I have seen more and more people use colanders to help the growth phase of their trees.
Does anyone have experience with them and see more improvement with growth? Also, would anyone recommend them over the traditional style of grow pot you can find for cheap if you just want your tree to grow quickly?
I'm in a 4b climate so temperatures can rise to mid to high 90s during the summer. I can foresee that causing the roots to dry out quicker, but I don't know if that risk is mitigated by increased oxygenation for growth and decreased root disease risk.
I grow some trees in pond baskets. Same thing I think. Cannot see any difference In growth speed to those growing in normal pots. The benefits is roots development as those grown in baskets do not grow cirkling roots. That gives a longer time between need for repotting.
Yes, those grown in baskets do dry out faster. But that can easily be compensated for with a more moist holding soil mix.
I never recomend soil mixes as there are so big variations in local climate conditions, exposure, species, pot size, pot type and watering routines. Soil mixes needs to be in balance with all If them.
But yes. In my normal soil mix I have two ingredienses with high moist holding capacity. Bark mulch and molar clay. So in pond baskets I add more of those, but also adding compost.
There are positive things about the colander, like Tropfrog said it, it kinda of auto-prune the roots the reach the outside it tru the mesh, avoiding long circling roots...
The colander itself doesn't make it grow faster, however there's another method that consist in... Once the roots reach out off the colander mesh, you put it on the ground or on top of another pot, so it can root there and get more space and growth, while keeping a good rootball inside the colander, also making easier when it's finally time to cut the outside roots and start compacting it...
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