Smart pots need more watering - more nutes? Worth it?

I've heard great things about smart pots and root development, but it all leads to a big question.

Because of the fact that they dry more quickly they need more watering. More watering also means more nutes.

Is the bigger cost of nutrients worth it? Does it pay off in the end?

....

I'm used to growing in coco and plastic pots and watering every 2-3 days (if freshly planted, then 4-5 days) and this "schedule" has worked well for me. Also I'm growing synthetically (Canna Coco A&B) and feeding nutes every watering with 20% runoff.

Lol you post every thought that comes to mind?

Great answer! Lets see if we'll get another one.

My plants have done a lot better since switching to smart pots, but I think it's really a combination of things (including me becoming a better grower, using good soil, knowing what to look for on the leaves, etc.) I don't think they'll change the world for you but there are definitely benefits to fabric pots. You'll probably need to water slightly more, but that's a good thing in my opinion as it means you aren't OVERwatering. Plastic pots and trash bags both hold in a lot more moisture because they don't breathe as well. The smart pots breathe very well so your plants are getting more oxygen.

Root growth in smart pots is crazy - fast, robust, fibrous and strong. I was very impressed, but definitely less impressed with the cleaning job at the end of the cycle: the fabric is riddled with those strong roots and successive soaks in bleach, H2O2 and enzymes isn't enough to break them down easy enough to brush off. Its a real task to get them clean for another run, so i've just gone back to plastic pots with some holes melted in with a soldering iron for air. Works fine for me.

EDIT: I have a bin full of fabric pots right now, no idea if I want to be bothered to clean them at all, to be honest...

I give small feedings three or four times a day.7 gallon smart pot/coco.

Helmut79 said:

I've heard great things about smart pots and root development, but it all leads to a big question.

Because of the fact that they dry more quickly they need more watering. More watering also means more nutes.

Is the bigger cost of nutrients worth it? Does it pay off in the end?

....

I'm used to growing in coco and plastic pots and watering every 2-3 days (if freshly planted, then 4-5 days) and this "schedule" has worked well for me. Also I'm growing synthetically (Canna Coco A&B) and feeding nutes every watering with 20% runoff.

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water evaporates. nutes do not. smart pots give soil more exposure to air and promote root development. unless you are flushing every time you water you should not lose many nutrients

mauricem00 said:

water evaporates. nutes do not. smart pots give soil more exposure to air and promote root development. unless you are flushing every time you water you should not lose many nutrients

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This is a good point. If you find you are watering more because the pots dry out, just dial back your EC to reflect the increase in watering.

I used to incrementally up my feed through veg and then again through flower to reflect plant size, however things improve when you feed/water according to environment. For me, flower room is hotter and drier meaning heavier and more frequent waterings, which also determines a lower EC in flower than in veg to avoid salt buildup.

In an automated system, alternate feedings/straight water aren't possible for me, so proper EC is critical.

I grow in coco which likes to be consistently moist but can salt up real easily, then you hit problems with uptake.

To mattman998 and ruwtz: yup, exactly how I've understood the idea behind smartpots.

It's just that I'm more interested about the need for watering more and paying more for nutes vs cost efficiency in the end.

To Bose: I'm also aiming at 7 gallon ones. I've seen some people watering more often, but I'm a fan of watering less frequently by flushing it through completely with 20% runoff. This way I will need to do less work by hand watering, because I will do it less frequently. Once every 2-5 days (mostly 2-3) has worked for me in 5 gallon plastic pots with coco.

ruwtz said:

This is a good point. If you find you are watering more because the pots dry out, just dial back your EC to reflect the increase in watering.

I used to incrementally up my feed through veg and then again through flower to reflect plant size, however things improve when you feed/water according to environment. For me, flower room is hotter and drier meaning heavier and more frequent waterings, which also determines a lower EC in flower than in veg to avoid salt buildup.

In an automated system, alternate feedings/straight water aren't possible for me, so proper EC is critical.

I grow in coco which likes to be consistently moist but can salt up real easily, then you hit problems with uptake.

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Yea..

Helmut79 said:

To mattman998 and ruwtz: yup, exactly how I've understood the idea behind smartpots.

It's just that I'm more interested about the need for watering more and paying more for nutes vs cost efficiency in the end.

To Bose: I'm also aiming at 7 gallon ones. I've seen some people watering more often, but I'm a fan of watering less frequently by flushing it through completely with 20% runoff. This way I will need to do less work by hand watering, because I will do it less frequently. Once every 2-5 days has worked for me.

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The answer is right there. Heavier watering with lower EC isn't spending any more on nutes. And if you are spending a few cents more, its because you want awesome roots and healthy plants. Surely thats what we all want at the end of the day?

If you find you're spending more on nutes then consider dry salts. The cost benefit is incredible.

Or a total revolution and go organic and never buy another nute bottle.

Let's not hurry with the revolution yet. But I get what you're saying. Thanks.

Pot size in flower is determined by veg time, but assuming you go 4-6 weeks in veg then 3gal pots in flower is big enough. Typically you won't see the kind of root growth in flower to fill a 7gal pot, so its just a waste of space, medium, watering etc.

If you're interested in being economical here then I would say proper planning of pot size is a smart piece of work to undertake.

In my case, I can go 6 weeks veg in 1gal coco before moving to 3gal for 2month flower. And yes, i've ran 5 and 7gal and never filled them.

Also, if you're going with smart pots, its worth knowing that a 5gal is more like 7gal in terms of volume after the fabric has moved, stretched etc. Ergo, 7gal is more like 8 or 9gal. You just won't fill it in an 8 week flower.

Helmut79 said:

Let's not hurry with the revolution yet. But I get what you're saying. Thanks.

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Just coughing up options, its up to you what you do.

Also look at self watering pots. The ones with the inbuilt reserviur or hempy type set ups.

self watering - http://www.decor.com.au/garden/self-watering-pots/

Hempy - https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=98419 Some threads on this site about them to.

I have a last question for today. If I'm going to buy the fabric tomorrow to make the fabric pots, then which kind of fabric should I be aiming at? Is it that regular landscape fabric?

Helmut79 said:

I have a last question for today. If I'm going to buy the fabric tomorrow to make the fabric pots, then which kind of fabric should I be aiming at? Is it that regular landscape fabric?

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The good quality greenhouse type.

or if u have a local potatoe farmer or garden market ask for some Hessian potato bags. (ull get these free and they work awesome.)

Only on my first grow but I used a 7 gal smartpot. I water 1 gal every other day and it seems happy. (can go 2 days without issue although you can see she is thirsty.) I will have to wait to see what the roots look like to confirm if it was too big or not. I will say that if I stick my finger down a couple inches from the edge, there is all kinds of root in there.

Got it. Thanks.

ruwtz said:

Root growth in smart pots is crazy - fast, robust, fibrous and strong. I was very impressed, but definitely less impressed with the cleaning job at the end of the cycle: the fabric is riddled with those strong roots and successive soaks in bleach, H2O2 and enzymes isn't enough to break them down easy enough to brush off. Its a real task to get them clean for another run, so i've just gone back to plastic pots with some holes melted in with a soldering iron for air. Works fine for me.

EDIT: I have a bin full of fabric pots right now, no idea if I want to be bothered to clean them at all, to be honest...

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Have you tried a nice stiff brush they work pretty well for me.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quickie-Professional-Wood-Block-Deck-Scrub-Brush-223TCNRM/100000029