Smart pot vs Air pots

[Rosebud]

I have only used smart pots for a couple of years now. I love them too, but not the small one gallon ones..tears up the roots getting them out so i don't use those anymore. I gave a clone of satori to a friend and he has it in a 15 gallon size..one big mother...Wish i had room for that.

 

[NorCalHal]

Great point Rosebud.

I too tried the 1 gall and then transplant to 5's, but it was horrible getting them out, they really lock in.

The root formation is incredible. I love how they root prune and you get alot of latteral root growth. The whole darn pot is a huge rootmass if done right.

So, for those that know me, I used rockwool cubes for cloning forever. And ever. I was gifted a turboclone T-144 from my hydro buddy and decided to use that. He had been on me to try one so I could tell folks if they work or not.
I gotta say, the aerocloners rocked. Pretty much. I was scared about the water temp, so he threw in a 1/4hp water chiller that I set up with the cloner to keep the water where I wanted it, which was 71 degrees...don't ask me why, I liked that number I guess. Maybe some of you all that rock these can give me a better water temp to run it at.
I think I will have to get a water heater pretty soon, I gotta have total control over the water temp, i'm such a freak.

One thing I did notice was that different strains take longer then others. I had 5 different strains in there and 1 particular was barly shooting after 14 days.
I love the MAD root s it makes for the cuts. I think I'm sold.

Anywho, from there, I put them in 16 oz cups of promix and throw them under the T5's. Did not lose one in the transplant. All ragin'. So, from there I veg until they are just getting rootbound, around 7-10 days, then put them in 1 gal traditional plastic pots. Veg for another 6-8 days then they get heavy spiraling in the bottom of the pot then they go into the 5 gal Smart pots and placed under 1000watters with 1500ppm co2.
They go mad. I flip them from there in 8-10 days.
I pot them a little high in the pot,so it utilizes the most out of the Smart pot. You can see from the pics that they love it and even if they are high, it just forms tougher roots. It looks like a scene from Avatar if your were a millimeter tall, haha.

Wow, I wrote all that, I'm really stoned. Off to work.

I REALLY like getting a great rootbase before I transplant, it seems to really make them take off after each transplant.

 

[Roddy]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to NorCalHal again.

 

[BBFan]

I REALLY like getting a great rootbase before I transplant, it seems to really make them take off after each transplant.

Absolutely. You really turn them fast Hal. One thing about the smart pots I notice is the amount of surface roots I get- don't see that too often in traditional plastic or tc pots.

 

[Locked]

I got 2 Larry OG and a Pre 98 Bubba in one gallon Smart Pots at 27 days of flower today and I can't believe how big the buds are on the Larry OG already. Will take some pics tonight and post them up in this thread if ya don't mind NCH.
Loving the Smart Pots and not even thinking of going back to regular pots.

 

[bho_expertz]

I really appreciate your description of what is your method. Thank you a lot :aok:

 

[Rosebud]

I think the roots that impress me the most are the small feeder roots. I just didn't see them in mass until the smart pots. And yes they are a full pot of roots at harvest. I like also how the root structure has some small spaces in it where small pockets of soil remain..very different from other pots. No encircling of roots. a big bonus.

 

[nouvellechef]

Blasphemy!

 

[Rosebud]

Oh dear, are you involved in the "other" kind...do you own the patten? so sorry for blashemy.

 

[nouvellechef]

Oh dear, are you involved in the "other" kind...do you own the patten? so sorry for blashemy.

No. But spent $$$$ on a full set up of pots. No biggie. I am sure I will like them. All about the end product, no matter what pots

 

[NorCalHal]

One thing about the smart pots I notice is the amount of surface roots I get- don't see that too often in traditional plastic or tc pots.

Yes sir, nice surface roots,quite noticable on some.

Will take some pics tonight and post them up in this thread if ya don't mind NCH.

All good, love Larry and Bubba pics!

When did you drop the shredded rw......?
What nutes you running now........?

Started running soiless mix about a year ago, never looked back. Really like it, great root growth. Still running GH 3 part. GH for Life.

is that the 4:20 09 cut.......?

Why yes it is Sir. I love it, You Smoking Mom and Umbra remember that herb. That was a cool weekend. I still remember the cigs you had with the "You will die a horrible death" warning labels.



I hear ya NC. Really, they are very close, and if ya got em, run em.

 

[Roddy]

CONGRATS on tobacco free!!!!

 

[Locked]

Okay here is my Pre 98 Bubba and Larry OG 4 weeks in with 6 weeks to go...one gallon Smart Pots. The Larry OG buds are already so heavy the branches were tipping. I had to stake them. I gotta pick up a cpl more of these pots.

Pre 98 Bubba






Larry OG

 

[NorCalHal]

Hammy those are silly pics! Looks great! Love the Pre-98 and Larry.

