The British-made Air-Pot system has been chosen by The Clean Plant Center Northwest (CPCNW) in Washington USA to help boost its vital supplies of virus-tested plants.

CPCNW, part of the US Department of Agriculture-funded National Clean Plant Network, is using the Air-Pot containers to grow plants with healthy non-circling root systems, making them more disease resistant.

The Air-Pot containers came about when husband and wife duo of Jamie and Suzie Single set up the Caledonian Tree Company in Scotland back in 1990.

The design of the Air-Pot containers has evolved since then, constantly improving to guarantee that plants only develop healthy fibrous roots, with no 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.

Georgie Single, marketing & sales representative at Air-Pot in Edinburgh, explains: “The healthier, faster growing plants from Air-Pot containers are better for biosecurity and the environment, as well as offering much better result for growers; whether that’s a healthier tree sequestering more CO2 and slowing climate change, or a plant that is grown to help feed us.

“Made from recycled HDPE, our Air-Pot containers are sturdily built and reusable many times, even in tropical sunshine. We manufacture with the minimum possible environmental impact and central to this is our use of recycled plastic.”

The products are manufactured in the UK and aims to provide a shape which guides each root towards an air hole where increased air in the growing medium dehydrates the tip, pruning it and stimulating root branching.

The Air-Pots are already being used in over 40 countries across the globe, but the CPCNW are very happy with them.

“Our Air-Pot containers are proving a wonderful growing environment for hops and grape vines, which are thriving,” adds Pieter Kowalec, production manager at CPCNW.