Need help comparing container systems

So to start with I have tried searching this forum but honestly this forum software has one of the worst search functions I've ever worked with(I love this site but its true). So I'm sure something along these lines has likely been discussed but I can't find it.

Anyway, I am debating what system to go with for my upcoming grow that I am going to start in a month or two. I'll list the options I am leaning toward, but I am open to suggestions of course.

Fabric grow bags: In the past I have done fabric planters made of landscaping cloth double layered with a few inches of chunk DE at the bottom for bottom watering. They did good but I'm not sure they did better than plastic conventional pots of the same capacity. I know some folks get them to pack with roots so that the roots come out the sides and air prune but mine never seemed to want to do that. Then again I had temperature issues that year.

OBBT/SIP/Earthbox: I have studied these systems quite a bit and they sound pretty fascinating but I don't know how well they compare to grow bags or conventional planters. They're certainly more work in some regards(at least up front), but I've seen some great bud grown in them.

Organic Hempy Buckets: There have been a number of organic hempy variants I have seen on here and elsewhere and they seem interesting. I have seen straight perlite and some where the top portion is conventional soil. Again, I have seen some great results in these systems but not sure how they compare.

Those are the main types I am interested in. I'm going to be running an inert medium(probably vermiculite and/or silicon dioxide) in the bottom 1/2-2/3 of whatever planter type I use and a soilless organic medium(1/3 coir, 1/3 EWC/mushroom compost, and 1/3 verm/perlite) in the top 1/3-1/2. This simple approach seems to work for a lot of folks but I would like to figure out which planter type would be best. Grow bags definitely breathe better but SIP/Earthbox, OBBT, and Hempy seem to have the edge on availability of water.

Please let me know what systems work for you and what systems you recommend. Thanks.

I have similar experiences with fabric pots. I am running hempys now. I get more roots from the hempys. I use 2inches OG perilite in th bottom, then fill the rest with straight coco. I never added anything to my coco. I like to control everything that I feed. I have gotten 6ounce plants from just over a gallon of medium.

Thanks for the feedback! Hempys do have a sort of simplicity to them that is really appealing. I wonder how their output compares to the OBBT/Earthbox/SIP concepts since in many ways they are at least ideologically similar I used to be all about packing nutrients in every square inch of the mix, but a lot of research has taught me that the lower portion of the roots isn't really eating any most of what is down there isn't going to magically work its way up.

Check out honor grow bags just got a few and so far I'm liking them in comparison to regular fabric pots or plastic pots. Once the roots are established you'll have to water more often than a hempy bucket but not much more than regular plastic pots while still getting the benefits of the root pruning. I also noticed when watering it doesn't shoot out the sides like regular fabric pots makes me feel like I'm wasting water.

the guy who created the fabric pot went on to create the Superoots Air-Pot as a v2 to the design to fix the issues fabric brings to the table (soggy bottoms). Although fabric pots work great for many I'd go with the air pots for my consideration in that space if it were me.

I love my 30 gal totes. I got this idea from a grow bible by Rosenthal I think

I get two at the home store for $20 and a furniture dolly at harbor freight for 8 to move it around

Throw two sewer pipe tees in the bottom tub
cut a hole in the center of the top tub for a net pot. I use 6" sanitary tees for a 8" net pot or 4" tees for a 6" net pot.
pack the pot with rock wool or sometimes I use some groundcloth and fill it with peat.
put a airstone in the bottom and fill the bottom 6-8" water and the top with media. I just pour water down the side between the tubs and use a yardstick to see how much is in there

Outdoors I had to cut a hole for drain 6"up the side for heavy rain.

There is nothing wrong with fabric pots. People don't take the time to learn how to water them correctly.



If they did, you wouldn't hear such trade secrets as: put a 2x4 under the fabric pot to get air underneath....

MrBungle said:

There is nothing wrong with fabric pots. People don't take the time to learn how to water them correctly.



If they did, you wouldn't hear such trade secrets as: put a 2x4 under the fabric pot to get air underneath....

Click to expand...

This guy placed his fabric pots on a bed of perlite.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=258370

Squirly_wrath said:

Check out honor grow bags just got a few and so far I'm liking them in comparison to regular fabric pots or plastic pots. Once the roots are established you'll have to water more often than a hempy bucket but not much more than regular plastic pots while still getting the benefits of the root pruning. I also noticed when watering it doesn't shoot out the sides like regular fabric pots makes me feel like I'm wasting water.

Click to expand...

+1 Honor the Plant bags.

troutman said:

This guy placed his fabric pots on a bed of perlite.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=258370

Click to expand...

