These days, most innovations on plant pots seem to be focused on integrating hydroponics technology or automating their maintenance, none of which are of much interest to serious gardeners of any sort. These Air-Pots, however, overhaul the traditional plant pot into a form that will force any plant’s roots to grow healthier, improving its uptake of water and nutrients.
Centered on the idea that plant roots need aeration, the unique pot design features perforations around the body that allow the roots to reach fresh air, causing them to naturally dry out and encourage growth elsewhere in the root system to compensate for the loss. This leads to a dense root system with vast numbers of active roots, radically improving the health of flowers and boosting produce yield.
Each Air-Pot consists of a plastic container with cuspated walls, similar to those of egg cartons, both inside and out. The inner cones direct the roots toward the outer open-ended cones, where they eventually grow and come in contact with fresh air, causing the natural pruning to occur. Originally, the pots have been used to grow trees and shrubs, although it can be used for, practically, any plant, including tender crops (e.g. tomato, cucumber, pepper) and root vegetables (potato, parsnip, carrots).
Made by Caledonian Tree Company, these new pots have actually been in use by professional nurseries and gardens across several countries for the better part of a decade, although the company has recently been pushing towards marketing it to home gardeners. Air-Pots are now available in a variety of sizes, from 1 liter to 45 liters. Pricing starts at £13.30 for a 10-pack of the smallest pot.