Wowser! Hit a soft spot did we?
Proof? How? All I have is words about it. Let me try some of them.
This is from personal first hand experience!
IN TESTING FOR THE MAKER - pre release testing for marketing research.
I was given several sets in my normal used size.
I water, and have for decades. Everyday at lights on. A metered amount to carry me over to the next day.
As the plant grew and the roots grew. The watering would simply flow off the root ball and out the sides and bottom, in the area's within the pot that did not contain roots. Moisture flows right through ultra dry soils, with little to no wetting of that soil.
I had to use more water or feed - for the synthetic run plants. Far more then normal to get the contents of the pot moist enough
TO hold for that 24 hrs to the next.
By having to add more nutrient mix to that application. I just
wasted that increased amount over what I would normally have used to do the same thing, for the same amount of time.
In organic, water only soils. That area around the root ball where they do not grow. Is the
same wasted available nutrient that the roots simply won't grow to use.
Now then, about that root ball. It grows super dense. So dense that it doesn't get the core wet or moist, with anything you water (in my normal way - 24 hrs), you have just cost the plant available total nutrient use for complete growth from all available roots.
I got so interested in that aspect, that when it was time to harvest. I watered the living shit out of it. Let it sit in the run off and after harvesting the plant. Cut the root ball in half and found the core to be dry as a bone.
So, in my book, they are a fail!
You have to use more to get no real improvement in Oxygen being delivered to the roots then you can by other mean's.
You have to use increased amounts of feed or water to accomplish the same thing vs. a normal green house plastic pot.
You have wasted, unused soil space that decreases the effective size used by the plant in organic growing.
This is WASTE!
Waste is $.
I can get more plastic garden pots for the money. Spend less on used nutrients.
Recycle my soil faster and more effectively, and use less soil for real deal organic growing.
As for things like drying out faster.
We'll, even the most ardent supporters of fabric pots agree on that.
I must say that plastic air pots like this.
Allow the roots to grow right out to the holes, and out the bottom like Rockwool. They then get "air pruned". They waste no space but, can result in some increased watering.
Not as big a problem but, in my book, still there.
Increasing o2 to the root zone is as simple as watering less, everyday....
That help you understand?
If you up-pot enough, it limits root bound pots. At the last up pot, simply allow the plant to veg only 8-10 days in a 5-10 gallon pot. Then flip it to bloom. Your not going to get all that "coiling" on the bottom of wasted root growth. Still, if you feed the plant enough. Those roots still work for the plant.
I have more roots available to work in normal pots and air pots. Over fabric pots.
Remember that more roots = more/bigger buds...
Do fabric pots work?
Never said they didn't.
I just choose to not spend more then I have to, for results that are just as good if not better.