North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["regina@kreger.net" <regina@kreger.net>]

Thanks, Charlie.  Yes, that was my main misgiving too.  Especially 
since I've seen a prediction of a La Niña forming and maybe leading to 
a hotter & drier than normal summer in 2007.  Ideally I'd like to try 
an air-pot inside a slightly larger solid plastic pot, if I could 
somehow find one of the proper size.  That would make it self-
watering.  I've used self-watering pots for smaller plants, and they're 
GREAT for maintaining even moisture. The plants just take up what they 
need and no more.  I especially like the self-watering seed-starting 
flats. A tray of water, then a platform raised above the water level, 
with a piece of fabric draped across the whole thing with one end 
submerged in the water, then the bottomless seed cells on top of the 
platform. See a picture of it at http://www.gardeners.com/APS-
Parts/default/StandardCatalog.APS_Cat.11802.cpd

I've also seen descriptions of homemade ones, made using a large 
rubbermaid-type tub with upturned plastic food containers for risers 
above the reservoir, and a piece of cloth run throughout the soil to 
wick the moisture into it. I don't remember how they kept the soil 
separate from the water --- probably used the tub lid cut down to size 
as a platform.

Regina

----Original Message----<br>
From: BekeeprTop@aol.com<br>
Date: Mar 7, 2007 7:59 <br>
To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org><br>
Subj: Re: [NAFEX] More pots!<br>
<br>
<PRE><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><< I'm still intrigued by the "air-
pots", though.  No one here ventures an  opinion on them?  I found a 
retail outlet,  http://www.aroidia.com/airpots/  >>

Very briefly venturing an opinion you request:
all that exposure to air means will dry VERY QUICKLY.  How could 
manufacturer 
and distributer not mention that?  On a hot day I venture that pot 
could dry 
out in 3 hours.  This is one of the reason plastic pots began to 
supplant clay 
- clay just dries too quickly to always keep the pot damp.   I'm very 
interested in working with some of the "self-watering" pots out now 
because they work 
contrariwise to the "air-pots" in that they strive to keep the plant 
well 
watered vs. drying it out even quicker.  Anyone have any experience 
with 
self-watering pots?
Charlie Paradise<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> 
AOL now offers free 
email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at 
http://www.aol.com.</PRE>
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