Can You Use a Smart Pot?

 

  Gardeners have known for over thirty years that    Smart Pots grow better plants because of the fabric used in their construction. The tough, long lasting   Smart Pot material has just the right amount of porosity to promote air root pruning, excellent drainage and allow excess heat to escape, producing superior plants.

 

What are Smart Pots? They're soft-sided, fabric containers that feel a lot like felt, but aren't made of felt-it's a polypropylene material. These pots are good solutions for container gardening because they're reusable, weigh less than terracotta, stone and metal pots; even less than their alternative fiberglass pots. Their light weight also makes them ideal containers for older gardeners, gardeners with mobility issues, balcony gardeners and rooftop gardening.

Description

• Bag made from durable, heavy-weight, black polypropylene material
• Design encourages healthy root structure and growth
• Porous material is better than plastic for releasing heat
• 14 Sizes, from a diminutive 7X6 inches all the way to a raised bed size of 50X24 inches.
• Prices range from $3.50 for a one gallon container to $49.95 for a raised bed 200 gallon size.
• Even the largest size is light enough to carry, when empty.
• Hoses off for easy cleaning
• At the end of the season you can fold or roll Smart Pots up for storage

As a frugal urban gardener who often creates container gardens from buckets and other items I have a hard time recommending gardeners buy pots because they're so expensive at garden centers and nurseries. But after trying some Smart Pots in the garden this year I've discovered some pots I'm happy to recommend. Smart Pots are a smart solution to container gardening.

Since Smart Pots are made from a permeable material plant roots don't circle the pot and eventually become root bound like in traditional containers. The root tips emerge outside the fabric only to be "pruned" by being dried out by the air-causing the plant to send out more roots at the root ball. This is called "air pruning." The result are stronger, healthier plants.

Smart Pots because are more affordable than building raised beds and they're portable. Similarly, Smart Pots could replace the need for urban farms and urban agriculture projects to build raised beds on asphalt and concrete. As I garden in the caleche soil of the desert, I find smart pots the perfect solution for gardeners with “bad” soil. They're also pretty affordable and within the my  means on a budget.

 

While the pots come in a variety of sizes, but it would be nice for urbanites with gardens in small spaces to have rectangular pots as an option. Amazon was the best buy on these Smart Pots.