Why are Smart Pots better for Container Growing?
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Choosing the best pot for your plants is one of
the most important components for successful
container gardening. For more then twenty-five years
the “Smart Pot” has consistently out performed all
other growing containers in both commercial
nurseries and university testing. The patented Smart
Pot is a soft-sided, aeration container, uniquely
designed to improve the root structure of your
plants enabling them to grow to their full
potential. |
The comparison below points out the advantages the patented Smart Pot
has over various gardening containers.
Better
than plastic containers - Hard-sided plastic
containers are relatively inexpensive but they are not a
very good home for a plant’s root structure. Plastic allows
no aeration, conducts and holds heat, and provides
inadequate or poor drainage. Even on mildly sunny days,
container soil temperatures can easily top 120 degrees,
damaging or killing the roots and stressing the plant. The
#1 killer of potted or container grown plants is over
watering and plastic containers with a few bottom drainage
holes actually help the soil stay too wet. A Smart Pot is
constructed of a porous fabric that allows heat to dissipate
and excess water to evaporate. In fact, over-watering is
never a problem because excess water drains and evaporates
from all of the Smart Pot’s surfaces; its walls as well as
its bottom.
| Because the Smart Pot is a
fabric container, giving the root ball total
aeration and excellent drainage, you can even use a
heavier, less expensive planting mix. The type of
mix used in a Smart Pot is less critical then in
hard-sided pots. Also, another Smart Pot benefit is
root pruning, a technique used by many commercial
nurseries to produce masses of highly branched roots
to improve plant quality. When a root grows to the
side of the Smart Pot, it stops growing in length
and develops many, many fine branches. By contrast,
the roots in a plastic pot continue to grow in
length when they reach the side and circle around
the side of the pot. This is undesirable as there
are fewer roots and these can grow around each other
causing girdling or strangulation. A branched,
fibrous root structure (“root pruned”) has a far
greater root mass than a comparable plant where the
roots are circling on the inside of a plastic pot.
And a greater root mass will grow a better plant. |
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Better than ceramic and clay pots
- Ceramic and clay pots are better for plant growing than
plastic pots. They provide somewhat better insulation
keeping soil temperatures lower then plastic pots. But
ceramic and clay still provide inadequate drainage and do
not encourage the best root systems. Both ceramic and clay
pots are heavy and can easily break. The Smart Pot is
lightweight, inexpensive, doesn’t break if dropped or frozen
and can be folded so it stores easily. The Smart Pot also
“root prunes”. Ceramic and clay do not.
| Better than raised
beds - Raised beds are a great way to
garden because they provide good drainage and cooler
soil temperatures. Roots grow naturally and have
virtually all the room they need. But raised beds
can be expensive, require labor to install and are
stationary. Smart Pot’s are available in a variety
of sizes and also provide an ideal growing
environment. The larger size Smart Pots can grow all
the plants found in raised beds, i.e. potatoes,
watermelons, roses, trees, etc. Roots grow
naturally, like they do in a raised bed. But the
Smart Pot is a total growing unit, construction
materials don’t have to be purchased, no
installation or building is necessary, and are much
less expensive. Smart Pots can also be moved to
different locations unlike stationary, raised beds.
The Smart Pot is made of inert fabric and is
completely safe for edible plants, while raised beds
are sometimes made of treated lumber that may
contain toxic chemicals. |
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Better than decorative containers -
Decorative containers are just that – decorative. They are
manufactured to look good and are not designed for optimum
plant growth. The Smart Pot is designed to promote the best
plant growth. It aerates, encourages masses of roots and
prevents heat damage. Many customers grow in Smart Pots,
then place their plant into a decorative container.
Return to
Smart Pots Main Page
What Size Should I Use?
Growing Potatoes in Smart Pots
Frequently Asked
Questions
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