ROOTMAKER POTS/ air pruning...what do you think?

solarguy

solarguy

Active Member
anybody ever use rootmaker pots? or root pruning pots i think they are called... i have a few plants in the 1 gallon and 3 gallon in this photo...

what is your experience? can you use a smaller pot to achieve the same plant? this way growing more plants in a area...

also how is transplanting working with these? will the roots grow out again one transplanted?
View attachment 1208725
 
Brick Top

Brick Top

New Member
Air root pruning pots work very well. Regardless of a pot being an air root pruning pot or not you want to use as large of a pot size as you have room for, without going overboard and using something like 10 or 15-gallon pots. Roots will continue to grow after transplanting but you are better off starting your plants in the largest pot size you will use, the size pots your plants will finish in. Unless you have to start with smaller pots and re-pot there is no valid reason to start with smaller pots and up-pot later.
 
solarguy

solarguy

Active Member
Brick Top said:
Air root pruning pots work very well. Regardless of a pot being an air root pruning pot or not you want to use as large of a pot size as you have room for, without going overboard and using something like 10 or 15-gallon pots. Roots will continue to grow after transplanting but you are better off starting your plants in the largest pot size you will use, the size pots your plants will finish in. Unless you have to start with smaller pots and re-pot there is no valid reason to start with smaller pots and up-pot later.
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word, sounds like you know your stuff so i will ask you this too...

what about starting a plant in a smaller non root pruning pot and transplanting into the rootmaker pots. IF the roots are already lower than the first few layers of holes in the root pruning pots, will the roots use those hole and grow up towards them? or is it almost a wast of that portion of the pot?
 
Brick Top

Brick Top

New Member
solarguy said:
word, sounds like you know your stuff so i will ask you this too...

what about starting a plant in a smaller non root pruning pot and transplanting into the rootmaker pots. IF the roots are already lower than the first few layers of holes in the root pruning pots, will the roots use those hole and grow up towards them? or is it almost a wast of that portion of the pot?
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Regardless of the level of roots in a small pot, when transplanted into a larger pot the roots will grow out at whatever level they are at and they will eventually come in contact with air and the roots will be air pruned.

If you start plants out in small pots and allow them to grow long enough to become root-bound you will need to score the sides and bottom of the root-ball if you want the roots to spread the way they should. Once tightly root-bound, when transplanted the roots will not spread out quickly and will instead continue to remain in a tight ball for some time. Scoring/cutting the outer edges of roots will cause them to push out new shoots and they will head out and down into the fresh soil, just like air pruning causes them to do.
 
solarguy

solarguy

Active Member
what are trhe holes on the sides for then? i thought the roots were supposed to grow out to the holes?

lets say the roots are say 6 inches down to the bottom, not root bound, and are transplanted into a bigger pot. The first set of holes in is every 2 inches down in layers decreasing in volume...will the roots grow up to those upper layers? or are they wasted since the roots are already 6 inches down when transplanted?
 
Brick Top

Brick Top

New Member
solarguy said:
what are trhe holes on the sides for then? i thought the roots were supposed to grow out to the holes?

lets say the roots are say 6 inches down to the bottom, not root bound, and are transplanted into a bigger pot. The first set of holes in is every 2 inches down in layers decreasing in volume...will the roots grow up to those upper layers? or are they wasted since the roots are already 6 inches down when transplanted?
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When a root tip (or edge of root) comes in contact with air the root sprouts out in two roots. The pots are called air root pruning pots because the air prunes the roots causing them to split into two or more roots like if you trim the above ground portion of plants and where you cut it, it splits off in two (or more) shoots.

Roots do not only grow downward. There are roots just under the surface of the soil that grow laterally and roots than grow downward an angles and others that grow down. Each has it's own somewhat differing purpose. Some are largely for stability along with water/nutrient intake and others are less for stability and more for water/nutrient intake. At whatever level roots may be at in a small pot, when transplanted into a larger pot there is fresh soil around the existing root-ball and some roots will grow laterally and others will grown at downward angles and others will grow down, all into the fresh soil and all at different levels, so no, the upper holes on air root pruning pots will not go unused or wasted or whatever. The upper lateral growing roots in the existing root-ball will continue to grow laterally more or less at the level they are already at and others will continue on more or less in the direction they were already growing.
 
solarguy

solarguy

Active Member
sweet good answers man, thanks alot! plus rep fosho.

like you noticed above in pic, that is a fan in the corner there that rotates...its lowest setting seems to me like its too much. Maybe its because i just got the fan and the stems are weak but it looks like the hurricane in there for the plants closest to the fan...is this ok? i feel like even with the most strength the leaves and stems they will still blow fiercely with it being so close...also the leaves are being blown away from the light with the fan hits these leaves since they are bending and going under and over other branches...what do you think or recommend?

also could i cut holes in those rose buckets in the above pic? would it work even though they are flat and straight unlike most root maker pots which have like steps or layers to them....

thanks Brick.
 
