Superoots Air Pots -An Evolution in Containers
- Thread starter Bandit420
- Start date
ill pull up a seat for this one. +rep
- Thread starter
- #43
Thanks for the reps guys! This thing is about to get wild! Those clones in the regular pots are going to be transplanted into the 2 gallon air pots and moved to another garden. And yes, that garden will have a journal.
It will be a flowering only garden for extra clones and a bunch of spare parts I have accumulated over the years. It will be a 2x3x6 tent w/ 2 150 watt HPS lights and possibly a LED. The soil will be undiluted Happy Frog and the nutes will be whatever I have leftover or get for free.
It's going to be my hash garden. The caretaker will get the colas and I keep everything else for making hash. Stay tuned!
It will be a flowering only garden for extra clones and a bunch of spare parts I have accumulated over the years. It will be a 2x3x6 tent w/ 2 150 watt HPS lights and possibly a LED. The soil will be undiluted Happy Frog and the nutes will be whatever I have leftover or get for free.
It's going to be my hash garden. The caretaker will get the colas and I keep everything else for making hash. Stay tuned!
Thanks for the reps guys! This thing is about to get wild! Those clones in the regular pots are going to be transplanted into the 2 gallon air pots and moved to another garden. And yes, that garden will have a journal.
It will be a flowering only garden for extra clones and a bunch of spare parts I have accumulated over the years. It will be a 2x3x6 tent w/ 2 150 watt HPS lights and possibly a LED. The soil will be undiluted Happy Frog and the nutes will be whatever I have leftover or get for free.
It's going to be my hash garden. The caretaker will get the colas and I keep everything else for making hash. Stay tuned!
no problem.
thanks for sharing the air pots with us.
i cant wait to tune into your hash garden
keep up the good work!
- Thread starter
- #45
it's getting to be more difficult to keep up whith the mother plant's heavy feeding. I've uped her waterintg to two gallons every 2-3 days now and she only has about a 1/4 gallon of run off. I typically feed a 5 gallon plant 1 gallon of water every 3-4 days.
Just peeking in. Myself I'm using some smart pots and growing in a 3 gallon size. I thik a 3 will hold enough root structure to support a 4 footer. After all after awhile all the dirt does is provide support for the plant. Well not near all but. Mother Plant is looking nice there dude. GL And lets get a star on your ratings Ya'll. Lates
Hey Orange Well, truthfully I'm having trouble telling when to water. I fringin can't tell by weight. They are heavy as lead all the time. The soil on top drys out, but a finger poke feels damp. Think I should let them dry out for few days? 4 or 5? Oh! They also get 20 or 30 minutes showers every day and night here.
Not even thinking of nutes at this time since they have just been planted in FFOF. Thanks.
- Thread starter
- #48
Here's another comparison shot of the batch of clones today.
For the second time in 3 days I've had to feed the Mother 2 gallons of water.
For the second time in 3 days I've had to feed the Mother 2 gallons of water.
- Thread starter
- #49
WW clone in 3 liter Air Pot after 1 week
Jasonlee247
New Member
umkay, I'm a little unsure about these airpots right now, probably because I'm more of a hydro guy than a soil surfer, but with say, Rockwool cubes that have the plastic wrap, when you run them in an Ebb & Flow they will actually wick air down into them when the tray drains. Now since I've moved into my new home (Which I can proudly now call myself a 'HoMeOwNeR' lol I've resorted to a passive Hydroponic System in which I hand water my medium. I'm Using Coir (my prefered medium) and water quickly and heavily to simulate the wicking effect that you would normally get via Ebb & Flow. You can check out some of my pics in the photo gallery by typing my username into the search in the photogallery. ..Anywho. Using Coir as a medium (which is already great for airation as long as you mix a little perlite/silica stone/hydroton in with it to keep it from compacting) can you explain in more detail how these airpots would benefit my plants? I may be a little medicated, but I don't see how they would signifigantly increase airation to my root systems having many points of air access rather than a wicking/suction type aeration. Is it like say "you flip a full gallon jug upsidedown, the negative pressure (vaccuum) causes air to penetrate from multiple places rather than just one big place? penetrating the grow medium from multiple points rather than just from the top down??
