Net pot, no medium

Also known as: Bare-root, Net cup, Net pot with no growing medium

Properties

pH effect	not applicable
Water retention	not applicable
Drainage	not applicable
Oxygen to roots	depends on aeration of solution
Bacterial surface area	not applicable
Reusability	very high (essentially permanent)
Cost tier	free / DIY
Weight	very light

How it affects the system

Roots dangle directly in oxygenated nutrient solution (DWC) or sit in a shallow recirculating nutrient film (NFT); a growing medium plays no role
Plant support is purely mechanical: the net pot collar holds the stem while the bulk of the root mass develops below the pot
Pump or air-supply failure can kill plants quickly, since bare roots have no medium reservoir; DWC relies on an airstone and air pump, while NFT's recirculating film self-oxygenates
Easiest cleanup between cycles: rinse the net pots and reuse them indefinitely

System compatibility

Works well in:

deep water culture (rafts)
NFT channels

Avoid in:

media bed (ebb and flow)
drip
wicking bed
soil bed

Care notes

The simplest approach for DWC and NFT. Plants are usually started in a small rockwool or coco-fibre starter plug, then moved into a net pot once roots emerge from the bottom of the plug; after transplant the plug stays as a tiny support cube while the bulk of the root system grows bare in solution. In DWC the net pots sit in a floating raft with roots submerged and oxygenated by an airstone, and in NFT they sit above a shallow recirculating nutrient film.

Crops that work in net pot, no medium

39 edible crops in the catalog list this medium as compatible.

Back to growing media reference

Properties

How it affects the system

System compatibility

Care notes

Crops that work in net pot, no medium

Further reading