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What sizes are available?
The pots are available in all the popular container sizes ranging from small
ones suitable for seedlings to larger pots for shrubs. The smallest is 10.5 cm
in diameter to the largest with an 18.5 cm diameter.
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Are all pots the same shape?
The majority of the pots follow traditional round shapes but there
are specialty designs [tall and narrow or squared or round with matching saucers] to accommodate other requirements.
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What are the pots made from?
The pots are made from miscanthus [elephant grass] and natural binding agents.
Miscanthus, cultivated in southern Germany and Switzerland, is an environmentally friendly crop.
A large perennial grass (it can grow up to 13 feet in height), it is a high yielding, low input perennial.
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What colours do they come in?
Naturally, the pots are the colour of dried grass with a textured-like appearance
that shows the mashed grass stalks. For custom orders, vegetable dyes can be added to colour the pots.
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Can the pots be branded?
We are currently exploring different avenues to see if the pots can be branded with a vegetable dye logo.
In the meantime, we have biodegradable labels available and can design a label to adhere to the pot.
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How long will the pots maintain shape and sturdiness, if unused?
Shelf life of Napac NaturePots, NNP, depends only on humidity of the warehouse, but not to temperature,
light or any other parameter. If relative humidity of air in the warehouse is maintained at <90%
throughout the year a shelf life of at least 4 years has been observed.
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Will they deteriorate if left outside in the rain and if yes, how quickly?
Stored in its original packaging, in a cardboard box, with the box solely protected from direct wetting,
by covering with a tarpaulin or plastic film, the pots will not be affected. However, if under the covering ]
sheet relative humidity rises upon several weather cycles above the indicated 90%,
this may shorten shelf life by approx. 50%.
Before potting and growing, NNP should not be soaked. In a greenhouse or during cultivation outside, however,
pots are regularly exposed to conditions of high humidity (80% – 100%) and optimum growing temperature
(70°F - 90°F). These conditions, together with regular watering of soil and plant, favour the initial
decomposition process. This process is slow, as long as the outer surface of the
pot is regularly allowed to dry off.
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What is the maximum cultivation time before the pots become unstable?
Longest duration of cultivation in NNP was made by a Swiss grower of organic herbs with chives.
As chive requires one entire frost period, usually eight months of field growing in NNP before
delivery to retailers. This included several weeks of snow coverage. Pots showed drying out of the surface
layer, and a color shift from light brown to greyish. Stability was affected, but 90% of the product
planted in NNP130 (diameter of 5.1 inch) could still be lifted between thumb and forefinger with no damage.
All NNP used for shrubs (i.e. container sizes above 5.5 inch, e.g our one gallon pot
with diameter = 6.7 inch) have undergone a redesign since, reinforcing the rim, and thus reducing
breakage rates to virtually zero even after a 12 months field growing period. We do not recommend
using NNP for longer growing periods than one year.
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Once the pots are buried in the ground, how long does it take for them to decompose?
Decomposition rates are approximately ten-fold when the pots are planted in the soil, compared to free standing
conditions. This means that after a four-month period in the soil, NNP decompose to a degree that allows it to
be mixed homogenously in the soil by means of a Rototiller.
If the pot is removed from the plant and composted with other organic material, it decomposes
entirely within 6 months (enhanced biodegradation). Even the rim is weakened in a way that
makes it fall into small soft pieces.
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Does decomposition rate vary by pot? For example, larger pots take longer?
Due to the fact, that the rim design is stronger for NNP140 and NNP165 decomposition of the
rim takes approx 1.5 times as long as for e.g. NNP105 or NNP120.
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Does the pot content alter the soil/growing medium in any way when it is decomposing?
The process of biodegradation is based on the activity of microbes in the soil. These microbes are present
in any portion of soil at any time. Their activity depends basically on the availability of oxygen and digestible
material. In well-aerated compost the decomposition rate is therefore much higher than in compact soil,
where low oxygen — provided for by air diffusion only — is limiting microbe activity. There is no difference
between decomposition of NNP and other natural products like bark or straw or any other mulch in the soil.
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You say the pots are sturdy and durable. How do you define that? Have you done any durability or comparison tests?
In practice at large nurseries, the pots are transported in groups using mechanical tools such as lifts
without damage to the pots. As well, comparison tests were conducted with NNP140 for a typical greenhouse
growing period of nine weeks with Sunflower (Helianthus annus "Pacino Gold"), Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflorum Hybride),
Basil (Ocium basilicum "Bageco typ Genova") and Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis "Lumina F1") in 2006.
Stability tests that simulated picking up of a pot by hand, holding it between thumb and forefinger,
indicated that typically 10% - 20% of the initial stability is lost.
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Submit your own questions by email to: info@getgreenstar.com
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