Grow Bags vs. Pots

I'm currently growing in 2 and 3 gal plastic nursery pots and want to move up to 5 gal. for the next batch I move to the flowering closet.

What do folks think of grow bags instead of pots. I've read that the bags help with root aeration, etc. . Is this a benefit to Mary? Also noticed that their are fabric and recycled, spun, plastic bags.

Please share you insights and opinions!

Thanks,

Zo

I would try the bags. Although pots are easy to move and clean up. I would like to see some pros and cons.

TheRAWman

I used bags this last repot and I hate em. The plastic bags seem to lean and fall over easily. When I got to repot ti 5 gallons I will use those fabric pots. Smart pots actually that exact brand because thats what a friend uses and they are nice. Plus they air prune the roots anb blah blah blah. I want em just because thats what I have seen and read about.

Let us know what you decide.

For my set up I absolutely hate the fabric pots. I use the biggest saucers I can find locally and the water still gets all over my floor, I'm not going back to using 1x2 trays all over the floor that shit is annoying as hell. Shit just pours out the sides of the pots when I water, and I don't want these teas stinking up the place. Pain in the ass. I will be going back to plastic pots. I have been using the "root pouch" brand. I Have not noticed any benefits as far as yield goes, but I have also switched soil types lately so that could be a factor. I will see when I go back to 5 gallon plastics with the same soil.

I move my plants around a lot, I like that they aren't tapered like most plastic pots you can get more in a given space. I don't like how the soil seems to get packed down way tighter in these and when I move them I feel like I am deforming the root ball possibly causing stress. They dry out WAY faster then plastic pots.

I don't veg my plants long, maybe I'm not getting the full benefits. But the negatives far outweigh the positives for me personally. I can't be replacing a 50 year old hardwood floor because of some plants.

I guess I'm stuck way back, I use bigger clay pots, and they never fail me. I clean them up with a little bleach water between grows, and I'm off and running again.

Here are the bags I'm considering (not necessarily from these suppliers):

($2.00/bag) Root Pouch, 3-4 Year, 5 gal w/ handles http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/root-pouch-grey-fabric-pot-3-4-year/nursery-pots

($5.19/bag) Geo Pot, 5 gal http://www.discount-hydro.com/geo-pot/


($4.49) Phat Sacks, 5 gal http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-5-Gallon-Phat-Sacks

IMO...
root pouches over plastic..

pros:

oxygen to roots
air prune root tips
water drainage
storage

only con I have is
harder to clean for next round
bit more expensive
bob...✌

ZoBudd said:

What do folks think of grow bags instead of pots. I've read that the bags help with root aeration, etc. . Is this a benefit to Mary? Also noticed that their are fabric and recycled, spun, plastic bags.

Please share you insights and opinions!

Thanks,

Zo

Click to expand...

Hi ZoBudd, I haven't used the Smart Pots(yet) but I love my Air-Pots..just took a little while to work out the best way to water(So it don't piss everywhere) Which is slowly and in stages...I give mine 400ml water and let stand, half hr later I give em 400ml Bloom then half hr after this 400ml of Grow(every other feed I change the first stage from water to Alg-A-Mic/Heaven Mix-200ml of each)

I can't say that I have seen bigger/stronger Root structure but I did grow 2x Samsara Greens Love Potion in same soil,same size Pots..but one was a Air-Pot..funny thing was the one NOT in the Air-Pot seemed to be doing better for the first few weeks but then the Air-Pot 1 just shot up..is like double the size of the NON Air-Pot 1.

All I can say is IF you have the plants(spare) or cuttings or just some spare seeds knocking about then give it a go....

**They are only messy I think(Smart Pots/Air-Pots/Fabric Pots) because Peeps rush and you just gotta treat em a little differently...

Peace

N Happy Holidays to 1 and All

I use both 5 gal buckets and 5 gal smart-pots. The nice thing about smart-pots is that it's almost impossible to over-water.

The only thing I don't care about the fabric pots is they tend to make watering more of a challenge.

cc2012 said:

Hi ZoBudd, I haven't used the Smart Pots(yet) but I love my Air-Pots..just took a little while to work out the best way to water(So it don't piss everywhere) Which is slowly and in stages...I give mine 400ml water and let stand, half hr later I give em 400ml Bloom then half hr after this 400ml of Grow(every other feed I change the first stage from water to Alg-A-Mic/Heaven Mix-200ml of each)

I can't say that I have seen bigger/stronger Root structure but I did grow 2x Samsara Greens Love Potion in same soil,same size Pots..but one was a Air-Pot..funny thing was the one NOT in the Air-Pot seemed to be doing better for the first few weeks but then the Air-Pot 1 just shot up..is like double the size of the NON Air-Pot 1.

All I can say is IF you have the plants(spare) or cuttings or just some spare seeds knocking about then give it a go....

**They are only messy I think(Smart Pots/Air-Pots/Fabric Pots) because Peeps rush and you just gotta treat em a little differently...

Peace

N Happy Holidays to 1 and All

Click to expand...

Yeah, watering is a different deal with the fabric pots. Once I realized that you have to take more time watering (about 1/3 quantity at a time over an hour) it went well. I put a 14" tray under them and on the tray I have a grate so there is air under the pot as well.

I first started with 5 gal square fabric air pots but found that to be a little large for my 4 X 4 space but got great yields with just 2 plants in that area. The last plants I chopped I was using 3 gal (square) fabric pots and found that the roots were solid in that whole area meaning the roots went all the way to the edges of the pot without "winding" around the perimeter with a heavy root structure. A plant I was growing along side of those was in a 5 gal air pot but I had to chopped early (9 wks) due to nanners from a light leak. That plant didn't use all of the root/soil space so if you have room go with the 5 gal pot but otherwise consider your growing space first and don't waste soil.

Also if you can keep from moving them much at first the roots will finally take up available space and make the pot more stable the last 2/3 of flowering time.

I've used the smart pots as well and liked them, but there were some downsides in my setup. I move my plants around and the bags were a bit of a hassle with the water drainage everywhere and the watering more frequently. Plus I didn't enjoy trying to clean them.

so I drill a million holes in normal pots and get the air pruning effect and better drainage plus easy clean up

I like using plastic bags with the tops rolled down a bit. When you need 50 pots 30 cents is better than $2.50

I have used both . both of them had the same yield. only thing I like about the grow bags with the fabric . they dry out a bit faster. and you can recycle them for up to a 100 uses. the plastic bags are one time shot. but the plastic ones are cheap. another thing I liked about . the plastic bags they are deep. so the roots can grow deep , the bags are narrow better for a scrog set up with a lot of plants. I was lazy I used a 3 gallon grow plastic bag vs a 5 gallon grow bag fabric . same yield. you cant go wrong with eather

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm going to try one of the gal grow pouches and a gal nursery pot, transplant identical plants in both for the flower stage, monitor:
growth rate height, bud sites, general health, water requirements....what else????

Not a true experiment, but it might be interesting. I'll be post pics and updates on my grow journal and let folks know.

Best,

Zo