Grower

Better Root Structure:

The wall of the DOT Pot is completely permeable to air and water. Because the availability of oxygen is the most important factor in the development of roots, having a container that breathes like the DOT Pot™ is the ideal situation. It's not just lots of roots that the plant needs; it's lots of root tips. Only the root tips can uptake nutrients and moisture. Quality of the root structure is as important, if not more important that the quantity of roots.

Air pruning has recently become a popular concept in the development of good root structure. Only the DOT Pot™ allows roots to penetrate at any point in the container. Every root tip that pops through the side of a DOT Pot™ is air-pruned and will force lateral branching back inside the container. Every root tip that is added to the plant allows it to uptake more nutrients and moisture.

Faster root development:
The porous nature of the breathable DOT Pot™ allows roots to penetrate the wall of the container at any point, not just the drain holes or slits. The ease with which roots penetrate the wall of a DOT Pot™ encourages a natural root structure, unlike containers made from non-breathable materials. Non-breathable pots will create an unnatural 'cage' root structure resulting from the elongation of roots in search of moisture along a container wall.

More uniform moisture and nutrient distribution:
BecauseDOT pots™ are porous and breathable, water is more uniformly distributed throughout the container. This will result in a more natural root development.

Increased ability to dry down wet soils:
The breathable pot can be dried down faster after heavy rains if need be. Growers using shade houses often have little control in preventing over-wet soils when heavy rains hit. The DOT Pot™ will allow a faster evaporation from all sides of the container, resulting in greater moisture control for the grower.

Enhanced nutrient uptake:
Because DOT Pots™ promote a well branched structure with more root tips, a grower can expect a better utilization of fertilizers (and water, and oxygen).

Landscaper

Labor Savings:
By planting the DOT Pots™ in the landscape without removing the pot, a commercial landscaper can expect to save approximately 20% on the labor costs of installing plant material. DOT Pots plant well with augur systems commonly available at home improvement stores. See our guidelines for Best Management Practices and Jobsite Protocol.

No clean up:
Because there is no need to remove the plant from the pot, DOT Pots are placed directly into the ground and will naturally biodegrade in place.

No disposal costs:
DOT Pots™ will not cost you a trip to the landfill and the tipping fees to dispose of traditional plastic containers.

Better transplant take:
Because DOT Pots™ create a stronger root structure that is primed to take off, the percentage of 'take' in a landscape is normally enhanced. Plants that are allowed to grow into the natural landscape will perform better than plants that are grown in large containers and then transplanted. This is especially true if the native soil is less than desirable. Plant material transplanted from large containers will tend to stay in the desirable soil they were grown in, not pushing into the surrounding soils. Plants grown in DOT Pots™ already have their root tips in the native soil as soon as they are planted. This forces them to establish themselves in the landscape rather than stalling out in what many people would call 'transplant shock'.