Small plants in large netpots

[ChrisInTheTropics]

I'm building a pair of new new setups with 2.5" pipe, and would prefer to use the same sized netpots for the whole thing even though I plan to grow large and small plants in them.

Is there any disadvantage in growing relatively small plants like salads in larger pots that are generally meant for, say, tomatoes? They'll need more rockwool each but other than that slight waste, presumably there's no problem if a salad plant has more room than it needs.

I've read up on this, and the suggestion is to suit the pot size to the intended use, and that a large plant in a small pot will have problems with air circulation and root density but nothing about whether a small plant in a large pot is a problem, aside from just having to use more rockwool.

 

[Mcart]

Using bigger netpots for smaller plants isn't really a problem aside from wasting a bit more rockwool and space, the plants might take longer to fill the root zone, but they won't suffer like a big plant stuck in a small pot would, so for now just keep an eye on water and nutrient flow so nothing stagnates. Overall, it's more about efficiency than plant health, okay?

 

[ChrisInTheTropics]

Thanks, now I have another 2 rigs running I can put things where they belong next time around, my pak choi are already looking rather too crowded and I imagine when the rosemary comes up they'll have a lot of space between them but all good learning

I didn't understand what you mean about it being more about efficiency than health. I'd have thought having healthy plants is the key to efficiency rather than an alternative to it, or something to trade off with it. Surely healthy plants grow better/faster and so make the whole operation more efficient in terms of time, effort and money expended against edibles produced - or is that not the sort of efficiency you meant ?

 

[dtp]

As above ~ as below.... same for plants and trees. The more root, the bigger the plant can be.

 

[ChrisInTheTropics]

Aye, this is rig #1 which is a kit I bought - I guess really for herbs and the like, tiny little pots about 2.5cm diameter-ish and not far apart. It has 3 shelves/rows of 4 pipes with 9 pot holes in each so I put in 6 different plants just to see how they grow while I built the next rig, so it has plants from Pak Choi and Chinese Spinach to Basil and Rosemary all mixed up so not ideal and the ones on the top shade the ones below.

I'm just about harvesting that one now so next time around it'll all be small stuff and the larger greens will go in the other 2 non-shelved rigs with 5cm pots and I'll relocate the shelf rig to a balcony where it'll get more sideways light but less intensively than being right out in the open in the relentless glare of the sun, better for delicate herby stuff I suspect.

Having said that, the Basil that I have in the too-big pots in rig #2 are doing splendidly. I wanted to grow more Basil and that was the new rig I'd just built so small plants went in big pots in that case along with Kale and a few other more suitable plants - another harvest and I'll get my sizes sorted out