The cultivation of specialty crops in soilless growing systems has emerged as a pivotal practice in modern agriculture. The adoption of container-based production, particularly through soilless culture systems, is witnessing a significant uptrend among specialty crop producers. The challenges associated with cultivating plants in containers are extensively documented, particularly in navigating the delicate balance between insufficient and excess water. Shallow containers often result in excessive water, limiting air availability, while the confined volume of containers imposes restrictions on the water supply for optimal plant growth. Air and water capacity (AWC) model was utilized to determine basic physical properties, such as total porosity (TP), air space (AS), and container capacity (CC), for a substrate in specific-sized and shaped containers. AWC models offer a comprehensive tool for estimating hydrophysical properties across multiple substrate/container combinations simultaneously. The existing literature lacks direct reporting on these specific container types, primarily focusing on modeling the air and water profiles of traditional containers that the floriculture industry utilized, leading to a notable gap in data concerning the dynamic interplay between air and water profiles within these containers and their impact on the rooting environment. 19 substrates and 30 commercially used container selections were modeled to understand their air-water profiles. The results underscore the effect of container geometry on substrate air-water profiles, necessitating different management approaches for the same substrate in different containers. Container height stands out as a critical factor, exerting a substantial influence on substrate characteristics and subsequently affecting air and water values.
