A warning onusing smart pots

Just wanted to pass this along to others that use smart pots, or are considering them.

I've been really happy with my smart pots and have been using them for a couple of years.

However, do not place them on the ground in an area where the ground retains moisture. I found out the hard way that this is not a good idea. The soil in the pots could not dry out, and would actually wick the moisture out of the ground underneath them and cause the soil to be too moist. This encouraged root rot in several of my plants and killed them. Not good at all.

Next year I will be using the same pots, in the same location, but I will be placing a layer or two of rocks and rubble underneath them to encourage proper drainage. I may even use some drain pipe ( the kind with holes in it, like for a septic leach field ) to help keep the excess water from building up under them.

Just thought I would pass this on so others don't make the same boo boo as I did.

Yep, I found out to! I put mine on milk crates and put a catch tray underneath and presto, insta awesome!

Here's the rest of it:

dont place smart pots on top of wood and even plastic, ive noticed roots will attempt to grow into wood very easily and get root bound quick causing root growth to stop, yes i know smart pots air prune roots but i wouldnt advise putting them on anything but instead get a larger pot and place em on top of eachother and use something like supersoil or you can even layer your amendments like guanos on the 2nd pot with high in Potassium and phosphorous and have your plant timed to grow into that pot when flowering, very effective.

if you can create a small 1x1 pvc pipe frame and use a strong nylon string and do criss crosses across it you can have your smart pot sit on that (make it strong) itll be most effective for air pruning, i also have used chicken wire with no problems but i am skeptical that metal will be absorbed or flaked onto the roots and you have to worry about rust depending on where you live.

Good call nice tip!

I like how mine root through the pot into the ground soil.

Good ideas folks. Mine are outdoors, so when it rained and the soil got soaked the moisture could not leach out or drain due to it sitting on wet ground for so long. Even after a week after the rains quit the ground under the smart pot was still soaking wet, as was the soil in the pot. If I had put a layer of rocks, or drainrock or something down under the pots that would have kept the bottom dry then my plants would have done all right. Anything to keep them up out of the wet earth but still give good support.

Anyway, that s the plan for next year anyway.

Just something to keep in mind

If you want them outside, on soil. But them on a raised bed.

I don't know what kind of puddle your pot is in but the ground should dry out a little better than that. As other dude said. My geo pots I used, the plant grew through the pot into the ground. It loved it.

azryda420 said:

I don't know what kind of puddle your pot is in but the ground should dry out a little better than that. As other dude said. My geo pots I used, the plant grew through the pot into the ground. It loved it.

Click to expand...

The ground around here has a lot of clay to it. The kind of ground that is hard as a rock when dry, and stays wet forever. Lots of rocks in it to. Thats why I did smart pots and not in the ground. Even though the terrain has a slope to it it still stays wet. I figure that next year I can use the slope to my advantage with rocks and rubble underneath to facilitate drainage.

yes. lots of tree growers in the ne plant large trees on side hills with drainage at the bottom of the hill. Give air pots a try, they are looking good.

That's a horrible design flaw in smart pots. There really should be a poly bottom so roots can't grow through and water can't go up. Who wants to spend 100 dollars a pot and good soil just to have those problems! Also a green or camo color would be awsome

I do have 45 gal camo pots, but there are some I bought from a friend that are even better. These are a tan color ( which matches the ground color ) and have handles sown onto them for easy lifting. I'm not sure who makes them but the handles make them a winner in my book, as I'm getting pretty wimpy in my old age and anything to make lifting those easier is better for me.

Very interesting and useful info. I've never used smart pots I strictly use nets pots at the moment. But this week I asked my local hydro store to order some smart pots for me (not just for herb but for my veggie garden after winter ends). I am very interested to see if they out perform standard net pots or not

georgeisabamf said:

Very interesting and useful info. I've never used smart pots I strictly use nets pots at the moment. But this week I asked my local hydro store to order some smart pots for me (not just for herb but for my veggie garden after winter ends). I am very interested to see if they out perform standard net pots or not

Click to expand...

They worked great for my squash plants

mine work great, my plants tend to root through the bottom as well, just put washed river rock in the sturdy saucer beneath em, use a shop vac to suck up runoff, the rock lets air flow, which air pruned bottom roots as well, I've had super rootbound plants in smart pots and they never show the stress of a circled rootbound in a plastic pot, plus I love the way they dry out, lets me control the nutrients easier so lockout is always avoided, if using outdoors put them in a kiddie pool filled with your fav medium, the run off has to drain twice, but it keeps that wet ground from rotting your roots out.

I don't know how wet your ground is, but I welcome a little bit of water in the soil underneath the pot. In fact, my guerrilla grow is in a swamp with spongy ground. It acts as a wick, making it so I don't have to water as often on those hot days.

I've done a couple of guerilla grows on the banks of a small pond. I've used burlap sacks & smart pots with great success. We just place the pot at the waters edge, & barely had to water.

I love smartpots, the root development is awesome. I sit them on a homemade metal grid, it makes it easy to check the bottom of the pots for watering purposes. I just feel the bottom of the pot and water until it's moist.