.....and also, do you notice a quicker fall-out of Iron due to the increased aeration of your grow medium?
Hmmmmm....this airpot thingy combined with the vapors of Cindy99 make me contimplate even the meaning of the word "meaning"....
.....and also, do you notice a quicker fall-out of Iron due to the increased aeration of your grow medium?
Hmmmmm....this airpot thingy combined with the vapors of Cindy99 make me contimplate even the meaning of the word "meaning"....
- Thread starter
- #51
Hi jason!
Unfortunately I cannot recommend these pots for a hydroponic application. For hydro I would recommend regular net pots or better yet, fabric pots like Smart Pots or the CAP Gro Pot to use with coir in an ebb & flo set up. You could use the air pots but they will give you the same results as net pots but the net pot is only a fraction of the cost of an air pot and the net pots are more readily available.
It's in my opinion that the Air Pot should be used with the richest undiluted soil possible. Extra perlite or any other additives besides a rich compost are not needed.
My test plant is in a 5.2 gallon Air Pot and is sucking up an average of a gallon a day.
Her feeding regimine is 2 gallons of tap water mixed with 20ml of General Organics Bio Marine and when I fertilize her every other watering she gets 2 gallons mixed with 20ml of Bio Thrive Grow + 5 ml of Bio Weed + 5-10ml of Earth Juice Humic Acid + 20ml of Medina's Horticulture Molasses. She is putting on 1-2 inches of new growth in all directions every day and has not shown any sign of nutrient deficiencies. I never give her plain water.
I will go ahead and confirm my opening theory in that these pots can combine the ease of soil with the performance of hydroponics. The root system recieves an abundant amount of oxygen like hydro which is resulting in the overly exuberant growth rate. But rather than feeding on a chemical and salt nutrient base it's feeding on a more gentle and natural soil and organic matter nutrient base.
Unfortunately I cannot recommend these pots for a hydroponic application. For hydro I would recommend regular net pots or better yet, fabric pots like Smart Pots or the CAP Gro Pot to use with coir in an ebb & flo set up. You could use the air pots but they will give you the same results as net pots but the net pot is only a fraction of the cost of an air pot and the net pots are more readily available.
It's in my opinion that the Air Pot should be used with the richest undiluted soil possible. Extra perlite or any other additives besides a rich compost are not needed.
My test plant is in a 5.2 gallon Air Pot and is sucking up an average of a gallon a day.
Her feeding regimine is 2 gallons of tap water mixed with 20ml of General Organics Bio Marine and when I fertilize her every other watering she gets 2 gallons mixed with 20ml of Bio Thrive Grow + 5 ml of Bio Weed + 5-10ml of Earth Juice Humic Acid + 20ml of Medina's Horticulture Molasses. She is putting on 1-2 inches of new growth in all directions every day and has not shown any sign of nutrient deficiencies. I never give her plain water.
I will go ahead and confirm my opening theory in that these pots can combine the ease of soil with the performance of hydroponics. The root system recieves an abundant amount of oxygen like hydro which is resulting in the overly exuberant growth rate. But rather than feeding on a chemical and salt nutrient base it's feeding on a more gentle and natural soil and organic matter nutrient base.
- Thread starter
- #52
Finally got a good shot that really shows the difference in bio mass between the air pot clones and the standard 4x6 pot clones. Each day the air pot plants pull further and further ahead.
The regular pot clones will be potted up to 2 gallon Air Pots in the next 24 hours.
The regular pot clones will be potted up to 2 gallon Air Pots in the next 24 hours.
Finally got a good shot that really shows the difference in bio mass between the air pot clones and the standard 4x6 pot clones. Each day the air pot plants pull further and further ahead.
The regular pot clones will be potted up to 2 gallon Air Pots in the next 24 hours.
Can't argue with the results. AirPots do the job better.
aphoric
New Member
I'm loving mine so far. I had two Jilly Bean clones that were ready 9 days apart. The second one maybe wasn't ready, but I wanted to get it moved into an Air Pot. After 15 days, the Air Pot (started later) clone has caught up. So it seems to have made up 9 days in 15, which would be about twice as fast.
