Do you use Air-Pots?
I am really curious how popular are these pots.
I have started using them this year mainly for plants that I want later to move into the ground later, like trees or shrubs, but not only
One interesting thing I have noticed is that the holes especially on the lower levels allow mushrooms to grow.

Now that could be because of the substrate I use or the surrounding area which has the some mushrooms growing in the lawn actually, so it is somewhat understandable.
Strangely enough I have seen some the bottoms of the pots they get a full layer of fungi material, I guess it is the same fungi that produce the mushrooms.

I wonder could this potentially also be an advantage to molds to develop? I mean they have where to stay and be out of the sunlight.
Anyone happened to see growth on the bottom grill of the Air-pots?

I had never seen these pots before. They are interesting. How did your plants do? I suspect the mushrooms were a result of your soil mixture and the weather conditions. Do you like mushrooms? Maybe you should get some edible mushroom spores and grow them in the bottom of these pots.

I believe the plants did fantastic, especially the fast growing trees types, they grew much thicker and taller than in the ground in the same amount of time.
The nice thing is the roots do not make circles, no knotting of the roots, which is fantastic for transplants of perennials or especially trees (which you expect them to live for dozens of years after and do not want to start with knotted/balled root systems.
The roots get so dense that it is obvious most of them will reduce once in the ground since there is no aeration in the ground as in these pots.

I have not tried vegetables or annuals, it was never my goal.
I know many try them that for that reason alone (e.g big tomato production expectations) and have mixed feeling about these pots considering they are very expensive.

Downside is constant need of watering when it is hot, all that aeration dries up the roots easily when it is hot outside.
Also I find that a bit of liquid fertilizer needs to be added and has a stronger effect in these pots than in the soil (heavy soil).
I would definitely not use any small volume models mainly due to the fact that a small volume just makes the drying up of the substrate an impossible issue to deal with.
I did mix up my substrate with some perlite so that also make is more aerated but more sensitive to drying up, yet I would not change to heavy soil substrate anyway.

I am still not sure about the layer of fungal growth on the bottom (seems to stop the air circulation), but considering the area has a lot of wild mushrooms, fungi and molds one cannot be that surprised they grow there.
I was curious if other have experienced the same colonization for these pots.

I use root pruning pots exclusively. I find that it creates an ideal root architecture for transplants, and benefits root health in full term plants. It makes overwatering a plant very difficult due to faster drying time in the rhizosphere. I use a saucer, and bottom water pots in addition to surface watering the mulch layer. Yes, the mushrooms that sometimes grow out the side slots are very cool.

Do you use Air-Pots? I am really curious how popular are these pots.
* I have used them, but my focus is bonsai, and I fully repot (includes removal of 1/2 to all of the old grow medium, bare-rooting, root pruning, and a change of soil). Trees well along the path to becoming a decent bonsai are usually in smaller pots that help increase ramification (more branches & leaves), and I have somewhat better results growing in pond baskets because they offer even more gas exchange.
I have started using them this year mainly for plants that I want later to move into the ground later, like trees or shrubs, but not only.
* I don't know if you do much rootwork or not, but everything that goes in the ground gets bare-rooted and has all problem roots corrected. Problem roots are circling, girdling, crossing, roots growing straight up/ down - or back toward the center of the root mass, and j-hooked roots.
One interesting thing I have noticed is that the holes especially on the lower levels allow mushrooms to grow.

Now that could be because of the substrate I use or the surrounding area which has the some mushrooms growing in the lawn actually, so it is somewhat understandable.
Strangely enough I have seen some the bottoms of the pots they get a full layer of fungi material, I guess it is the same fungi that produce the mushrooms.

I wonder could this potentially also be an advantage to molds to develop? I mean they have where to stay and be out of the sunlight.
* No need for concern. That you see the fruiting bodies means only that the fungi find the pots to be a place where they can prosper, Plants live in harmony with many hundreds or even thousands of species of fungi, even forming symbiotic relationships with some of them. Only a few are a danger and that's usually because something is culturally out of whack.
Al