I actually jumped off the Bubba train, as I had ran her for many years. Still one of my all time fav smokes for sure. Really into Sativa's right now.

 

[Locked]

Hammy those are silly pics! Looks great! Love the Pre-98 and Larry.

I actually jumped off the Bubba train, as I had ran her for many years. Still one of my all time fav smokes for sure. Really into Sativa's right now.

Thanks Bro....I believe this is the same cut that you had. Awesome smoke especially taste wise. Doesn't rough me up though like the Larry OG. I like to be manhandled by my smoke sometimes...lol My Rez SD x Chemdog DD is showing its Sativa side right now. Big big stretch. She can become a handful if not trained.

 

[NorCalHal]

Haha...The Larry is my Wife's fav smoke at the moment. Really cools her jets! Powerful for sure.
The Bubba is really hard to get mad weight off of, at least for me. 1 p per light was all she wanted to do, no matter how I trained,topped or manipulated her.

I am SUPER glad that you have that Pre-98 cut, as it should be spread and loved by all!

 

[Locked]

Haha...The Larry is my Wife's fav smoke at the moment. Really cools her jets! Powerful for sure.
The Bubba is really hard to get mad weight off of, at least for me. 1 p per light was all she wanted to do, no matter how I trained,topped or manipulated her.

I am SUPER glad that you have that Pre-98 cut, as it should be spread and loved by all!

Yeah even Pig Farmer over at Cannetics says the pre 98 is one strain he can't pull 2 lbs off one tree. She won't win any awards for yield but her smoke is so tasty and she grows so compact that it more then makes up for it.
Speaking of me having this great cut...has anyone heard from our friend Nvthis? Hope all is well with him....and yeah it is up to us to spread the genetics. Just don't do it here lol. I am not advocating anyone to break the rules....

 

[NorCalHal]

It has been a couple of months since I have heard from Nvthis, but I need to hook up with him for sure. He comes down to the Bay Area time to time, he needs to come see me!
If you like that Larry, you will LOVE the Skywalker OG, plain silly.

 

[Locked]

It has been a couple of months since I have heard from Nvthis, but I need to hook up with him for sure. He comes down to the Bay Area time to time, he needs to come see me!
If you like that Larry, you will LOVE the Skywalker OG, plain silly.

I guess I am out of the loop...never heard of Skywalker OG. Guess I need to go over to Cannetics and she what is shaking.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Nice thread Hal!

I used Smart Pots for a long time and I've made the switch to Airpots because of my limited 2 x 4 flowering closet space. For those with smaller spaces and those who use smaller containers Airpots can offer some advantages over Smart Pots. My main advantage with Airpots is that I can fit in eight 2.4 or 3 gal airpots into my flowering space but the 3 gal Smart Pots are a bit too big to pack 8 of them in so I made the switch and for the smaller sizes I've been impressed with how large the plants are that the smaller airpots support.

One advantage of the airpots is they are rigid and much easier to stake my plants in. I also don't notice the compacting and shrinkage of the soil in the Airpots like I do with the Smart Pots. Another thing I really love the Airpots for is they are very easy to transplant from if you let the roots get well developed. The Smart Pots as you've mentioned can be very difficult to get a plant out of and I've stressed out more than a few when I experimented with vegging in small Smart Pots. The roots really attach themself to the fabric on a Smart Pot making you peel the root ball from the pot when you transplant her.

I keep dozens of strain's moms in 16 oz party cups and only transplant them if I intend to veg them larger to flower them or if they get pissed off in the cups as some strains do I'll xplant them to get them back to health for cloning. One great find has been 1/3 gallon Airpots. I can take a plant that is pissed off in a 20 oz cup, xplant it into a .3 gal airpot which only gives it minimal new soil and within a week its much happier and they will support a very happy plant 2-3 feet tall! Here's a pic of a plant I vegged in the .3 gal airpot and then went into a 3 gal Airpot from that but you can see how happy she is. Transplanting from those pots are super easy too... you just remove the thumbscrew and pull the pot wall back from the rootball and you have a very solid soil root plug to pop into your larger pot....

I just ordered a dozen more of the .3 gal Airpots and I'm going to put my culled down 'keeper' moms in them and leave the unproven strains in the party cups til they have their day in the sun and earn themselves an airpot... lol...

One thing I would mention about Airpots is to make sure you put them together right side up... There is a row or two of solid plastic on the proper top 'edge' of the pot and that if you fill it up to that level with soil it forms a 'reservoir' and holds liquid when you water so it doesn't just run down the sides nearly as easily as it does if they are put together wrong. The first time I ordered Airpots they didn't come with directions and I put them together upside down.:doh:After I discovered the directions online and put them together right I noticed they were MUCH easier to water...

Peace~! :joint: