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 nutrient solution (DWC) or sit in shallow nutrient film (NFT); medium plays no role
- Plant support is purely mechanical: the net pot collar holds the stem; transplant timing matters because root mass develops below the pot, not within it
- Pump failure or solution starvation kills plants within hours: roots dry out fast with no medium reservoir
- Easiest cleanup between cycles: rinse net pots and reuse 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 possible approach for DWC and NFT. Plants are typically started in a small rockwool or coco-fiber starter plug then transplanted into a net pot once roots emerge from the bottom of the plug. After transplant the plug stays as a tiny support cube but the bulk of the root system is bare-root in solution.
Crops that work in net pot, no medium
39 edible crops in the catalog list this medium as compatible.
- Arugula
- Batavian lettuce
- Bok choy
- Broccoli
- Butterhead lettuce
- Cauliflower
- Chives
- Choy sum
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Endive
- Garlic chives
- Genovese basil
- Green onion
- Iceberg lettuce
- Kale
- Komatsuna
- Korean perilla
- Land cress
- Lemon balm
- Loose-leaf lettuce
- Mâche
- Mint
- Mizuna
- Mustard greens
- Napa cabbage
- Parsley
- Pea shoots
- Romaine lettuce
- Shiso
- Sorrel
- Spigarello
- Spinach
- Stevia
- Swiss chard
- Tatsoi
- Thai basil
- Vietnamese coriander
- Watercress
Sources
Data drawn from: cornell-cea. Last verified 2026-05-13.
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