Grow Room smart pots/ anyone use them?

[SmashedbyHashish]

These things are awesome! So I 1st bought sm/pots in November & have had a compairison grow twice now. Once w/ medijuana & then w/ poppies. The medi grow is very interesting, I used the same soil mix for both. Both were in 5 gal containers, one was a common plastic bucket & the other was a sm/pot. Both had been topped at the 5th node & really had the same form. The one in the sm/pot harvested 2weeks earlier than the one in the bucket, it also yielded an ounce & a half more mj. With the poppies it was the same soil (50/50 ss pm 4 & /OF) both were in 3 gal pots. The one in the sm/pot had 6 large pods & 4 smaller ones while the other only has 6 medium pods.

I thing I've found w/ sm/pots is they must be kept off the ground, whether it outside or indoors makes no difference. I'll tell you why, for several reasons. (1) when indoors if on a cold floor it will transfer to the plant & stunt or even kill. (B) When left on the floor there is no longer an air barrier & the plant tries to grow a tap root, this is bad believe it or not. Remember the whole purpose is to fill ever sq inch w/ root. By eliminating the tap root the plant makes a "spider web" like root system like no other I've seen, even hydro root are thicker. They are hair like for the majority, but there is larger roots at the base of the plant. Along w/ the mycorrhzai these root systems have been incredible. Along w/ quicker harvest & higher yield, you can't go wrong w/ them.

 

[Jackal]

You have sparked a interest in smart pots from back on the old site, I wanna try some also wanna try airpots.

 

[SmashedbyHashish]

Sorry TBM they do eliminate the tap root. Not from the very start, but 2" below the surface you can't find one. Would be happy to show a video of me emptying a smart pot so that everyone could see. I've had at least 30 & could never find a tap root.

 

[Jackal]

Show us, I just wanna see how the roots use up the space.

 

[SmashedbyHashish]

Argue sounds angry & I am not either. I would rather have logical intelligent conversations about my experience. Haveing said that, I will continue. Haven't figured how to load a video but I see others have so I will figure it out. The logic behind mmt claim is this, a tap root is the 1st root to grow, it is the dominate root if you will. It is also the 1st root to become air pruned, when this happens it starts to branch rite then leaveing a very small tap root. The plant probably freaks out as it starts a 2nd tap root (so far all have had this except #1sa which had 3 & was in a 10gal sm/pot) to compensate, & in doing so to no avail. I guess you could call them tap roots but not in a traditional definition of the words. These "tap roots" have no girth to them, maybe the size of a pencil. Tomorrow I will upload video, I have 3 I haven't emptied from last weeks harvest.

 

[roadsidevendor1]

does the smart pot have a rigid bottom? since it needs to be elevated off the floor for airflow,how is that done?
i have seen several grows that look to be in some type a bag/pot but i thought they were some type of liner that was supposed to be inserted into a hard bodied pot. also is there a problem with moving the smart pots when full of soil,
do they need to be left in place once filled? thanks....RSV1

 

[roadsidevendor1]

ok are we talking about those mesh bottom things you built with the spikey/cone things all over?
you use gravel and sand and oil absorber in yours though right? will plain ole dirt work just as well,or will it flow out the holes when you water?

 

[SmashedbyHashish]

does the smart pot have a rigid bottom? since it needs to be elevated off the floor for airflow,how is that done?

also is there a problem with moving the smart pots when full of soil,
do they need to be left in place once filled? thanks....RSV1

Sm/pots are made of a construction grade material that can be washed in your washer time & again. They do need to be elevated to allow air flow under as well. I keep mine on small metal racks about 2" off the floor. Some come w/ handle cut into the fabric for easy moveing. I set my plant in the shower on a milk crate to water & feed. I use Sunshine Advanced promix 4 & I water/feed 3x a week. W/ my 3gal I flussh w/ 2gal & feed w/ my 3rd, this insures rinsing old salts out, after letting sit for a joint or 2 I finish w/ one gal of food all while in the shower on a milk crate. I water 2 plants (atm) every day. Everyone has their way, I find this best for me.

 

[roadsidevendor1]

thank you,
it sounds like you found the answer to 1 of the biggest dilemnas that new growers face
the when and how much to water problem
also it sounds unlikely that you would have a problem with nute burn,
sounds labor intensive but with all the mistakes I've made so far
a little hard work may be just the ticket
but the pro-mix is a problem..all thats available locally is wal-mart,lowes and home depot

 

[SmashedbyHashish]

That water schedule fluxuates w/ the weather/temp. If we are in the 70's or lower it could be 3 watering every 8-9 days. The best way I know to water is by wieght, if my pots are lite they obviously need water. Learning to read your plants is key, spend as much time w/ them as you can. I can easly recognize the subtle signs of dehydration from watching them & have failed a few times.

---------- Post added 07-20-2011 at 12:52 AM ----------

That link wouldn't load for mme tbm...