$0.12 fabric pot with handles!

[geopolitical]

My apologies if someone has already did this one. Had a ton of spare "reusable" shopping sacks we got during the promo (0.12 each!). They're working really great as fabric pots. Be careful if you want to do this, wally world has by far the "cleanest" material going into their sacks. Quite a few other brands have decent amounts of lead in them.

They work great, seeing very diffuse even root growth.

Basically it's an issue with the paint/vinyl/color on most of them, there's precious little reason to have lead in the nonwoven, it can in fact screw up the end product. Companies tend to use multiple vendors for these bags, so levels may swing back and forth depending on how unscrupulous their vendor was. An unpainted/printed bag is most likely just fine to use.

http://media.tbo.com/tbo/pdfs/1117bagtests.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reusabl...Product_safety

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/nov...gs/news-metro/

 

[MyGreenToe]

Can you cite some references on the lead content, and the "clean-ness" of the walmart bags?

 

[ganjasuiteseat]

tag again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lol peace

 

[geopolitical]

Here's the meat, the pdf showing testing results. Notice even among bags from the same manufacturer there's significant differences in metals content. Wally isn't an outright winner, but it's the closest to me and driving times up here are in hours, not minutes.

Basically it's an issue with the paint/vinyl/color on most of them, there's precious little reason to have lead in the nonwoven, it can in fact screw up the end product. Companies tend to use multiple vendors for these bags, so levels may swing back and forth depending on how unscrupulous their vendor was. An unpainted/printed bag is most likely just fine to use.

If someone can get access to the TEI Analytical data that'd be great, they have a huge database going, but it's not widely published and I can't find a free source for it.


http://media.tbo.com/tbo/pdfs/1117bagtests.pdf


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reusable_shopping_bag#Product_safety

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/nov/14/140842/lead-taints-reusable-bags/news-metro/

 

[MyGreenToe]

Ok cool. I wouldn't have any problem using them, just wanted to be sure. Maybe you should edit the first post to include those informative links. I would still want to wash them once before using, never know what they might have come into contact with in a Chinese bag factory(or while hanging on a peg at walmart).

 

[Iron_Lion]

I've been using these for a few grows, one thing I dont like is roots dont grow thru the bag like they do with real fabric pots.

 

[geopolitical]

I dunno Lion I've seen plenty of short/terminating root growth at the bag edges with these, different materials different weaves I'm sure. YMMV.

 

[angustotse]

So...where do you get these for .12/piece?

 

[geopolitical]

There was a promo price when they first came out. I believe they're something on the order of $0.25 to $0.75 now. Huge price difference between some stores as well. Plain canvas works just as well but will eventually rot out on you.

 

[SexInTheCity]

I wonder if you can find large ones enough to fit 100L of soil.....

 

[geopolitical]

You can get nonwoven "superbags" in a variety of sizes, but they're not particularly cost competitive once you go past the mass produced market bag.