Root pouches/Grow bags vs regular pots

C

Coldgrowth

Hi.
 
For next years growth, Ive decided on obtaining some larger containers (20 L), as my current 5 L ones are severely limiting my plants.
 
So my simple question is whether or not to obt for grow bags?
 
The cost is about the same for either variety from the suppliers I've found.
 
I wonder if grow bags require a lot more frequent watering, due to the increased evaporation. And do they really increase growth and yield?
 
Any personal experiences or opinions on the matter?
 
 
/Coldgrowth
 
I've never used official "grow bags" but have heard great things.
I have however used plain old wally mart and target cloth bags and have had huge success.
Edit- just noticed your in Europe. I'm referring to big cloth shopping bags about 20l or so size that the big chain stores here sell for about 1 $ US.
There probably a few old posts floating around that I threw some pics up in the last few years.
They grow much better than my 5 gallon plastic bucket plants and fall about in the middle of those and my hydro for production.
I don't water them any more or less than the buckets but I'm a little different.
I look at the plants every evening after dinner, which is about an hour after sunset.
When the leaves are still wilted, I water thoroughly then. Note the leaves wilt daily around here during summer so that's why I have to wait to see if they spring back after dark.

Hope that helps... Highly reccomend but don't know if they are worth the extra over Wallys bags.
 
I've experimented with grow bags/root pouches the last 2 years. In my experience, plants do grow a bit larger than an equal sized pot. They also dry out and require more frequent watering (perhaps this is why they grow bigger?) - daily when it gets really hot. I think grow pots would be great with a timed drip irrigation. A negative is even a decent one will probably will fall apart after 3-4 years, whereas a good pot will last much longer. So, they will ultimately cost more. I also find them to be slug magnets.
 
I would love to try one of the Smart Pots bags in 400 gallon for a Canna grow. I couldn't afford to mix the soil though. :lol:
I grew some peppers in 10 gallon Root Pouches this year and they are bigger plants than the 5 gallon bucket ones but then again the soil is twice as much volume.
 
I am using fabric pots for the majority of my peppers this year and it has been working well. They do dry out faster and require more frequent watering, but on the other hand they also handle heat much better.
 
That said if you are going to grow outside anyway, I personally would just plant into a the ground or a raised bed (squarefoot garden perhaps?). My observation this year is that my plants that grew in my semi-raised bed (dug into the ground six inches and used 6 inch blocks to make 12 deep bed) put out bigger pods than my potted plants. Pots give you the advantage of moving plants around in case of bad weather, but honestly I feel like production is better and maintenance is easier in ground. Not to mention you can use less water since the roots can dig down deep.
 
I bought these "Non-woven Planting Bags" in China for 2 bucks a piece including shipping, content 29L (7.5gal), plants love them. It breaths so no rotting of roots like in plastic containers. Evaporation is higher, but it is a good thing. 
 
 
bag_zpsca1b55ae.jpg
 
Thanks for the responses so far!
 
 
 
LuckyLuke said:
I bought these "Non-woven Planting Bags" in China for 2 bucks a piece including shipping, content 29L (7.5gal), plants love them. It breaths so no rotting of roots like in plastic containers. Evaporation is higher, but it is a good thing. 
 
 
bag_zpsca1b55ae.jpg
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I have had no luck finding any fabric pots that cheap, even when searching for your exact keywords. The best I've found on ebay are 4-5 USD each + shipping.
 
 
I have not seen many fabric shopping bags in my country, but I'll keep an eye out. 
 
I am currently considering buying a few of these, they aren't the cheapest, but shipping is free, which helps a lot. They are 7 USD each from the Ebay seller i found.
$_57.JPG
 
Coldgrowth said:
Thanks for the responses so far!
 
 
 
 
I have had no luck finding any fabric pots that cheap, even when searching for your exact keywords. The best I've found on ebay are 4-5 USD each + shipping.
 
 
I have not seen many fabric shopping bags in my country, but I'll keep an eye out. 
 
I am currently considering buying a few of these, they aren't the cheapest, but shipping is free, which helps a lot. They are 7 USD each from the Ebay seller i found.
 
Click to expand...
Try A.M Leonard. That is where I bought mine.
With shipping included I paid something like $3.40 each for ten, 10 gallon bags.
Shipping would probably be very high though considering the shipping distance.
http://www.amleo.com/root-pouch-degradable-pots/p/VP-RPXXXX/
 
Recycled shopping bags work fairly well, although the construction and durability is somewhat marginal.  If you move the plants around much, the bags will start to degrade within one season.  Be careful, and they should work fine.
 
Wal Mart, the giant, soul-less US retail chain, sells these blue ~6 gallon bags for 50 cents each. Many other stores sell similar bags for not much more.
 
They typically hold roughly 6 gallons / 24 liters of soil and are around ~35cm high.  Some are a little bigger, some smaller.
 
They certainly do require more water compared to a non-porus container, but the evaporative cooling has proved very helpful in my hot climate. In Northern Europe, I doubt this will be an issue of any concern. Once the plants get big, they will draw quite a bit more water than what evaporates through the sides of the bag. 
 
As a relative noobie, I don't have much experience comparing growth from one container type to the next.. I suspect the increased gas<->soil exchange a fabric bag offers is probably a good thing.  FWLIW, the varieties I have that do well in the hot climate are all growing very well in the bags.  Aji Limon below.
 
Wally.jpg
 
Coldgrowth said:
Thanks for the responses so far!
 
 
 
 
I have had no luck finding any fabric pots that cheap, even when searching for your exact keywords. The best I've found on ebay are 4-5 USD each + shipping.
 
