Water will only pond if the potting mix is very dry. As it wets up, capillary forces drive the water to all parts of the pot including the outlet grid area. This capillary flow to the grid area sets up an automatic siphon that removes all free water from the bottom of the pot. This mechanism operates in all sorts of potting mixes including sand based mixes. Our video shows this capilliary action.

Water takes longer to drain from the ANOVApot^® than from most other pots. This is particularly evident if the potting mix is allowed to dry out and shrink from the side wall. The longer the water stays in the pot the more thoroughly the potting mix is wetted and less water is lost. The ANOVApot^® will indirectly save a lot of water as its use encourages the widespread adoption of zero-runoff capillary mat irrigation systems. Adoption of these very water efficient systems is currently constrained because of substantial root escape that occurs in most pots - a factor that is substantially reduced with the use of the ANOVApot^®

Our studies have shown that roots are not attracted to the incoming stream of water under the moisture conditions in the ANOVApot^®. Observations of root distribution in pots have revealed a ‘sweet spot’ 1-2cm above the central base of the pot where root density is least. The design of the ANOVApot^® with its central collar has embodied this observation to minimize root densities at the water inflow zone (from bottom irrigation) and thus root interference with uptake.

Roots that escape need to be removed in preparing the pot for sale and this takes time and effort. These roots can attach themselves to material under the pot with the plant becoming dependent on them for an additional supply of water and nutrients. Cutting off these roots severely shocks the plant, while the roots left behind in the mat (or other material) provide sites for infection by disease organisms. Removal of pots and breaking roots disturbs the matting and the levels of the underlying material.

No. The tap root of a seed that is planted directly above the central hole is very likely to escape. Off-setting the planting position of the seed will reduce this likelihood. Most nursery plants that are transplanted into a 140mm ANOVApot^® have been struck from cuttings or are transplants from seedling trays. In these cases, there is either no tap root or it is no longer functional and planting them directly over the central hole does not add to root escape. In reducing root escape, the ANOVApot^® is most effective with those plants that have predominatnlly lateral root development - this is the case with most cuttings. These roots splay outwards, hit the pot wall and travel downwards. They, then, circle the bottom of the pot with very little capacity to grow upwards over the raised collar and then downwards and out of the pot.

The pot spacers at the bottom of the pot have some effect in stopping this circling effect. Root circling is an issue that needs attention in many types of pots including the ANOVApot^®.

Air-pruning (dying back of the root tip) occurs when the root enters an environment of low humidity (air). Some species are far more susceptible to such damage than others.  Some species are not effected at all. Damaged roots at the base of the pot are suspectible to infection. However, the extent of the damage and its effect on overall plant health is offest by the benefits of preventing root escape by air-pruning. Air-pruning in ANOVApot^® will only occur in pots that sit on gravel or wire where dry air circulates underneath the pots.

High quality potting mixes are well aerated and maintain their structure. Very healthy roots are grown in ANOVApot^® often appear healthier those those in multi-hole pots. This occurs even in bottom watered mat irrigation systems where air would be most limiting.

There is less mess in potting up with only one central basal hole. The grid at the bottom of the pot retains all but the finest fractions. The ANOVApot^® will help in pot watering. Often pots are allowed to get so dry that the potting mix shrinks away from the walls of the pot. When a side-doled pot is hand watered much of the water simply runs down the inside and straight out the holes without wetting the potting mix. This clearly wastes water and adds little value in the development of the plant. ANOVApot^® overcomes this waste with its special patented collar where the plant system governs the water usage.

The ANOVApot^® performs well for all plant species in a wide range of environments. In mat irrigated systems, the particles of potting mix must not cause bridging of the central well and include a fraction that is mall enough to allow good contact through the central grid between the underlying mat and the potting mix.