Root Pouch brand Fabric Pots on Sale at GardenersEdge.com

nmlarson

nmlarson

For those of you who are or want to grow in fabric pots, A.M. Leonard's Gardeners' Edge company has their Root Pouch brand fabric pots on sale, 10 for $34.99, and right now with free shipping.  I've not used their bags in the past, so can't testify whether the 4 to 5 year life span is accurate.  I have ordered from the company before, and haven't been disappointed.  At $3.50 a piece, I'll take a chance.  The promo code is good until 10/1/18.  I've included a link for the 15 gallon pots I'm going to try next year, but they have other sizes, and different quality bags, on sale, too.  I have no affiliation with the company, other than being a satisfied customer.
 
https://www.gardenersedge.com/root-pouch-15-gallon-with-handle-4-5-year-bundle-of-10/p/RP15H4/
 
For the free shipping, use promo code W18R44.
 
Finally, here's the link to the Root Pouch brand page:  https://rootpouch.com/products/black
 
rp15h4.jpg

 
 
So I bought 30 of the 1g boxer browns for my indoor winter grow and have a mixed opinion of them.  Compared to the grow bags I'm used to, the fabric is stiffer and doesn't soak up water as readily.  May have to do with the plastic content.  The stiffer fabric makes them easier to move without disrupting the roots and I figure it may also have better thermal qualities.  I wonder though if it will be as effective at air pruning the roots.  With the other grow bags the material seemed to take in moisture better, leading to alternating wet and dry cycles with waterings.  I assume that might better encourage roots to grow into the material and then get air terminated when it dries, thus these might not be as good at air pruning. Just specualtion for now though; I won't know until I pot up.  Another positive is these things seem pretty durable.
 
The big negative I'm seeing is the handles are at the top of the edges and they are quite big.  On my other pots the handles are a soft nylon and they fall to the sides and out of the way.  These you simply can't push down to the sides so they either stand up, interfering with the leaves and blocking light to some degree, or I can fold them down, but they stick out to the sides and prevent me from putting two pots close together - year, they're that bulky and rigid.  There is an easy solution - just cut the handles off - but I'm holding off on that for now because it's not reversible.  Also, once the plants are bigger the handles aren't an issue because the plants are no longer kept that close together and the plants have grown above them. That said, these are 1g bags that will mainly have smaller plants in them.
 
Anyhow, 30 bags for $30 delivered was a good deal and I'm not unhappy with them, just pros and cons. With the handles removed they may be awesome. Thanks again nmlarson and alkhall for the heads up and recommendation.
 
Does anyone know about advantages/disadvantages with fabric over rigid plastic like rootmakers?

We have some rootmakers that have lasted ~15-20 years.  Some have been reused, others have just had the same plants. 
 
 
Sonja said:
Does anyone know about advantages/disadvantages with fabric over rigid plastic like rootmakers?

We have some rootmakers that have lasted ~15-20 years.  Some have been reused, others have just had the same plants. 
 
Click to expand...
 
Fabric pots will aircrop the roots so they don't bundle up around the outside of the pot
 
I've never used them, but I think an advantage of Rootmakers would be that while air-pruning the roots just like cloth, they also provide rigid support. Moving cloth pots around before the plants have filled out their root systems in the container causes the soil to shift,and crack which can be hard on the roots/plants.  Seems like it's a best of both worlds kinda thing.
 
Would the cloth ones evaporate more water, keeping the roots cooler?
 
If that happens, I don't know if it would be a plus or a minus.
 
Sonja said:
Does anyone know about advantages/disadvantages with fabric over rigid plastic like rootmakers?

We have some rootmakers that have lasted ~15-20 years.  Some have been reused, others have just had the same plants. 
 
Click to expand...
Besides what CaneDog already mentioned, I think the longevity is the other big factor. Like you said, you've had those for 15-20 years and who knows how long they will last you.. The pouches and bags are generally rated for a season up to like half dozen, depending on the type and conditions they are used under. 
Cost is another big factor.. Initial investment on the hard pots definitely turned me away from them for this season, but I would like to have a few for inside uses eventually. 
For what I could get a few hard root-pruning pots for, instead I'm getting 25 gallon and 25 3-gallon fabric pots. 



 
 
If you get the Rootmakers direct from the company, they are not as pricey.  If you buy wholesale, they are even less expensive.  I have about 500 in my yard now, from propagation size up to 5 gallon.  I have also tried various brands of cloth. 

Over a few year period, I found the hard Rootmaker. pots to be more cost effective. 

Of course there are other brands of hard, air root pruning pots that are effective and may be found cheaper.
 
 
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