I took a peak underneath the smartpot to see how the air pruning was working. Really well, I’ll say! Mind you, it would look much better had the drought been avoided.
I did some research and found out that it’s the Peat Moss in the medium that causes the soil to become like a rock cake when dried out. This makes it extremely difficult to rehydrate, often causing the water to roll off the surface, down the sides, and straight to the bottom tray.
Mulches can reduce the drying on the surface, hold more water, and increase the time between watering. I’m looking to avoid bringing the little flies from a composting project in another part of the house over to the grow room though. Dry surfaces are helping avoid that since I don’t have any diatomaceous earth lying around.