Thanks Keith, just to understand better… coir is coconut fibre, grit is sand, and is compost the same as earthworm humus?
1 Like
Hi Simone, coir is coconut fibre, grit it (in the UK at least) not sand it is small pieces of stone (up to about 6mm). You can get it from garden centres and usually it is called potting grit. I wouldn’t use sand as it’s too small and tends to form a layer within the soil thus blocking air. Compost can also be bought from garden centres. It’s the mainstay for gardeners and potted plants. Hope this helps…
1 Like
Bob, I have seen people use baskets bought from a home decor shop. You have to drill lots of holes in the base and generally they won’t last for more than about three years, but by then the tree will need repotting anyway. And on the plus side they aren’t expensive.
1 Like
I use the standard cube shaped pond baskets. what are these ‘airpot seed trays’? are they shallower? have you got a link? I also use tesco’s delivery baskets lined with mesh for bigger trees.
1 Like
Here are some photos of the seed trays. They are really good.
Small seed tray
Large seed tray
This is the 3ltr air pot designed for trees. Hopefully you can get an idea of scale
I have a self set field maple in the garden which I will lift and put into one of my seed trays and upload phots next year for everybody to see. Then I’ll get rid of the maple as I can’t stand them.
Here’s the link
You can also get them on ebay and sometimes on amazon.
2 Likes
Whoa, these seed trays are awesome. They look like a flat and heavy duty colander. Best of all worlds!
1 Like
For those in the UK and interested in airpots, I’ve found a large quantity of 3 and 9 litre airpots for sale, second hand, at half price. The owner was setting up an orchard in the South West but had to abandon her plans. Look for seller beckettjordan Air pots
1 Like
For some reason the airpot seed trays are not distributed in Italy and the official European online store ships very expensive from UK. The shipping cost is equivalent to goods price… crazy! I am thinking about taking a bigger airpot and installing the bottom at mid height so the actual depth is reduced and there is a lot of air in the bottom. @Keith-in-UK have you ever tried?
1 Like
You can move the bottom higher up but you have to stabilise the pot as it becomes top heavy. If you use too large a pot it can buckle when windy but all in all it does work quite well.
2 Likes
Very good point Keith, I did not think about it. Anchoring to the shelf would become necessary.
1 Like
And they really do do what the manufacturers say. I’ve had some for 8 yrs and they’re still going strong.
1 Like
Thanks Toby, I’ve just ordered some of the 9ltr ones. There is a difference between their garden range and the tree range. The sizes and the garden range have two rows of uncut cones for extra water retaining capacity. It’s not a problem as I simply drill through the second row.
2 Likes
Here is the newest version designed and fabricated by my petsai Porter. We are still working on quality control.
8 Likes
Ha Ha! Great one 
1 Like
Hi Keith, I have bought horticultural coir, general compost and potting grit to prepare the soil for the airpots. I wanted to sift coir and compost, but their particles are so small that they pass the 2mm sieve and nothing remains. Is it normal? Do you sift? Have I bought the wrong soils? I am also afraid that the airpot bottom will leave the soil wash away…
1 Like
Hi Simone. Forgive me for not replying earlier. Mega busy with watering. I sift only to remove the large chunks and fibrous material from the compost. this is because it is difficult to remove when repotting. The big lumps I break down. I don’t sift the coir at all.
After mixing all the ingredients together you prepare the airpot. Throw in a good amount of the mix to cover the bottom (some mix will inevitably fall through the holes. Keep putting it in). Work your way up filling the cones. If they’re not full the roots won’t grow out of them. When you get 3/4 of the way up stop filling and concentrate on the cones only. This will leave enough space for your tree.
Place your tree in (spread the roots as much as possible). Fill the pot, chopstick soil between the roots. Ensure the top cones (the ones that aren’t cut at the ends) are full as they are your water reservoir.
Next is the watering. It is best to do this slowly for the first few occasions as the soil isn’t quite settled yet. Water a bit, let it run through. Water a bit more and so on until the water runs out of the bottom.
You will find that the soil settles after a while. You can top it up or as I do (unless it gets too bad) leave the slight dip as it aids with future watering.
Hope it helps and i was in time for you.
1 Like
Facebook market place is now the hottest place to pick up used Airpots in the U.K. I say this as I now have more airpots than I can possibly need. The last 2 big batches I’ve purchased (most recently £20 for 50(!!!) 9 & 12.5l airpots) are the result of raids on cannabis farms and the seller being paid to clear up the mess.
Good luck air pot fans!
2 Likes
@PearTreeNursery ensure you wash them thoroughly, afterall you don’t want your house being raided by police in the middle of the night and confiscating your trees 
1 Like