is usually around 72-77f.

 

[onegreenday]

Be sure to put insulating foam under to drive the heat up & off the cold floor. My night temps dip to your range & I on the 3rd floor,

a couple nights it dipped to 57 (no heat in the room)and I draw warm air from the rest of the apartment to keep the room from getting too cold.

I read that plants will just about stop growing at 50 degree soil temp.

If the mat works, I know there are nice heat mats that are long
12" wide rolls; like 10' long.

Down the road you might chechkthem out.

Warmer roots help them grow for sure...

I bought the digital controller, which is supposed to be able to dial it in to a specific degree range. I purchased a 20"x20" and a 10"x20" mat. I would have preferred a 36"x36" mat but couldn't find one. They seem to be made with most concern to nursery flats and seed starting needs.

Am I overly concerned with soil temp? I always hear it's important to maintain temps in AACT, compost piles, cooking soils, etc, but people seem to forget about, or at least never mention, soil temperatures when they are actively growing. A user on another forum mentioned this to me. Smart Pots and their effect on temperature are known to the nursery industry, but that is mainly outside. Inside they also have the same effect. My plastic pots soil is always about 10-15 degrees warmer than my Smart Pots soil is.

Since I live in Colo and grow downstairs in the winter, my soil was hovering around 60f-65f last round. My plastic pots that I use to start my clones/seedlings is usually around 72-77f.

 

[mad librettist]

onegreenday, you beat me to it. The issue you'll be dealing with in a basement is that the specific heat of a basement floor is so much higher than that of your smartpot filled with soil, and the damp soil is great at conducting heat. Plastic pots are naturally insulated from the floor.

From the grow journal, it does look like the only thing between stankie's plants and the floor is mylar. So stankie, what is the floor made of?

Having something with low specific heat (like wood) as your flooring will result in less chilling, as will insulating it as encouraged above.

 

[Stankie]

My basement has carpeting and padding underneath. It is just a spare bedroom. I have since put a piece of 1.5" foam under my post. Both to insulate the pot from the floor and to reflect the heat pads back up once I get them.

My main concern was do you all give much thought to your soil temps? Or do you just let them go at whatever they are going at.

 

[mad librettist]

If I have access to cold air I like to cool things down in the last 4 weeks, but not the soil specifically. I'd say an easy way to test a floor is to take your shoes off. If your feet get cold, the floor has a high specific heat and is colder than your foot.

outside, soil temps are everything in the spring. these maps are helpful

If you want to know how to control soil temps, ask people who grow cobra lilies. They need cool roots every evening, plus the water has to be RO or distilled (or rain). The ghetto way is to make ice cubes of RO water and leave them on the surface every day.

 

[Dave Coulier]

My basement has carpeting and padding underneath. It is just a spare bedroom. I have since put a piece of 1.5" foam under my post. Both to insulate the pot from the floor and to reflect the heat pads back up once I get them.

My main concern was do you all give much thought to your soil temps? Or do you just let them go at whatever they are going at.

Like others have said, dont let it drop into the 50's. Id try to keep it at least 65, but shoot for 70F. If it drops into 50's, you'll get slower growth, and possible phosphorous deficiency.

 

[Dave Coulier]

I just placed an order for a one gallon Plant Warrior container, one gallon Rootmaker container, and a one gallon RootBuilder II container.

When I clear some room in my veg tent, I will compare all 3 versus fabric containers called Root Pouch that I use. Basically the same as Smart Pots.

Ill do a thread sometime in the future for this when I can do this comparison.

Well, I never got around to doing a thread, but I did test out the Plant Warrior, the Rootmaker, as well as the Rootbuilder II, and well they're all crap.

Plant Warrior:

The Plant Warrior, does prevent root circling around the inverted cone, which has many long openings, but that's it. Still plenty of roots circling the sides of the container which are poorly designed. There are 3 sets of 3 horizontal lines along the bottom of the container that are supposed to help with root pruning, but vastly under-perform. Also, you can not transplant from a dixie cup into a 1 Gallon Plant Warrior due to the inverted cone. Avoid this product. Air Pots, and Fabric bags are much better solutions.

Rootmaker:

The Rootmaker, was also pretty ineffective at preventing root circling. There are more openings around the container at multiple levels, but the openings are small and useless. Im sure it would have performed better if these openings were larger, but they're so small. Avoid this product too.

RootBuilder II:

Ugh...That really sums up this product. Its a terribly cheap imitation of an Air Pot. How do you fasten the side of the container together? Two zip ties they so graciously give you. Gee Thanks! Whats the bottom look like? You got a plastic cutout that looks like a ninja star with lots and lots of points, and and no air openings. And the openings on the side of the container..oh dear lord. A blind monkey with a soldering gun could have done better. Each air opening has been created by a very poor job of melting the plastic. Some 'holes' barely had an opening due to the poor production values. And these pieces of shit are the most expensive at $5 for just a one gallon container.

