A net pot is a rigid plastic container with large openings in its sides and base. It sits in a hole in the lid of a hydroponic bucket, tray or channel, holding a rockwool cube, clay pebbles or other support medium. Roots grow out through the openings and down into the solution or spray chamber.
In practice
Common sizes for cannabis DWC are 10-15 cm (4-6 in) diameter for each plant. Start a rooted cube or seedling in the net pot, surround it with rinsed clay pebbles, and keep the solution level just touching the base until roots have grown through; then lower the level to leave an air gap. Keep the top surface dry and covered where possible to reduce algae and gnats.
Net pots are cleaned and reused between grows.
Don't confuse with
- Fabric pot: a breathable container for soil or coco.
- Air pot: a rigid container with air-pruning holes, filled with a full medium.
Rockwool is an inert growing medium spun from melted basalt rock into fibres, sold as plugs, cubes and slabs, that holds water and air in fixed proportions.Clay pebbles (LECA) are fired, expanded clay balls used as an inert hydroponic medium that drains freely, holds a little water and anchors roots.DWC (deep water culture) suspends a plant's roots in an aerated nutrient solution, typically in a bucket with a net pot lid and an air stone.A seedling is a young cannabis plant from emergence of the cotyledons until it has several sets of true leaves, typically the first 2-3 weeks.A fabric pot is a breathable, sewn felt or non-woven container that lets air and water through its walls, drying the medium faster and air-pruning roots.Coco coir is a growing medium made from processed coconut husk, prized for holding water and air at once; it binds calcium and magnesium unless buffered.An air pot is a rigid container with cone-shaped holes in its walls that air-prune roots, preventing circling and drying the medium faster than a solid pot.The Kratky method is a passive hydroponic system with no pumps: plants sit above a container of solution, and a growing air gap forms as the level drops.
