Airpots

[super trowel]

ok, i dont know if this is what you want?
but i have started a couple of test for you
i have potted a couple of garlic cloves
and i already have some peas on the go.
and here are the pics...........




i will add more pics as i see more roots coming through.
any questions or suggestions, as being honest i am making this up as i go along

[super trowel]

and the rest...........

[Aberdeenplotter]

ST, I don't think that peas and garlic have much relevance but thanks for making the effort

[super trowel]

i didnt really know what to plant to test the root ball?
i was testing to see what happens to the plant roots as they get over filled just to see if one can be stronger then the other.
i am also going to test with the garlic when the roots start to show if i drill a load of holes in to a pot will it have the same effect as an air pot.

if you have any other test you want me to do, please let me know as i am new to this.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Went for it and bought a half dozen 15 ltr air pots which arrived today. Made one up but a few pointers. The base sits about 2.5" up from the ground so sitting in a tray isn't going to help unless it is a deep one.

Also, the top couple of rows do not have holes , the idea being that the pots are filled to the very top and the top area acts as a kind of reservoir so that any water added cannot run straight out. Bearing that in mind, the pics posted by Super trowel seem to be showing the air pots being used upside down.

Won't be using the pots till the toms get planted out but I will provide feedback later

[super trowel]

you never know, i have probbaly set mine up wrong
were did you get yours from?
i got mine from a carbooty.

edit....

just Google'd air pots and found their website.
and according to them i have the old style pots and yes i have them set up the wrong way round (d'oh!!)
would be interested to know if their are any differences

[Aberdeenplotter]

ooooh I'm pained, cost me over forty quid inc delivery for six and I'm sure you are gonna tell me you paid pennies.

[super trowel]

No, you are safe
I bought mine brand new from the car boot sale from a trader stand.
And for the 1ltr pots I am sure I paid somthing silly like up to £5 each!
And I have about 10 of them

[Aberdeenplotter]

mine are 15ltr so I don't feel so bad now. Will be my better half who is using them. I'm quite happy with 3 gallon pots for my toms

[spamvindaloo]

Anyone tried these for tomatoes?

Resurrecting a very old thread but did you plant your tomatoes in air pots?

I'm thinking of trying them. The air pots website recommends 10 litre pots for tomatoes which isn't hugely expensive (I think around £4) and probably good value if they produce the best tomatoes ever but expensive if they're rubbish.

I'd be keen to hear from anybody who had grown tomatoes in them. I'm assuming because of water loss that any tomatoes in these in a polytunnel would definitely need constant drip irrigation?

[Aberdeenplotter]

My better half has now grown her toms in airpots for two seasons. Verdict. No better than growing in ordinary pots. No worse either

[spamvindaloo]

No better than growing in ordinary pots. No worse either

Was there no improvement at all in the root system? I had thought instead of using the air pots throughout the growing that I might just try the cheaper 1 litre pots to get them started with a good root system then finish them off in the (much,much) cheaper Morrisons buckets.

If it made no difference whatsoever to the plant though I think I'll stay clear.

[Kristen]

My thinking is that Airpots will make no different to a crop, like , Tomatoes. For a larger plant, like a tree, which will be planted out and perhaps resents root disturbance (Eucalyptus is a good example - doesn't resent root disturbance, but if they become pot-bound, before planting out, the roots never properly build a robust anchor and are then prone to falling over years later). The airpot "prunes" the roots as they approach the edge of the airpots, and enter the cones in the perimeter, instead of growing to the edge and then being diverted to circle around the perimeter, as with a regular pot.

For a crop like Tomatoes I can't, in my mind, translate that root-pruning action into anything beneficial for the Tomato plant (or, perhaps more correctly, I can't see what detriment there is to the plant of forming a dense rootball and the roots circling the edge of the pots). The pot does need to be large enough for the plant, but other than that I don't see airpots providing an advantage.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Was there no improvement at all in the root system? I had thought instead of using the air pots throughout the growing that I might just try the cheaper 1 litre pots to get them started with a good root system then finish them off in the (much,much) cheaper Morrisons buckets.

If it made no difference whatsoever to the plant though I think I'll stay clear.

Yes, there were more capillary type roots but no better a crop !!

[spamvindaloo]

Yes, there were more capillary type roots but no better a crop !!

Thanks, Morrisons flower buckets it is then.

For a crop like Tomatoes I can't, in my mind, translate that root-pruning action into anything beneficial for the Tomato plant

Can you think of any soft (not tree) fruit or veg that would benefit from a dense fibrous root system? I had wondered about my blueberries. I've already decided it would be easier to grow them in pots in ericaceous compost and I had wondered if air pots would help them.

I'm starting to think though from what AP says that they are an expensive gimmick..