I discovered in my online travels, a product called a ‘Smart Pot’. This interesting innovation is a felt-like fabric alternative to traditional plastic or ceramic pots, which claims to have numerous advantages over those formats including:
Unique Features:
• Releases heat — roots stay cooler during hot weather
• Plants need repotting less often
• Air-prunes the plant’s root structure — stops root circling!
• Reusable & folds flat for easy storage
• Non-breakable – fabric does NOT crack from frost or if dropped
‘Smart Pots’ is actually a trading name – I’ve also seen them sold as ‘GeoPots’ and several other names. They are claimed often to have been used by nurseries for decades.
I was intrigued, but the Smart Pot brand is largely a USA thing. So I found a company in China fabricating a generic equivalent, then ordered a heap of them with a view to using them myself as well as putting them on sale in my online stores. If they sell perhaps I can make a few dollars on each one. If not, well I’ve bought myself a lifetime supply so they had better work as well as everyone seems to think they do.
They arrived yesterday and I planted several plants into them today. So far, I’m impressed. I do think they will need close attention to watering though. The downside of them having excellent drainage (without any actual drainage holes) is they’ll probably tend to get dry quicker than ‘normal’ pots.
The Smart Pot adventure begins.
