THE INNOVATIVE team behind the British-made Air-Pot® system has launched a new generation of containers at IPM Essen today designed to further enhance plant growth through greater root health improvements (January 28, 2025). 

Its patented angled cones make the new design easier to work with, while enhancing the effectiveness of the air pruning process – leading to better root development and stronger growth.

Jamie Single, Founder of the Edinburgh-based company, says: “At Air-Pot®, we’re confident that we make the world’s original and best air pruning container. But we’re constantly working to improve, advance and evolve the design.

“Now, after 30 years of refinement and innovation, and six generations of evolution, the best just got even better with the launch of the Air-Pot® 7 range. The radical improvement to the container that we’ve developed is the new shape of the cones, which encourages even better and more consistent root manipulation. The fact that it’s easier to fill is boosting the pot’s performance, as each cone can be filled and compacted properly, allowing the pot to do its job.”

During 2024, selected nurseries in Europe trialled the prototype Air-Pot® 7 containers including Hardy Eucalyptus at Grafton Nursery in Worcestershire, UK. It grew Eucalyptus Azura for eight months in a nine-litre version of the Air-Pot® 7. The results showed even better root development in the Air-Pot® 7 container.

Hilary Collins, CEO Grafton Nursery Ltd, says: “We have been using the Air-Pot Container growing system for well over a decade. We think the pots are fantastic at producing a vital and healthy, actively growing root-system for all our trees.  When Jamie approached us about their new generation of pots – the Air-Pot® 7, we didn’t think it was possible to improve on what is already an amazing pot.

“However, the trial over this summer has yielded surprising results. Compared to the same species grown in the standard Air-Pot container of identical size, those trees grown in the Air-Pot® 7 have produced even better roots, fatter white roots and a higher root density. This demonstrates that for our trees at Hardy Eucalyptus, the Air-Pot 7 containers represent a significant improvement over the standard Air-Pot®. An additional bonus for staff is that the new container is MUCH easier to fill and compact.”

Meanwhile, Boom de Kwekerij in Netherlands trialled growing Cornus Kousa (China Girl) for one season in Air-Pot® and Air-Pot® 7 containers. The containers were opened and the roots compared at the end of the trial. The team saw some great results. At Bruns Nursery in Germany trials with the new Air-Pot® 7 Flexi Wall also showed fantastic root development.

Georgie Single, Marketing & Sales Representative with Air-Pot®, says: “As the originators and innovators of the system, we feel it’s very much our continuing role to evolve and improve the products we make using our expert horticultural knowledge and the experience we’ve gained from our own nursery and growers around the world. Air-Pot® 7 will eventually replace all previous models; however, the existing range still does an excellent job, and each container can last up to 15 years.”

The unique design of Air-Pot containers has evolved since 1990, constantly improving to guarantee that plants only develop healthy fibrous roots, without circling.

The design also ensures perfect drainage and aeration of the growing medium, creating ideal conditions for healthy bacteria to release more nutrients to the plant.

Carlos Guinand, Nursery Director Majestic Trees, says: “Our success as a company has been sustained in commitment, passion and professionalism by using our best ally to guarantee the best quality root system for our trees: Air-Pot®. It is early days to say too much about Air-Pot®,7… but we have used them to root out two difficult species to be grown in pots: Tsuga canadensis and Lagerstroemia indica. The results have been very encouraging.” 

The shape of the Air-Pot container’s wall guides each root towards an air hole where increased air in the growing medium dehydrates the tip, pruning it and stimulating root branching. The process repeats until there is a mass of healthy fibrous roots.

Georgie concludes: “Healthy roots mean better uptake of nutrients and water which equates to faster growth – this is good for the planet, as healthier and efficiently grown plants help combat the impact of climate change. One side effect of the climate crisis is that container growing is increasing but, as trials in Holland and elsewhere have shown, growing in an Air-Pot container is as good or better than growing in the ground.

“Our systems are also much more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Made from recycled HDPE, our Air-Pot containers are sturdy and reusable many times over, even in tropical sunshine, and they last for years. Plus, we manufacture with the minimum possible environmental impact.”

For further details, please visit www.air-pot.com/nursery/.

ENDS

For further media details, please call Porcupine PR on 01278 446801 or email Andy@porcupinepr.co.uk.

Notes to editors

The Air-Pot® 7 comes in the following sizes/variations:

Air-Pot® 7

1 litre – nursery

Black web base, one fixing

3 litre – nursery

Orange web base, one fixing

5 litre – nursery

Red web base, one fixing

7.5 litre – nursery

Yellow web base, two fixings

12.5 litre - nursery

Green web base, two fixings

20 litre - nursery

Blue web base, two fixings

39 litre – nursery

Black grid base, three fixings

Walls

100-600 litre

No base, three or more fixings

Flexiwalls

700mm, 800mm, 900mm, 1000mm x 2275mm

Joining sections of Flexiwall with green fixings, and varying the size of overlap, makes it possible to construct any size or shape of container, even for the largest trees.