Interesting! I used to do something similar. I lined the entire bottom of the chamber with sheet plastic and put a layer of perlite on it. The only real complaint I had about it was all the algae. Otherwise it did work respectably I suppose. That was the ill-fated grow in which my AC went out while I was on vacation and I lost all my valuable genetics, but until that happened things were going great.

The Honor bags and Smart Pots look great, but unfortunately are way out of my price range. I've been homeless for the last year and it has taken everything I had to get a place to live and its taking basically everything we're bringing in to get the place able to be moved in to.

Rodehazrd said:

I love my 30 gal totes. I got this idea from a grow bible by Rosenthal I think

I get two at the home store for $20 and a furniture dolly at harbor freight for 8 to move it around

Throw two sewer pipe tees in the bottom tub
cut a hole in the center of the top tub for a net pot. I use 6" sanitary tees for a 8" net pot or 4" tees for a 6" net pot.
pack the pot with rock wool or sometimes I use some groundcloth and fill it with peat.
put a airstone in the bottom and fill the bottom 6-8" water and the top with media. I just pour water down the side between the tubs and use a yardstick to see how much is in there

Outdoors I had to cut a hole for drain 6"up the side for heavy rain.

Click to expand...

Wow man it took me a second to notice the planters at the bottom of those plants. those things got pretty tall! I'm strongly considering doing a much smaller version of that using Tidy Cat tubs.

Maybe I'll run bags and something like that side-by-side and see what does better for the same volume of mix.

Rodehazrd said:

I love my 30 gal totes. I got this idea from a grow bible by Rosenthal I think

I get two at the home store for $20 and a furniture dolly at harbor freight for 8 to move it around

Throw two sewer pipe tees in the bottom tub
cut a hole in the center of the top tub for a net pot. I use 6" sanitary tees for a 8" net pot or 4" tees for a 6" net pot.
pack the pot with rock wool or sometimes I use some groundcloth and fill it with peat.
put a airstone in the bottom and fill the bottom 6-8" water and the top with media. I just pour water down the side between the tubs and use a yardstick to see how much is in there

Outdoors I had to cut a hole for drain 6"up the side for heavy rain.

Click to expand...

Hey Rodehazard, just curious how many of the tubes are you running per light? What is an average yield?

MrBungle said:

There is nothing wrong with fabric pots. People don't take the time to learn how to water them correctly.



If they did, you wouldn't hear such trade secrets as: put a 2x4 under the fabric pot to get air underneath....

Click to expand...

I use the drain grates for downspout yard drain systems. Big box hardware stores sell them in a couple sizes. Look where they keep the gutter drain stuff.

https://www.menards.com/main/plumbi...77-c-8633.htm?tid=3978512552476059036&ipos=10


I dont think they were this expensive in the store and there are a couple different sizes. You get the idea. Works great !! My tent is small so I lined it with 3 layers of heavy plastic so I can forgo saucers and just sit the bags on these.

h.h. said:

+1 Honor the Plant bags.

Click to expand...

Fancy meeting you here. Im going to order a few of them ASAP for next grow.

Klompen said:

Interesting! I used to do something similar. I lined the entire bottom of the chamber with sheet plastic and put a layer of perlite on it. The only real complaint I had about it was all the algae. Otherwise it did work respectably I suppose. That was the ill-fated grow in which my AC went out while I was on vacation and I lost all my valuable genetics, but until that happened things were going great.

The Honor bags and Smart Pots look great, but unfortunately are way out of my price range. I've been homeless for the last year and it has taken everything I had to get a place to live and its taking basically everything we're bringing in to get the place able to be moved in to.

Click to expand...

Perlite is too messy for that I would think. Again see the landscaping drain bin grates. I think they make them in longer pieces but I use some of these. Any bib box hardware store should have something similar. Menards is pretty cheap on most stuff compared to HomeDepot and Lowes.

https://www.menards.com/main/plumbi...77-c-8633.htm?tid=3978512552476059036&ipos=10

stewart169 said:

Fancy meeting you here. Im going to order a few of them ASAP for next grow.

Click to expand...

They do offer an economy version.
I just do a few plants. They should last a long time.
I'm switching away from pots to the beds though.

They're waiting for me at home if I ever get there.

Ive just gone on to these 400L fabric beds for this next grow instead of 10 gal air pots.. theyre up off the ground on heavy duty steel mesh..

Thinking of using several blumats around the beds to help gauge the watering.. but i find in organics they tell you more clearly that they would appreciate a lill bit of water here or there well before they get stressed at all..