air pruning pots or DIY-alternative

[tazztone]

here is how it works: https://youtu.be/DGT8FjzqTOc?t=57s
does anybody use this "airpot" system to increase root mass? does it hold up to the marketing hype? other brands are e.g. "rootbuilder".
i wanted to buy some of these pots from alibaba but as many know: it's not easy for consumers to comprehend the offers. and i found someone that ordered these from china just to find that their holes are smaller than the genuine ones from Scotland. does anybody have experience with any of the sellers?
where could i get a similar foil locally?

alternatively, does anybody have an affordable DIY idea, possibly using stuff that other people throw away (scraps, recycling)?
i found "dimpled sheets" or roof drainage sheets that seem to be similar. can those be used after punching holes in them manually?
i was thinking of steel mesh baskets or milk crates. but i guess when the soil is too exposed it results in too much water evaporation.
fabric bags might be worth it too.
love to hear your thoughts and ideas of what's best/cheapest

[LivingLight]

I've tried some airpots few years ago, it's a bit anoying as the water is going out by every hole so finally i've tried to compact the substrate as hell on the side. At the end i havn't seen a lot of differences, i mean the roots mass was different in appearence but not the higher parts of the plant
Now i got a smartpot, but i'm only using it for the bonsai. In my opinion, this kind of pot is usefull if you need specific conditions as i do for my bonsai. But i definitely prefer the smarpot.

[majorana]

Airpots have a couple of practical advantages, besides the root hype: they're far easier to re-pot (just unscrew and they fall apart: no shaking or handling needed), and the perforated plastic sheet gives you plenty of anchoring spots all around the plant for all the LST you want.

I use 1L airpots for seedlings, then 9L airpots for veg, and finish with a 15L smartpot (fabric, not plastic) for flower. I use smartpots as the final size, once training is done and no more pots are needed. I have the feeling that the fabric does an even-better job at aerating the grow medium (in my case coco.)

The downside for airpots is really just the price. They only make sense when growing a small number of plants. A large grow, or a SCROG grow, will need another approach.

[unkle_psycho]

I used a few air pots and fabric bags in my last grow. I did like them all. I had a chaotic moment with an auto when I moved it and the air pot just burst open. I had waited for the medium to be pretty dry so it would be easy to move, and media poured out all over the place. Needless to say autos don't take well to root zone disturbances like that.

Now I'm using tons of airpots and fabric pots preparing the garden for the summer. There is a huge difference when I re-pot from them, or a regular pot that has started to circle. Ants are a bitch, mainly in the air pots. Handles are a huge benefit with the larger fabric pots, and space too. My mother is totally sold to them. Normally very stingy, she seems to have decided that in this case money does not matter, and she will get tons for next spring. We have a short season so its really a game changer for he veggies. And were dying to try them for fruit trees.

[HalfBee]

From seed in a cup, then in a small tub to establish root ball
(a cover crop helps hold soil ball) and wait until sexed...

Using fabric 1 and 2 gallon fabric containers, or some low wide
fabric barrier cloth lined plastic trays of about same soil quantity.
At harvest time it's roots from side to side and top to bottom.
Both can be watered from top or bottom fed in a tray.

Never tried airpots because of $$$ but have reused fabric ones
at least 3 times now and still good to go for more...

[F.N. led]

I use cheap non woven shopping bags from Walmart Dollarama and Canadian Tire all between 4 and 7 gallons they work great and I use them untill they fall apart. I am Canadian.