I also just started flowering a Trainwreck that was put into a 5.2g Air Pot. That thing takes a hell of a lot of water, but takes 2 days to get mostly dry. I love these things
I also just started flowering a Trainwreck that was put into a 5.2g Air Pot. That thing takes a hell of a lot of water, but takes 2 days to get mostly dry. I love these things
- Thread starter
- #55
Got some discouraging news on the hash garden front.
The 2 gallon Air Pots are too big and would allow us to only get four plants in the small space rather than seven like we want so the air pots will not be used for that garden.
However with one plan not working another has been presented.
The 2 plants in three liter airpots will be transplanted into 2 gallon air pots and brought to flower. They will flower under the same T5 fixture where they are vegging but the bulbs will be changed to flowering bulbs and an LED lamp will be daisy chained to the T5 fixture.
First I need to use the T5 light for one more batch of clones and then the flowering will begin.
The 2 gallon Air Pots are too big and would allow us to only get four plants in the small space rather than seven like we want so the air pots will not be used for that garden.
However with one plan not working another has been presented.
The 2 plants in three liter airpots will be transplanted into 2 gallon air pots and brought to flower. They will flower under the same T5 fixture where they are vegging but the bulbs will be changed to flowering bulbs and an LED lamp will be daisy chained to the T5 fixture.
First I need to use the T5 light for one more batch of clones and then the flowering will begin.
- Thread starter
- #56
Update time for the project!
The side by side veg comparison is over and the hands down winner in such a dominating manner is the Air Pots.
The regular pot clones have moved on to the hash garden and the two Air Pot clones remain. They'll be potted up and moved to flower next week.
15 days ago these clones were branches on the mother and now they're already established enough to go to bloom. I dont care if you're a noob or seasoned vet, that kind of a turn around is special.
When I pot up I'll be sure to take plenty of pics to show the pots being opened up and transplanted.
I had a bit of a thrip problem until last week. I used Doktor Doom to fumigate and then Jungle Rain's Clean Leaf to remove any residue from the bomb or thrip corpses. These pics are 24 hours after the treatments.
The Mother has been pruned. Alot of her lower and inner canopy has been removed. She's feeding somewhat normal at a gallon per day and half. I've also added General Organics CAMAG to her fertilzer regimine. I've decreased her fertilizer feedings to every three waterings instead of every other watering. She still gets 10-20 ml of Bio Marine with every watering that does not have the full fertilizer menu.
The side by side veg comparison is over and the hands down winner in such a dominating manner is the Air Pots.
The regular pot clones have moved on to the hash garden and the two Air Pot clones remain. They'll be potted up and moved to flower next week.
15 days ago these clones were branches on the mother and now they're already established enough to go to bloom. I dont care if you're a noob or seasoned vet, that kind of a turn around is special.
When I pot up I'll be sure to take plenty of pics to show the pots being opened up and transplanted.
I had a bit of a thrip problem until last week. I used Doktor Doom to fumigate and then Jungle Rain's Clean Leaf to remove any residue from the bomb or thrip corpses. These pics are 24 hours after the treatments.
The Mother has been pruned. Alot of her lower and inner canopy has been removed. She's feeding somewhat normal at a gallon per day and half. I've also added General Organics CAMAG to her fertilzer regimine. I've decreased her fertilizer feedings to every three waterings instead of every other watering. She still gets 10-20 ml of Bio Marine with every watering that does not have the full fertilizer menu.
- Thread starter
- #57
Here's how I transplanted two plants from .8 gallon Air Pots to 3.4 gallon Air Pots.
It's best to transplant with the rootball on the dry side. You never want to water the plant and then transplant. Doing so would add weight to the soil and it could break away causing severe damage to the root ball.
If you have the 3 liter or 4x6 inch Air Pots they have a different type of button than the larger pots and should have come with the Air Pot tool. If not, a screwdriver or allen wrench will work.
Using the tool with one hand and using my index finger of my other hand to push the button from the inside of the pot, I back the button out of the Air Pot to release the pot.
