Smart pots GREAT NEW PRODUCT!

[dogman]

Hey all I've been a lurker for quite some time and have not posted because of all the wealth of info available. I finally have something worth mentioning. There is a fairly new product that is AWESOME for any form of container growing called smart pots. They can be found at Container Gardening, Hydroponic Gardening with Smart Pots Fabric Containers. I've tried plastic, clay and grow bags for growing all of which have strengths and weaknesses but in the end all produce the same results. But these fabric grow pots are a world of difference. Light and re-usable like grow bags but with a HUGE Difference. Yields are 15-20% larger just from using the bag within your normal regimen of growing and nutrition. Aside from quality genetics this is the best purchase I have ever made. I will never use anything else! I have even switched my vegetable plot to all container growing with smart pots with dramatic measurable yield increases. If you are skeptical just buy one and compare the results with your normal results. It will make a believer out of you. Happy gardening.

[TorturedSoul]

Are they a site sponsor?

[dogman]

Not that I know of. I have no interest in the product other than as a happy user. Thought others might like to know about it.

[l8tnightskunk]

I checked them out, didnt seem like something i would be intersted in but thanks for sharing anyway

[oks226]

I have been leaning toward trying them out. 15-20% more yield you say?? Have you done comparisons yourself?

[oks226]

I am trying to decide between those and the earth boxes.

[dogman]

Originally Posted by oks226

I have been leaning toward trying them out. 15-20% more yield you say?? Have you done comparisons yourself?

Yes I have! 6 separate buckets side by side all other factors the same. 45-80 gms added yield per plant! Plants were bushier with stronger stems and closer spaced nodes on all but one of the plants. Also they were all taller. When dumped you could easily tell which roots came from those pots, no circled roots at the bottom and much more developed through the entire medium. Over all they just looked healthier. Their only $5 so it's easy to give one a try and do your own test

[TorturedSoul]

Oh, it's a SOIL thing. Took me a bit to figure it out lol. Sure, would probably work ok for that I think someone used to grow in old-fashioned feed sacks so these would likely work.

Yeah a pot that allows the roots to grow through it would be better than letting them become root-bound in a normal pot that is too small. Then again so would transplanting the plant into an adequately-sized pot lol.

I saw where you mentioned 15-20% yield increase in the first post and 45-80 gram increase in #7, so I am assuming that with 15% equaling 45g and 20% equaling 80 that your plants produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-400 grams each. But how's that work out per unit of area?

In other words, what kind of increase did you get per square foot (or meter)?

[dogman]

I may have been off on my initial estimate now that I do the math. I have an area of 2.3 SQ M and grow in 5 gal pots (medical restrictions) I use 1 600 HPS Hortilux Eye w/Lumatek Ballast on a 4ft light rail. I got a little over 700 gms on normal side and over 1000 on smart pot side.

Originally Posted by TorturedSoul

Oh, it's a SOIL thing. Took me a bit to figure it out lol. Sure, would probably work ok for that I think someone used to grow in old-fashioned feed sacks so these would likely work.

Yeah a pot that allows the roots to grow through it would be better than letting them become root-bound in a normal pot that is too small. Then again so would transplanting the plant into an adequately-sized pot lol.

I saw where you mentioned 15-20% yield increase in the first post and 45-80 gram increase in #7, so I am assuming that with 15% equaling 45g and 20% equaling 80 that your plants produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-400 grams each. But how's that work out per unit of area?

In other words, what kind of increase did you get per square foot (or meter)?

[Mr.GrowitALL]

i would say no to jiffy pots or any container, that will absorb water from the soil. i noticed on my last grow, that i would water,, the containers would become soaked, dry out from the fan, so the soil actually needed water almost every day. i used plastic cups and noticed the top of the soil stays moist for days.. i think the jiffy pots were my downfall.

[cocoJoe]

Hi, Is anyone using these pots. How about an update if you are. Thanx

[Screwnuts33]

Dogman,
Something doesn't add up. You grow room is 7-1/2ft x 7-1/2ft (2.3 sqmtr) and you use one 600 watt light on a 4ft rail? You yielded 3.8lbs with a single 600? Am I missing something?

[budlydoright]

1000 grams on a 600 is a little better than 1.5 gpw. Quite doable.doesn't equal 3 lbs.

I have 6 1 gallons just started alongside their plastic counterparts.

[Screwnuts33]

Originally Posted by budlydoright

1000 grams on a 600 is a little better than 1.5 gpw. Quite doable.doesn't equal 3 lbs.

I have 6 1 gallons just started alongside their plastic counterparts.

He was claiming 1700 grams. 700 on the normal side and 1000 on the smart pot with the same single light. 2.83 gpw. That seems very exceptional. Also just realized this thread is 7 months old. lol

[budlydoright]

Well yes that would be beyond exceptional. I interpereted it as 2 seperate grows but I believe you are correct, especially on this being an old post!

I just started 6 cuts in 1 gallon smart pots along side 4 in 1 gallon plastic. 100% coco. We'll see how they do. I gotta say, they just make sense. When you water them and feel the side of the pot getting moist, it just feels right. Knowing that air can circulate through the sides pretty much makes it a slam dunk. I expect these to outperform the plastic by a pretty good margin. Yes, I do expect them to require more water, more frequently. But to me that's a good thing. More water = more air in the root zone.

I'll post a journal with results.