Has anyone used the SmartPots? They porous fabric pots which air prune the roots as they hit the edge of the pot.  http://www.smartpots.com/      I have been reading about them for a few weeks now, and I am thinking they would be great.  They are re-usable, they can stand unsupported when filled with media, they come with or without handles, roots don't circle when grown in them so you don't have to repot as often, and are available 1 gallon to 400 gallon size. Seem reasonably priced.  I am thinking of buying a few and compare SmartPot fig vs. other planter styles.

Thoughts? Experience? 

Thanks in advance.

They will dry out fast in hot weather, so you need to water them more often. Other than that they would work great. Last season I took a 5 gallon pot and drilled lots of holes around its wall (kind of the Root-maker pots), and planted my young VDB in it to see how it would grow when the root system gets more oxygen. That tree grew so vigorously in 3 months that I end up re-potting it in a 15 gallon pot. 

I use something similar called superoot pots.  Ebay has them but they are more expensive there.  Superoot pots does the same thing.  They work very well.  I mostly use them after I've rooted cuttings.  You do have to water trees more than normal.  Also make sure your soil IS NOT FAST DRAINING.  Al's mix will not work at all in superoot pots.  But it the mix may work using those other pots you mentioned.  You will receive a nice thick root ball within months of using these pots.  Here is a pic of superoot pots.  And yes they are very reuseable and lay flat when not in use.  See below.  cheers,

I just bought some 5gallon RootMaker pots for some plants i wanted to build strong root systems before i plant in ground.
Some of their products look like the pic above, but they are kinda expensive.

Not sure how well they work though. Think i read these type of systems work well though.

I also know the super-root/rootmaker pots as "air pots", http://www.growers-inc.com/air-pots.html . Was not quite sure how they did for long term use but they do look great for building a great root system.

You are correct Sara!  The root ball after few months in these pot is very thick and strong!  I like these pots but wish they were white.  I learned a hard lesson this past winter using these pots.  I had a lot of small trees in .8 gallon pots inside my garage.  Well I let the temperature inside my GH get down to 30 degrees over winter and I lost about 5 trees.  I think the cold air exposure to the direct contact to the root didn't help them.  But 97% of those outside did survive.  I am trying to get the other 3% to bounce back.  Time will tell.  cheers,

I grew strawberries in a smart pot a few years ago. Tiny roots grew through the fabric into the soil under the pot, which I think helped the plant. When I moved the pot, it felt like it was glued to the ground. It was difficult to remove the plant - I ended up cutting the smart pot, partly to prevent root damage, partly because there was a black widow spider in the pot. If I use them again it will be for something like mints that I don't want inground.

The air pots look very interesting, let us know if you try those.

I just put my starter plant figs in super air pots today. Is anyone still using them for the long term container figs. 10 gallon or larger.

Zone 8
South West TX
Wish list.
Marseilles Black VS Found on on ebay. last week

4/13
Found this good info about root pruning
ttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&ved=0CHIQFjAN&url=http%3A%2F%2Fetd.auburn.edu%2Fetd%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10415%2F2798%2Ffinal%2520thesis%252016%2520august%25202011.pdf%3Fsequence%3D2&ei=Vx9qUZO7AoKRrQGk6IC4Cw&usg=AFQjCNEfXA6wHV1evEuriAQWq85TnAAcWQ&sig2=7ESkdl5QfWQ_EXr24r5H0w&bvm=bv.45175338,d.aWM

Also here is white soft bag that aids in water conservation
Called a RootTrapper II Soft Sided Containers.
http://www.everestgardensupply.com/index_CON.php
There is even a propagation cell that root prunes.

I use SmartPots for most of my plants. I do water more frequently in the summer, but that's ok by me. I found something similar at Greenhousemegastore .com
called Root Pouches. They are a little cheaper and come in different life spans. I'll probably change all my pots to fabric type pot. I like them.

I use SmartPots on most of my plants, too, and love them.  But, I do usually wait until the plant is fairly mature and ready to transplant to a larger container before it goes into a SmartPot.  This is because the roots will grow into the SmartPot and it's virtually impossible to transplant without damaging some of the roots.  So, I have several one gallon SmartPots I've never used for this reason.

I asked the manufacturer and they said the lifespan of the fabric pots was 3 years.  That makes them too expensive for me.

Inspired by a visit to a local garden center, I came home a sewed up a DIY smart pot. I hope it disintegrates in a year or so, then I won't have to worry about botching a transplant. My concern is that there could be chemicals in the fabric I used (a fat polyester interfacing). Oh well, we're all swimming in toxins all day everyday anyhow, so I guess I'm going to say Oh What the Heck and let 'er rip. I put an Angelo's Dark in this DIY job, and another Angelo's Dark in a conventional garden pot. Let the games begin.

On those super root maker pots how do you keep the dirt in? The bottom looks precarious.

The bottom round part is sewed together with the body, it's just like a regular pot except the whole thing is fabric. The water seeps out the bottom, you don't need any holes.

Sorry for the confusion. I was talking about the ones Dennis is using and on the link Sara listed.

I think the cloth pots are awesome but the cost is holding me back. I got soft plastic 1 gallon pots on ebay from a company in Oregon and it was $22 for 50.

OIC:) That's a good price. Are they working well?

Here is the unfilled DIY smartpot. Maybe I'll make a gigantic one tomorrow.

My hat is off to you willing to do all that sewing. I got rid of my sewing machine because I despise the whole process. Being the kind soul she is...my daughter bought me another one URGH!

I am okay with the pots I got but I would prefer the rigid ones. I feel like every time I move the pot I am risking the roots so I had to buy totes to carry them around in because half of them are doing the in and out right now. I don't think that would be a problem with the cloth but mine are just rigid enough so that the side moves, am I making any sense?

Very innovative Donna, I think you should make more and mix and match colors

Donna, great job.  I think on some marijuana forum (rollitup?) I once saw that someone was making their own and using weed block fabric.

I use smart pots on all of my fig trees- 7-10 Gal. sizes and so far, so good. I'm relatively new to gardening and I like the fact that I can water my plant and the excess water will easily drain out. The weather hasn't been too hot yet so maybe its too early to say but I've only had to water my fig trees every 5-7days so far. I buy them at a local hydroponic store and they are a little cheaper than online (amazon).

I use something similar called Smart bags. :)   Free.

Well, I finally ordered me up some of those AirPots, look forward to giving them a try once I get some cuttings going.  

Wow Fedy you have the ultimate. I think yours are the Smartest Pots:))