Being very gentle and cautious, I keep one hand under the pot and use the other to slightly peel back the Air Pot. I then gently set the rootball down and then pull the pot completely away from the rootball. I then grasp the rootball by the sides to pull it away from the screen and insert it into the new pot.
And there you have it! The two plants probably have a bit of shock in the pic. I'll take another photo in 24 hours and I bet they wont even look like the same plants.
Take note of those root balls. No coiling or binding what so ever. They're growing in a much more natural manner due to the air pruning than what can be expected with a regular nursery container or home drilled buckets and containers. This is why container selection should have just as much thought put into it as the lights and nutes a grower chooses to use.
The soil mix used here is 1 bag of Ocean Forest + 1 bag of Light Warrior + 1/2 bag of Happy Frog. Also an inert plastic screen was placed at the bottom of the new pot to prevent extreme run off of soil.
I could definately use a 2 gallon Air Pot for flowering but I'm using the 3.4 during these upcoming warm months to help insulate the root ball from the heat.
BTW- This was kind of a messy job so I highly recommend doing it outside unless you have a shop vac readily available
It's best to transplant with the rootball on the dry side. You never want to water the plant and then transplant. Doing so would add weight to the soil and it could break away causing severe damage to the root ball.
If you have the 3 liter or 4x6 inch Air Pots they have a different type of button than the larger pots and should have come with the Air Pot tool. If not, a screwdriver or allen wrench will work.
Using the tool with one hand and using my index finger of my other hand to push the button from the inside of the pot, I back the button out of the Air Pot to release the pot.
Being very gentle and cautious, I keep one hand under the pot and use the other to slightly peel back the Air Pot. I then gently set the rootball down and then pull the pot completely away from the rootball. I then grasp the rootball by the sides to pull it away from the screen and insert it into the new pot.
And there you have it! The two plants probably have a bit of shock in the pic. I'll take another photo in 24 hours and I bet they wont even look like the same plants.
Take note of those root balls. No coiling or binding what so ever. They're growing in a much more natural manner due to the air pruning than what can be expected with a regular nursery container or home drilled buckets and containers. This is why container selection should have just as much thought put into it as the lights and nutes a grower chooses to use.
The soil mix used here is 1 bag of Ocean Forest + 1 bag of Light Warrior + 1/2 bag of Happy Frog. Also an inert plastic screen was placed at the bottom of the new pot to prevent extreme run off of soil.
I could definately use a 2 gallon Air Pot for flowering but I'm using the 3.4 during these upcoming warm months to help insulate the root ball from the heat.
BTW- This was kind of a messy job so I highly recommend doing it outside unless you have a shop vac readily available
newbie2010
New Member
NICE -
thanks again -
thanks again -
Hey Buddy I really don't think AirPots have the standard root ball, it's more like a big tap root and legs of roots going out in all directions. I saw picture on one of the AirPot sites and they had washed the dirt away and that tap root was not clogged up at all. Love these things so far.
- Thread starter
- #60
I agree 100%. The one thing this test has not shown is how a plant started from seed will do.Hey Buddy I really don't think AirPots have the standard root ball, it's more like a big tap root and legs of roots going out in all directions. I saw picture on one of the AirPot sites and they had washed the dirt away and that tap root was not clogged up at all. Love these things so far.
Being clones, they dont have one tap root and thousands of feeder roots coming off that tap root. They have dozens of tap roots with thousands of feeder roots. When those tap roots poke thru the air holes in the side of the pot they form a callus at the tip and start growing more tap roots off the part of the original tap root that's still in the soil. It's kinda like if you cut off the end of your finger and instead of having a nub, your finger grows two more fingers out of the side of the nub to grow as long as the original finger. Then those new fingers get cut off and the process repeats itself.
This is why the plants are feeding so heavily. Instead of the plant feeding itself with small feeder roots they're gorging on nutes because they're feeding thru tap roots.
I got a delivery confirmation # yesterday on some new seed stock. Hopefully they dont get intercepted and make it here. The strain is Yumboldt 47 and I plan on using Air Pots for every stage of the grow. My biggest question is will that massive tap root from a seed do the same type of branching? Should be very interesting!