The Light Pot™

Our answer to solving these problems came from a horticultural trial in Australia that produced a totally unintended result. There, eucalyptus growers were finding their container stock root system being scorched by the heat build up of an unrelenting sun beating down on black plastic containers.

The rationale was that one wears a white t- shirt on a hot day to keep cool so why not use white pots to reflect the heat of the sun? This worked well, the pot temperature lowered, but when they looked at the root system they noticed that the roots all grew vertically down the confines of the container instead of spiralling.

The white containers allowed a small amount of light penetration into the root zone and this triggers a phototropic and geotropic reaction, in that the roots grew away from the light and obeyed the pull of gravity. When these trees were planted out the roots were not impeded by each other's growth and were able to explore the soil effectively, allowing rapid and sustained establishment.

This was the answer to our problem at Barcham. We developed a white pot, similar to an aggregate bag that could support handles and retain its integral strength all the way to the planting site, to deliver an unwounded root system fit for sustained establishment. In 2003 we developed the white pots further.

We incorporated a permeable and degradable mulch mat and root barrier into the design to aid our customers planting in paved areas. We patented the design and trademarked the containers 'Light Pots'.