Most efficient pots

Dr. Who said:
Smart pots AREN'T! Their JUNK!

Smart pots air prune and create a root ball massed in a block away from the walls of the pot... This creates the "umbrella effect" mentioned earlier!

You pour the water/feed in and it simply runs out the sides while not effectively getting the root ball wet! You either let the pot sit in the run off - not good, or keep pouring your run off back through - I have better things to do, or pour more through and waste expensive nutrients.....

I tested these damn things for a well know maker before they released them.....I told them what I thought of them. naturally, they did not use any of my feedback in their advertising.....Hunh, wonder why?

Plant Warrior pots are NICE! I went back to the normal everyday inexpensive plastic regulars...
Besides, use a Kelp extract and any pot is better (other then those cloth hats)
Get at least 1 - & gallon and run that beside a 5 and see what you get......
Click to expand...
With alot of the volume being taken from the pot with the cone at the bottom of the warrior pots, are they still true 5 gallons or are they just basing it off the size (being more like 4 gallons)? Also where's the cheapest place to get these?
 
Ifarted420 said:
With alot of the volume being taken from the pot with the cone at the bottom of the warrior pots, are they still true 5 gallons or are they just basing it off the size (being more like 4 gallons)? Also where's the cheapest place to get these?
Click to expand...

Pots are rated by a # on the bottom of the pot. Over the years people adopted calling them "gallons". A plant warrior pot has the same volume per # as the regular pots of the same # (At least the ones I tested that way did years ago when they came out).

You quoted the #5, my go to size....The plant Warrior is taller and bigger around - They make up for the "cone" of root aeration that way.....The best synthetic nutrient "pitch" the dirt when your done pot out there!
 
I just watched a YouTube video today with a lady making fabric pots out of landscaping material @Chunky Stool
I was thinking about trying a fabric pot and one air pot to see the difference in root ball growth from the plastic pots I'm currently using.
 
Joe Blows Trees said:
I just watched a YouTube video today with a lady making fabric pots out of landscaping material @Chunky Stool
I was thinking about trying a fabric pot and one air pot to see the difference in root ball growth from the plastic pots I'm currently using.
Click to expand...
Sounds fun!
Another trick you can use with regular pots is an air pocket in the
bottom. (insert joke here) Just cover the holes with gravel, cover gravel with a disc of landscaping fabric, then fill with soil or whatever. It will prevent root swirl as long as you don't over water.
 
I am with Dr Who. I used to use fabric pots but have switched back to plastic. I also do not like having to pour the water back into the soil just to watch it run down the sides again. I also ran into root issues using them.
I use 18 gallon tubs for flowering along with some 3.8 gallon pots and a 5 gallon bucket. I don't really care for the 5 gallon bucket so much as it stays wetter than I like at the bottom. All of my tubs have 2 inches of hydroton at the bottom covered with shade cloth so the soil does not sit in the small amount of run off.
 
Dr. Who said:
Smart pots AREN'T! Their JUNK!

Smart pots air prune and create a root ball massed in a block away from the walls of the pot... This creates the "umbrella effect" mentioned earlier!

You pour the water/feed in and it simply runs out the sides while not effectively getting the root ball wet! You either let the pot sit in the run off - not good, or keep pouring your run off back through - I have better things to do, or pour more through and waste expensive nutrients.....
Click to expand...
bullshit. if you water them more frequently with less water you don't get any umbrella effect or run off. anything can seem like junk if you don't know how to use it.
 
All pots Are the same more or less.. I get huge roots In smart pots and I get huge roots in plastic pots. I literally have both types of pots in the same tray.. I don't care for any of them in a special kinda way. they're the same shit..
 
Cannabinuck said:
bullshit. if you water them more frequently with less water you don't get any umbrella effect or run off. anything can seem like junk if you don't know how to use it.
Click to expand...

Dbl bullshit back at ya!
I water a metered amount EVERYDAY. More o2 to the roots that way......I've tried shit like that with the dumb pots....the root ball STILL takes over the center of the pot - air pruning = umbrella effect! That's a selling point of the dumb ass pot. OR your not getting enough root growth to fill the available pot space. - A waste as bigger roots make bigger/more buds. Doing something wrong?

OR
Are you pissed because I slammed your pot of choice?

No biggie here!
I don't care what you use...I just added my 2 cents, worth about a nickle on this topic..
 
Dr. Who said:
Dbl bullshit back at ya!
I water a metered amount EVERYDAY. More o2 to the roots that way......I've tried shit like that with the dumb pots....the root ball STILL takes over the center of the pot - air pruning = umbrella effect! That's a selling point of the dumb ass pot. OR your not getting enough root growth to fill the available pot space. - A waste as bigger roots make bigger/more buds. Doing something wrong?

OR
Are you pissed because I slammed your pot of choice?

No biggie here!
I don't care what you use...I just added my 2 cents, worth about a nickle on this topic..
Click to expand...
Wow, now they're debating pots LOL

I wonder how many know what a perched water table is ???
 
I'm very fond of Geopots. Looking at 20 or 25 gallon soon. Inside, on low carts with screen bottoms and wheels. No-Till

Also very fond of constant-moisture systems like Blumat. I haven't experienced runoff or mushroom shaped root balls.

First I've heard of such things and I've been doing this and following others for many years now and again, this is totally news to me.
 
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I always look at my root balls after harvest to see how well they spread. With the smart pot I always found dry spots. When I say dry I mean Dry as a bone! You would think that pouring 1.5 gallons of water into a 10 gallon pot would moisten the soil all the way through but it didn't. I always had to remove a gallon or so from the drip tray and pour it back in a few times.

I also try to keep my soil moist but not wet. Letting it dry out like everyone says to do seems to cause more issues down the road. With plastic pots I use less water and have to water less often.
 
All I can say is you're doing something wrong. Improper soil, poor emitter placement, insufficient water, I dunno. It's clearly out of the norm.

Anyway, glad you found something you're happy with.
 
I just threw out 20+ 10 gal smart pots... By accident in a move (fuck). I will admit even with a flood setup I wasn't pleased with the resulting root mass
 
Everything can be debated and everyone thinks they are the only ones doing it right. Grab whatever pot you like and learn how to work with it. You might be better at growing with plastic and some might be better with fabric. Either way, both will get you some really great cannabis if you learn how to work with them.

I have a friend that started using smartpots, but he still had the grow bags as well. He put one plant in a smartpot and one in the grow bag. The grow bag out performed the smartpot so much that he called and said fuck smartpots! lol Then he told me he waters once a week, I said well theres your problem. He bumped it up to every 3 days on the smartpot and guess what?That plant caught up to the grow bag.

Im not team smartpot because I know they have their limitations. My point is, once again, learn to work with what you got.
 
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If you're looking to conserve water, this ain't the system. Semi-constant drip allows for capillary action to happen. The whole soil ball is hydrated, but does not drip. Roots follow.

I suspect this is largely about the way the fabric pot is watered.
 
RM3 said:
Wow, now they're debating pots LOL

I wonder how many know what a perched water table is ???
Click to expand...
I was thinking perched water table when I read the comment about hydroton. So many people are in denial about the perched water table. I have a friend who own a super fancy plant retail operation. He works with xeric plants and uses exotic medias. He laughs at me when i explain the perched water table dynamics.

Did you hear about it from Tapla on garden web? He's the biggest know it all but his perched water table explanation has influenced loads of folks.
 
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