Homemade Veg Air Pruning Pots

CalvinHobbes

CalvinHobbes

Member
For my fellow Maine Growers: A little experiment for making cheap Air Prune Pots.
Peace:weed:

Homemade Veg Air Pruning Pots:

  1. Cut 2 strips of fiberglass Screening 4 inches wide and about a foot long.
2 Strips.JPGCut to 4in..JPG
  1. Place strips perpendicular to one another and staple at edges of the overlaps.
Staple Base.JPG
  1. Align edges of the screen together and staple from the base to 1 inch from the top.
Staple Sides.JPG
  1. Roll tops over and interweave together, Staple where the rolled edges connect.
Roll Top Edges.JPGStaple Rolled Top.JPG
  1. Staple in the centers and anywhere that looks that it might be loose.
Air Pruner Bag.JPG
  1. Check for secure edges and fill with your favorite potting mix. Add your Plants.
Fill With Soil.JPGReady to Veg.JPG
 
...lol, whatever it takes I guess...lol....seems like those staples wouldn't hold up too well, idk...or rust.....anyhow, keep up the experiments ;)
 
I made those out of garden fabric... a pair of 500 liter ones to grow trees in next year...the 250 liter one I got going now is doing its job well so far...how's the fiberglass screen working out for you? does the soil stay in? does it dry up too fast?
 
Just Made them today, I'll let you know how they fair.
Instead of Staples you could probably use fishing line and a needle to stitch them together.
They Actually are quite Strong and don't leak Soil at all.
 
i used staples in mine too :D also weatherproof tape and and stitching...hope they hold...I brought them to my growspot and filled them with plant material to decompose over the winter...free compost, made on-site...
 
I used those felt-like fabric ones once. I honestly didn't see any discernible difference with them (I had regular pots of the same strains going too).
 
tet1953 said:
I used those felt-like fabric ones once. I honestly didn't see any discernible difference with them (I had regular pots of the same strains going too).
Click to expand...

actually, mine isn't felt-like... it's weaved together from plastic strips about 2mm wide...i think this would allow for more airflow and easier root penetration than the fabric you had. I haven't actually harvested anything grown in my things though...first ones are coming down in two-three weeks, then we can see what the rootballs looks like.
 
Yeah, I get that. I am just dubious of the whole air pot concept. If I understand correctly, the idea is that the roots hit air, stop and branch out. Sorta underground pruning, if you will. It sounds plausible and I'm sure it's been proven to occur, I'm just not sure about any significant above-ground results.
 
I am trying some fabric pots out with a soilless mix. I like the Hydrofarm Dirt Pots the best so far. They seem to have the best handles, and are not as expensive as the other brands. You can get them up to 30 gallons. I am trying out 5, 7, and 15 gallon bags with a coco / perlite mix.

How much I like them will depend on a few factors, including how many times I can reuse them.

I only use the fabric pot as the final container. Once the plant is in there, I do not transplant again.
 
I decided to try the mesh bags from seedlings because i read that if you root bound a young plant there may be a chance to not re-root properly,
possibly causing it to not do as well as a well rooted seedling when transplanted.
Unfortunately there is so much data out there it's hard to discern whats important from what's not.
i am going to try making some 20-30 gal screen containers and see how they hold up.
I am also gonna give a try at making a volksgarden vegging machine. If anyone has interest i will try to post pics of that as well. Lemme know what you think.
Peace:weed:
 
..... Must have a lot of time on their hands :-) But I would really like to see a Volksgarden Vegging Machine ! I just hope "The Thing" does not have a lot of "Beetles" ... Honk Honk !! :-)
 
I think the primary benefit of smart pots and the like is idiot proofing. It's easier to get good results with smart pots because the increased drainage and airflow access reduces the likelihood of overwatering and developing anaerobic conditions.
 
Here Is an updated photo of my vegging pot in use.
You can see the roots sticking out the sides, and even a few about halfway down the pot.
There are also plenty sticking out the bottom, Which i think might be a problem for transplanting it,
seeing that some of the roots will have to be cut.
How much of a problem do you vetran growers think this will cause?
Or should i not be too concerned with a few bottom roots?
The plant itself is wicked healthy though, and in about 65 degree temps.
Vegging Pot.JPG
 
Hi all,
In testing these pots i have so far found that as a pot to start plants out in it's a waste of time.(4x4 squares)
For starting plants this really is too much work to bother with. although they release from the pots very easily.
Maybe making Larger pots would cure this(8x8). My plan is to take rooted clones/seedlings and put them into the larger baskets right at the beginning.
From another perspective though i have found them quite successful in cloning. So far i don't even use root stimulants.

In the second area, I use this meshlike fabric that i got at Mardens(It looks like white screen and is 50 cents a square yard)to line laundry baskets.
These plants seem to be doing REAALLLYY well. One of my plants is actually sending off roots going up the Trunk.(Not stalk I said Trunk) XD XD XD:shock:
I will get some pictures today for you to see if you would like to.
Peace :weed:
 
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