Until I watched the Root Farm video on Amazon I had not considered that hydroponic gardening could be done with out a hydroponic garden, that is, without the roots being bathed in water. I was consequently surprised by the size of these pots, which are rather large, thinking of half a dozen sitting in a tub. That said, I effectively live in a hydroponic garden, on the windward coast, the "rainforest" side of Oahu. We seldom go 24 hours without rain, and frequently get more rain in a day than most places (including Seattle) get in a year. I like the smaller pots as orchid nurseries. These are so much easier to use than traditional orchid pots, and provide the same benefits (air circulation around the roots and a medium they can push through). Most of my orchids are on tree limbs, but some are in pots for display, shows. I think I will be bringing one of the smaller pots into my local orchid society for a demo. I love that you do not have to worry about medium {coir, hapuu, lava rock or vermiculite} falling through cracks or holes in the bottom of a pot. When I saw the size of this (and it is rather large for a medium pot) I first thought of using them for tree starts. Growing in a pot like this would go a long way towards preventing transplant shock. After watching the video, I am going to give tomatoes a try, hanging from trees. {Remember, we are under water much of the time ;) I grow heirloom tomatoes and have been struggling the past few years to combat a variety of pests without the use of traps or chemicals. {We have large African snails which carry a disease-bearing nematode which can kill you} Hanging tomatoes in trees should cut down on snails and rodents, and.... I will have to find some sort of solution regards the birds, which have stymied me to this point. It will also enable me to put the plants where they will get the most sun, as much of my yard has Northern exposure. I know this is an experiment I will enjoy, until it comes to fighting the birds for ripe fruit. This review will be updated with reports on how well they work as a hanging system as my plants progress. I start with seeds, not plant starts, so it will take a but of time, but will be updated well in advance of most people's planting season. -------------------------------------------------- update -------------------------------------------------------------- I am updating this review to note that I used one of the pots as a nursery pot for some Honohono Orchid keikis, and they are doing very very well. The felt pot made it easy for me to use lava rock without worrying about small pieces falling through a hole or holes. I was able to add small woods chips too for the same reasom, much better for small delicate plants. I was not sure how well they would do since they had grown quite a way on the mother plant and tree it was mounted on, and so it was less than the ideal time to transplant, but this seems to be providing the perfect environment for them. There is good air circulation and loose media (which would be more difficult in a traditional pot) I also have one pot hung on a tree limb, and another in a wire basket. The plants in both have more than doubled in size in a few weeks! I do not know that this would work for many other people without a fair bit of attention, but I am effectively in the rain forest and so my yard is a hydroponic garden or sorts. These pots are working so well that I will be bringing one of my startd into my local orchid society to show other members. I expect these could see a lot of use in Hawaii. It is just about perfect for orchids (at least where there is a lot of rain and high humidity). ------------------------------------ Original review appears below------------------------------------------