Do they work? Yes, but not nearly as well as a fabric bag, or a true Air Pot. Definitely avoid this pile of crap.

Stick to Fabric Pots(Smart Pots, Rootpouches, etc), and Air Pots guys.

I have some plastic 1 gallon containers coated with Microkote to test out soon though. I may try to get my hands on fabric bags treated with microkote too.

 

[supermanlives]

thanks dave you save me from buying junk. was looking at plant warrior.

 

[Dave Coulier]

thanks dave you save me from buying junk. was looking at plant warrior.

No problem, glad to help. The only plus side about the PW's are their relatively cheap price last time I looked. Im glad I resisted the urge to purchase more.

 

[Canniwhatsis]

I bought the digital controller, which is supposed to be able to dial it in to a specific degree range. I purchased a 20"x20" and a 10"x20" mat. I would have preferred a 36"x36" mat but couldn't find one. They seem to be made with most concern to nursery flats and seed starting needs.

Am I overly concerned with soil temp? I always hear it's important to maintain temps in AACT, compost piles, cooking soils, etc, but people seem to forget about, or at least never mention, soil temperatures when they are actively growing. A user on another forum mentioned this to me. Smart Pots and their effect on temperature are known to the nursery industry, but that is mainly outside. Inside they also have the same effect. My plastic pots soil is always about 10-15 degrees warmer than my Smart Pots soil is.

Since I live in Colo and grow downstairs in the winter, my soil was hovering around 60f-65f last round. My plastic pots that I use to start my clones/seedlings is usually around 72-77f.

What size smart pot vs plastic? and what are your ambient air temps,.... also, do you use a table or are your pots on the floor of the basement? How are you measuring soil temps?

Sorry for the 20 questions, just another Co grower curious about anything I can learn.

I've never paid any attention to my rootzone temp, but I'm on a table, about 2' off the concrete floor, Ambient Air temps (currently, after my portable swamp cooler shorted out ) at table level are running about 84, and 93 at canopy height (Scrog )

My sensor for canopy height fell one week, and the average at floor level under the tables was in the low to mid 60's, but that was during the winter, I can take another measure if you want now that it's late summer.

 

[beta]

.

 

[Yah`mon]

Love my smart pots! Currently have 7 plants in flower in 10gallons.

I'm wondering this. Do you see any potential root bound problems(term root bound may not be the best wording?) with plants with about 8 weeks in veg 5gallon. They only need a watering about every 3-4 days right now, wondering if I'd have any problems putting them into flower. Some roots coming out of the bottom, but will I just need to water more often? Id have np placing them in 10gallons but lack of room atm.

Yah`mon

 

[mad librettist]

for 8 weeks veg, I use 15 gallons

5 gallons is possible but lots of work

 

[Yah`mon]

Thanks for the reply, these ones I'm not trying to get huge. I just currently have the space under a 1kw not being used, plus 2 10gallon spots open up in there in a few weeks. But really lacking veg space atm, and have a lot more plants I'd like to get into 10gallon pots.

I have some 20gallon smart pots, but I don't have the space atm since I'm doing some selection. Hoping to expand within a year and do vert plants in 45-60gallon smart pots!

Thanks again.

Yah`mon

 

[gus738]

sorry for waking up an old thread, but since then what has happen with smart pots and air pots etc ?

i have 2 og kush that are about 24 inches aprox and are on the 1 or 2 gal plastic bags . they can be filled up more as theirs alot of space (read needs more dirt)

i was thinking of putting 1 on a 3 gal smart pot and the other re potting on the 1 or 2 gal plastic bag.

good idea or bad? i just got 16 plants in total from a friend the rest are in 4 inch plastic tray.

also some people say its ok to leave plants outside when reaches bellow 50f , i thought soil temp is needed above 50f? also some people say that if soil temp reaches 85f that plants stop growing ?

i ask because im starting to do outdoor i have the ability to take the plants inside and out every day i started off as indoor thus still confused weather its good to leave plant on full fun DESPITE temp exceding say mid 70s? where as if on shaded area is in the 69f-76f

 

[gus738]

if going from round hard container to smart bag i was wondering

if its better to break up the whole root mass take out most of old soil

and leave most roots exposed into the new soil.

or to leave everything intact and just put into smart gal.


example 1 gal round hard container into 3 gal smart pot

 

[heady blunts]

just transplant like normal.

i wouldn't mess with the rootball unless it's seriously root bound. even then i just break up hte edges a bit.

tearing up a plant's roots during transplant will seriously shock them and you'll need a longer recovery time.

smart pots are great. air pots kinda suck in my experience. regular plastic pots and grow bags are okay.