Broaden your horticultural knowledge, beyond bonsai.

A common problem that I have come across online is that many bonsai artists/experts are too focussed on bonsai only and seem to be ignorant of basic horticultural science. 

 Source - delightability.com

Bonsai is a subset of horticultural science and not the other way round. I value horticultural science more than some bonsai tradition. I feel the videos below will benefit both the bonsai beginners & experts alike, purely from an awareness perspective :

YouTube playlists :


1) Aeroponics, Hydroponics & Hybrid-ponics

2) Root Aeration & Deep Root Watering

I watch & subscribe to many channels, including farming, gardening, plant & tree nurseries, hydroponics, aeroponics, pottery, art, manufacturers, technology etc. Though bonsai is my only output, I have many inputs which include bonsai channels also, both professional & amateur. I believe in widening my knowledge base. 

On the other hand, too much focus in just one area, leads people to blindly follow ancient traditions without ever questioning anything. You then end up being a clone of an ancient practice instead of evolving. The point I am making here is that ritual worship conditions your mind to think in a particular way only. 

That is why I am not impressed with a person's academic qualifications or their "years" of experience. What impresses me is practical knowledge. And in my 2 decades of work experience, I have come across many cases where the academic qualifications & years of experience did not translate into good practical knowledge. I have seen it in animation, photography, doctors on food supplements, on certain science topics and now in bonsai too.

I usually do not take a strong stand on a subject unless I have done some research on it. But when I do, usually the expert or better qualified/experienced person is on the back foot, sometimes even giving ridiculous arguments & exposing their shallow knowledge. Mental conditioning is a powerful tool. It can defeat academic qualifications & years of experience. I am aware of this weakness in opponents of my ideas, regardless of which topic I pick :-)
 

Net pots drain better, allow better oxygen supply to roots & air prune the roots automatically. Bonsai community across the world seems to have massive ignorance on this. And I do not care much for their denial. Instead, their grow pots confirm what I suspected.

Now, I am not boasting here but merely wondering that when a newbie like me adopted this quickly from the vegetable growers (thats where i saw this concept), what could possibly prevent the bonsai experts from adopting this ? Why do they insist on using pots that do not air prune the roots and has poor drainage & aeration ? Have they been mentally 'conditioned' to use traditional pots ? 

Feel free to disagree / share your viewpoints as comments below. I really welcome it and want to know your perspective. Maybe I am missing something here.

How Pot Design Affects Your Plant's Growth