 
I have not seen many fabric shopping bags in my country, but I'll keep an eye out. 
 
I am currently considering buying a few of these, they aren't the cheapest, but shipping is free, which helps a lot. They are 7 USD each from the Ebay seller i found.
 
Click to expand...
 
Talk to this Vendor http://www.aliexpress.com/item/High-Quality-Thick-White-Non-woven-Planting-Bag-Tough-Solid-Durable-Suitable-for-Home-Garden-Environmentally/1247660859.html. Contact person is "Jaunty Lee". You can choose different sizes and amount. They will give you price based on qty. Bag on the picture is 35X30cm. Good luck.
 
Coldgrowth said:
Thanks for the responses so far!
 
I have had no luck finding any fabric pots that cheap, even when searching for your exact keywords. The best I've found on ebay are 4-5 USD each + shipping.
 
I have not seen many fabric shopping bags in my country, but I'll keep an eye out. 
 
I am currently considering buying a few of these, they aren't the cheapest, but shipping is free, which helps a lot. They are 7 USD each from the Ebay seller i found.
Click to expand...
 
At only 3 gallons they are still on the small side.  Keep in mind that if you have a lot of wind, bags filled taller than their width blow over easier once there's a big plant sticking out the top.
 
Dave2000 said:
 
At only 3 gallons they are still on the small side.  Keep in mind that if you have a lot of wind, bags filled taller than their width blow over easier once there's a big plant sticking out the top.
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Indeed!  Particularly when they're up on a table, several feet off the ground!  The sound a large bag of pepper plant and dirt makes as it crashes head-first to the ground is a sickening crunching thump, something I hope never to hear again!  :(
 
So is it the general consensus that more volume of soil and breathable bags equate to larger plants and harvests? Has anybody tried using burlap bags?
Most farm & garden stores sell rolls of it and you can fold a length over itself and stitch the sides together using jute or garden twine. Biggest down side is you will likely get only a single season out of them because of degradation. I'm gonna try that this next season on a couple plants to see how well it works. Hopefully I'll have a decent camera by then to post some pics.
 
Burlap wouldn't even last half a season. I work around coffee in burlap and any that got wet while on the way here are rotting through after only a week or so. It degrades real fast.
 
I used a mix of 2 or 3 gallon plastic pots, 5 10 and 15 gallon root pouches from greenhousemegastore.com, and the eco friendly shopping bags from dollar general this year, along with a couple of plants in empty kitty litter buckets. The plants in the dollar general bags, root pouches and kitty litter buckets all have produced great for me. The fabric pots have probably slightly out performed the rest, but I'll never use the dollar general bags again as they've already nearly all torn in half after half a season.
 
Hawaiianero said:
So is it the general consensus that more volume of soil and breathable bags equate to larger plants and harvests? Has anybody tried using burlap bags?
Most farm & garden stores sell rolls of it and you can fold a length over itself and stitch the sides together using jute or garden twine. Biggest down side is you will likely get only a single season out of them because of degradation. I'm gonna try that this next season on a couple plants to see how well it works. Hopefully I'll have a decent camera by then to post some pics.
Click to expand...
 
There's people that feel both ways.  I feel breathable is worse unless you have a water management problem, either a compulsion to water too much or have a rainy climate plus poor draining soil.  Plants evolved for millions+ years to an environment with roots below ground where they are not air pruned and when I have a chance to grow in-ground the plants are always as large if not larger.
 
Burlap would rot away far too quickly, but that might be ideal if you wanted to put the plant in the ground still in the pot.  It would also start to grow fungus if there's not a lot of wind and/or high humidity.
 
Ultimately I feel it is safe to say that either way works, that the soil, amendments, temperature, etc matter far more.
 
Dave2000 said:
Plants evolved for millions+ years to an environment with roots below ground where they are not air pruned and when I have a chance to grow in-ground the plants are always as large if not larger.
Click to expand...
 
The issue is plastic or fabric, whether you want a plant stressed out by circling roots or allowed to breath more and redirect that root growth inward. Of course a plant in the ground is preferable, but not always feasible.
 
miguelovic said:
 
The issue is plastic or fabric, whether you want a plant stressed out by circling roots or allowed to breath more and redirect that root growth inward. Of course a plant in the ground is preferable, but not always feasible.
Click to expand...
Yeah I would love to plant in the ground. Being in Hawaii you'd think that was a no-brainer but my house and lot are smack dab in the middle of a massive blue rock slab. For anything other than grass I need to put in containers. Tried to drill through it once, after going down almost 2 feet with a masonry drill bit and seeing nothing but grey dust come up, I think I'm kinda screwed.
 
Edit: I do have some raised beds but those are more reserved for quick growing veggies like radish, turnip, lettuce, etc. Thinking about building a retaining wall out front, that would be a good spot for peppers in the ground :P

Dave2000 said:
 
There's people that feel both ways.  I feel breathable is worse unless you have a water management problem, either a compulsion to water too much or have a rainy climate plus poor draining soil.  Plants evolved for millions+ years to an environment with roots below ground where they are not air pruned and when I have a chance to grow in-ground the plants are always as large if not larger.
 
Burlap would rot away far too quickly, but that might be ideal if you wanted to put the plant in the ground still in the pot.  It would also start to grow fungus if there's not a lot of wind and/or high humidity.
 
Ultimately I feel it is safe to say that either way works, that the soil, amendments, temperature, etc matter far more.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the insight on burlap. Did not think about the fungus growth. Humidity rarely gets below 75% here.
 
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