Brick Top

Brick Top

New Member
If you are concerned that your fan is blowing too hard on your plants re-aim your fan so it blows slightly above and around the plants, so it hits the walls/sides of your grow area. It will still circulate air through your plants. When I use a circulating fan I aim it so the bulk of the moving air is just above the top of small plants, mostly between the tops and my light. It still makes them sway, which is important to build stem and branch strength, but it does not beat them like a storm. Later it can be re-directed to blow more through the plants if I feel it is needed. Either way a fan will circulate the air in the grow area causing plants to sway laterally and to move fresh air through them.

If you were asking if you can make your own air root pruning pots by drilling holes in your existing pots, I really can't say how effective it would be. I have never tried that and I don't know anyone who has tried it. I do not know what minimum amount of openings/holes in relation to total pot size might be needed to produce the results desired, or what maximum amount of openings/holes there might be where going beyond it might cause a problem.

If you want to experiment, purchase one air root pruning pot in the same size as the pot or pots you now have or will use in the future and attempt to duplicate the size, number and location of the holes of the air root pruning pot by drilling holes in your pots and then when your grow is finished, and also if/when you re-pot during the grow, compare the root development of each and also of course the above soil plant growth final results of each. If your home made air root pruning pots work as well or nearly as well, save your money and stick with them rather than purchasing more. If not, purchase more air root pruning pots.
 
solarguy

solarguy

Active Member
Brick Top said:
If you are concerned that your fan is blowing too hard on your plants re-aim your fan so it blows slightly above and around the plants, so it hits the walls/sides of your grow area. It will still circulate air through your plants. When I use a circulating fan I aim it so the bulk of the moving air is just above the top of small plants, mostly between the tops and my light. It still makes them sway, which is important to build stem and branch strength, but it does not beat them like a storm. Later it can be re-directed to blow more through the plants if I feel it is needed. Either way a fan will circulate the air in the grow area causing plants to sway laterally and to move fresh air through them.

If you were asking if you can make your own air root pruning pots by drilling holes in your existing pots, I really can't say how effective it would be. I have never tried that and I don't know anyone who has tried it. I do not know what minimum amount of openings/holes in relation to total pot size might be needed to produce the results desired, or what maximum amount of openings/holes there might be where going beyond it might cause a problem.

If you want to experiment, purchase one air root pruning pot in the same size as the pot or pots you now have or will use in the future and attempt to duplicate the size, number and location of the holes of the air root pruning pot by drilling holes in your pots and then when your grow is finished, and also if/when you re-pot during the grow, compare the root development of each and also of course the above soil plant growth final results of each. If your home made air root pruning pots work as well or nearly as well, save your money and stick with them rather than purchasing more. If not, purchase more air root pruning pots.
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your a good dude, thanks...i love the idea about just raising the fan im an idiot for not thinking of that, i raise my pots to keep it even...do you keep the fan on throught the whole grow?

when talking about making air pruning pots it seems to me like it would work....its just holes to let air in...i hope.
 
Catherine Patry

Catherine Patry

Member
solarguy said:
anybody ever use rootmaker pots? or root pruning pots i think they are called... i have a few plants in the 1 gallon and 3 gallon in this photo...

what is your experience? can you use a smaller pot to achieve the same plant? this way growing more plants in a area...

also how is transplanting working with these? will the roots grow out again one transplanted?
View attachment 1208725
Click to expand...
I don't know I just ordered 6 from Amazon and I'm going to do my autoflowers watch grow pot cheaply the first four inches he has massive massive autoflowers with big thick stocks
 
Creature!

Creature!

Member
Catherine Patry said:
I don't know I just ordered 6 from Amazon and I'm going to do my autoflowers watch grow pot cheaply the first four inches he has massive massive autoflowers with big thick stocks
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How did your RootMakers workout for you? I just got some and could use your advice.
 
deno

deno

Well-Known Member
Brick Top is spot on with his info. Air pruning works because the plant root will branch out once it hits air. With normal pots the root will circle around, and not branch. Felt grow pots claim to air prune, and are cheap. I'm trying them now - five 7gal under 1kw HID. I started my seeds in them.
 
Creature!

Creature!

Member
Yeah, I'm waiting for my cuttings to root (Pure Power Plant) then I'll be able to put them in the pots and watch how well it goes.
 
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