I was interested in buying some root pruning containers from Rootmaker.com, but I don't need a crate or a large quantity for my backyard addiction. I was curious if anyone has made their own root pruning containers? I was thinking about using common perferated landscape/weed control fabric for weeds and rolling it up into a circular shape. I could then use a butcher's fold and staple the seam and bottom. This seems like it should work and would allow any size container to be made. They probably wouldn't last more than one or two plants, but the stuff is cheap enough that I really don't care. Anyway, if I give it a try I'll post some pictures.

Phillip

I have a couple 1 gal plastic pots that I got plants in that I cut Xs into the sides and then lifted the corners of the X and bent them out. I probably put 20-30 Xs in the pot. I have a couple key limes seedlings in them but it is probably too early to judge how well it worked since they are only 2-3 inches tall. I also have a couple key lime seedlings in the tall 4x4x14 pots that I got grom Brite Leaf-- right now I would say they are doing a little better --they are 3-4 inches tall.

I got a couple root control bags from Joe and have cut one of them up and put one around the inside of a gallon pot and one or 2 pieces in the bottom of some pots. Just thought I would see if any of these ideas increased the root growth. I will let you know when I repot them.

Skeeter, your method will not work. It would have been better if you would have bent the X inside the container. A "Root Grows As A Bullet Goes," and when the root grows to meet the containers side wall, and turns, then begins circling, it will grow right past all the holes you put into the container. There is nothing to cause the root to discontinue it circular path and turn right so it can go through your man made hole. Hundreds if not thousands of people have already tried drilling holes into containers. Unless a wandering root just happens to hit the hole straight on into the middle there is no chance of it working.

Dauben, an air root pruning container works because of many internal ledges built onto the inside wall of the container. These ledges intercept, and guide the roots directly to air pruning holes at the end of each ledge. The roots are thus pruned by air desiccation pruning. This desiccation then begins a process called the "4 INCH RULE." How do you figure that landscape cloth is going to accomplish air desiccation, or accomplish the guiding of each root? You can purchase RootMaker containers in amounts as little as 15 each for a total of around $26.00. I have converted all of my trees to this system, and the results are unbelievable. - Millet

Phillip, Lets hope you are correct in your assumption concerning the porous nature of the Landscape cloth. I certainly hope it works out. There is also a second type of a RootMaker container, one that is closer to the experiment you are evaluating, and that is the "ROOT TRAPPER" container. When a root becomes trapped and cannot grow any further the root tip dies. The death of the root tip then begins the process called the "4 INCH RULE." I have converted almost all of my trees over to the Root Builder growing system, and the results have been beyond my expectations. I have a 5-gallon Root Trapper soft container that I will not be using. You are most welcome to have it if you would like to try it. I'm sure the Root Trapper will work just as well as the RootMaker. It is a soft felt type material that is laminated with a white pervious coating. It can be folded and shipped to you in a large manila envelope. Send me a private message with your address if you can use it. Anyway, I owe you and Patty for the nice Ponderosa seeds you sent me a while back. - Millet

I will try bending some of the points inward on the pots where I cut the Xs. I have one pot with the root control fabric around the inside wall of the pot-- that should work and may already be showing an effect as it is one of my biggest key lime seedlings.

Just thought, but what about making a container from something like screen wire. If the root "grows like a bullet", the tip would die when it tried to grow through the wire.

Ned

Its been 2 1/2 years since the last post in this thread.

Any new methods developed for the do-it-yourself pots? Rootmaker pot alternatives?

I don't know the proper place to put this but this is probably as good a place as any. I have had the same problem locating air root pruning pots in small quantities as many others here. I would like to order a few pots from Rootmaker but it appears they have no consumer/retail sales channel set up. They only want to deal with commercial customers. I have seen several companies that produce fabric air root pruning/trapping containers but I wanted to find something similar to the somewhat hard sided Rootbuilder II containers. A couple of months ago I found a company in Scotland called the Caledonian Tree Company that produces a hard sided air root pruning pot. Here is a link to their web site.

http://www.superoots.com/index.html

There are several companies in the U.S. that sell their products in small quantities. Here are the URLs of the ones I know about.

http://www.growers-inc.com/air-pots.html

http://florikan.com/products-containers.htm

http://www.calgrowers.com/

http://aroidia.com/airpots/

I just ordered a few pots from the last of these four companies because they have the pots on sale right now.

Has anyone used these pots before? How did you like them?

I agree. The shipping is high. I just bought 15 3-liter containers for some seedling trees I'm growing and the shipping was $14.50. Dauben, what kind and size of Rootmaker containers do you have? Would you be willing to sell some?

dauben, did you ever try those "Accelerator" pots you mentioned in another thread? It had a link that they sold some in Garden Grove which isn't too far from here but I couldn't find it on their website.

Right now, I'm toying with the idea of growing oak trees and might need the containers that have been sitting in the box for the last year. I may be willing to part with a few. How many did either of you need? The size I believe is the RMI-1S, 1-Gallon Square. As I mentioned in the other post, you would need the smaller size to start with since as Millet pointed out it's a system and the 1 gallons is the second step in the system.

(My plan to grow oaks stems from California's environmental rules. There's a 10:1 mitigation ratio so that every time you need to cut one tree down, you need to replace it with 10 others. It's absolutely stupid since oaks are everyhere, but in my area there's a ton of projects that are going to cut wide swaths of oak trees down.)

As far as the accelerator product, I'm not the biggest fan. My belief is that the root pruning holes in the container are much too large and very difficult to keep moisture in the container. I don't know how many plants I've killed on hot summer days when I came home to find the soil completely dry. I have some seedlings growing in the container right now that I have under automatic sprinklers, but even then I've almost lost them from time to time. My other complaint is that they're top heavy and I'm always picking them up from the wind knocking them over. I believe the best way to go is with the propogation trays that rootmaker has. Since this is step 1 maybe we can go in on an order of these together. The only plus of the accelerator product is the grey plastic. The black plastic of rootmaker seems to collect a lot of heat. I try to keep them in the shade, but I'll often pick them up when I get home from work and it feels like I'm cooking the roots.

Phillip

I purchase a lot of Root Maker's products, their germinating 18 cell trays, both their 1- gallon and 5-gallon hard sided root pruning containers, plus their 100 foot long rolls of Root Builder material, which makes any size air root pruning container that a grower requires. Root Maker is far-and-a-way superior to Accelerator's containers. Root Maker containers have internal ridges that actually guide all roots into the pruning holes. All Accelerator has done basically is drill some holes in their side walls. For a root tip to actually find an opening is hit or miss. All the roots that miss an opening begin circling around and around. Accelerators is a poor substitute to Root Maker. I have NEVER EVER seen a root circling inside a Root Maker container. To properly take advantage of an air root pruning container, one should start from the beginning, not just stick a tree that was grown in a common nursery container, that already has a messed up root system, inside a quality root pruning container and think somehow it will miraculously develop into an excellent root system. - Millet (1,221-)