When starting out I had a hard time deciding, so I got both and looking back, this is what I would have found informative... Maybe someone else will.
Indoors -
I found that Fabric pots are the way to go. They are much easier to water. Much less messy as soil cant fall out or the air pots. The air pruning effect seems to live up to its claims. The entire pot was filled with a beautiful healthy root ball.
The only downside to the fabric pot was the nutrient buildup. The fabric holds onto salts and doesnt lend well to flushing in my experience.
The Air Pot, indoors, was found to be both difficult to water and messy. With holes all around the pot, an amount of soil is lost thru the pot. Not to mention as water finds the holes, it takes that path of least resistance, making watering inefficient to say the least.
Indoors, with such short grow periods, the root ball of the fabric pot was MUCH healthier and full than the air pot in my experience.
Outdoors -
Outdoors, I found the air pots far better. After starting the plants from clones and growing their root balls from 1 gallon pots to their final 3 gal (air pot with no bottom) and 5 gal (fabric)
The 5 gal fabric pot outdoors grew into a fine plant with a fine root ball. It took a massive amount of soil to start it. Halfway thru, I decided to move the pot and found that its roots had grown thru the bottom and into the ground. This stunted it briefly.
The 3 gal Air Pot, with no bottom in it filled out nicely and did amazing. The plant was easily double the size of the plant in the 5 gal fabric pot. Thanks to the roots having access to the ground, the plant handled periods without rain with zero give a damn. The plant basically lived in the ground, with the exception of a beautiful 3 gallon root ball that made feeding it very efficient. Not to mention it took MUCH less soil to start than the fabric pot and did so much more with it.
Outdoors, with larger plants and longer grow season, I found the freedom for the plant in a bottomless pot and a direct line for feeding far superior than the larger fabric pot.
Cheers
Indoors -
I found that Fabric pots are the way to go. They are much easier to water. Much less messy as soil cant fall out or the air pots. The air pruning effect seems to live up to its claims. The entire pot was filled with a beautiful healthy root ball.
The only downside to the fabric pot was the nutrient buildup. The fabric holds onto salts and doesnt lend well to flushing in my experience.
The Air Pot, indoors, was found to be both difficult to water and messy. With holes all around the pot, an amount of soil is lost thru the pot. Not to mention as water finds the holes, it takes that path of least resistance, making watering inefficient to say the least.
Indoors, with such short grow periods, the root ball of the fabric pot was MUCH healthier and full than the air pot in my experience.
Outdoors -
Outdoors, I found the air pots far better. After starting the plants from clones and growing their root balls from 1 gallon pots to their final 3 gal (air pot with no bottom) and 5 gal (fabric)
The 5 gal fabric pot outdoors grew into a fine plant with a fine root ball. It took a massive amount of soil to start it. Halfway thru, I decided to move the pot and found that its roots had grown thru the bottom and into the ground. This stunted it briefly.
The 3 gal Air Pot, with no bottom in it filled out nicely and did amazing. The plant was easily double the size of the plant in the 5 gal fabric pot. Thanks to the roots having access to the ground, the plant handled periods without rain with zero give a damn. The plant basically lived in the ground, with the exception of a beautiful 3 gallon root ball that made feeding it very efficient. Not to mention it took MUCH less soil to start than the fabric pot and did so much more with it.
Outdoors, with larger plants and longer grow season, I found the freedom for the plant in a bottomless pot and a direct line for feeding far superior than the larger fabric pot.
Cheers
