Why do experienced growers still use plastic pots?

[CharlesU Farley]

Fabric pots have been around for quite a while now. I know this is not a popular opinion but I believe, for indoor soil growers, fabric containers are the best innovation (with the possible exception of LED lights) in the past 25 years.

Here's some videos to illustrate why I feel this way:







A large, fully encircled/encased root mass, around the insides of plastic pots, with almost no root mass in the interior _soil_ of the plastic soil container, just doesn't make any sense to me. But I see so many experienced and knowledgeable growers still using containers that were originally developed almost 50 years ago.

Why?

Almost want to make a meme with my ass sitting in front of a table, with a large sign that says "This is my opinion, change my mind!

 

[Dequilo]

we are old, lazy and cheap have not bought a pot since 2005

I believe your media has a lot to do with it also

I grow in soil-less inside and add more vermiculite to my pro-mix that appears to give

me a better root mass (feeder roots)

fabric pots do work well and do not sit in the landfill for the next 10 thousand years

all the best and be safe

Dequilo

 

[buzzmobile]

Why?

Almost want to make a meme with my ass sitting in front of a table, with a large sign that says "This is my opinion, change my mind!

I am not even going to try to change your mind, but I will answer Why?

Cannabis is a short term plant and in the time it takes from transplanting a 4" container into a 3 gallon plastic pot to flower, there is plenty of room for roots. Left long enough in a 3 gallon pot in veg and then flowered the rootballs that I dump around the property are tightly bound in roots.

I grew in air pots for a while to get the same air root pruning that fabric pots provide. I had a hard time keeping up with watering the airpots and they were a major pain to empty and clean. How do you clean your grow bags, @CharlesU Farley ?

Another edit to add.
I also use a ProMix medium. BK25

 

[CharlesU Farley]

... Left long enough in a 3 gallon pot in veg and then flowered the rootballs that I dump around the property are tightly bound in roots.

I grew in air pots for a while to get the same air root pruning that fabric pots provide. I had a hard time keeping up with watering the airpots and they were a major pain to empty and clean. How do you clean your grow bags, @CharlesU Farley ?

Another edit to add.
I also use a ProMix medium. BK25

In almost every case when I was using plastic containers, the roots would wrap around the sides and the bottom, but a large majority of the interior soil would be root free. So even though I'd use 7 gal containers, roots were only using 3-4 of those gallons.

Don't want to use any examples from this forum but when I see pics posted by experienced growers here on IC that look like this:

and think that's a _good_ thing.

And then some people will talk about actually _pruning_ all the roots before they transplant??????? Why cut off what you've tried so hard to create?

I've always felt that the most basic equation for developing quality cannabis is:

roots + leaves = flowers

And it's been my experience that fabric containers provide a vastly superior root development environment. I investigated the Air Pots but at the time they were much more expensive than the first fabric containers that were released. I could see why they get very messy, that kind of comes with territory when you grow in dirt. But I could see having wide open, gaping holes in your container would lead to a little leakage.

I use 2 gallon fabric containers in very early veg and transplant into 7-10 gallon fabric containers when they start looking like this:

I've got a rather large aluminum wash tub outside that I use to clean them up, then let 'em dry in the sun.

The only downside I see for fabric containers is they can be a breeding ground for PM and probably botrytis too. But that's not a problem for me, because as part of my IPM in the basement during summer, I use a combo khco3/canola oil/Dawn soap spray on the plants anyways, so I just spray the fabric as well.

 

[buzzmobile]

I have some pots to haul out and dump in some low spots. I'll get some pictures.

 

[Nannymouse]

what is khco3?

Humidity. Not only do the fabric containers take a lot of water, they lose it fast, too. I guess that's alright, if you already have humidity control or are in very dry environment.

Another person has expressed that all that exposed side is a breeding ground for bugs.

I do like the fabric pots a lot, for reasons that are mentioned above.

 

[buzzmobile]

what is khco3?

Potassium bicarbonate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Marz]

Problem is repotting from fabric pots. In a plastic one, you just let it slide down.
How do you repot from a 2 gal from a 5 gal fabric pots?

 

[CharlesU Farley]

Problem is repotting from fabric pots. In a plastic one, you just let it slide down.
How do you repot from a 2 gal from a 5 gal fabric pots?

It's hard to tell on the above pics but they have a large seam of velcro down the side, so you just peel the fabric off and your left with a transplantable root ball.

 

[Marz]

It's hard to tell on the above pics but they have a large seam of velcro down the side, so you just peel the fabric off and your left with a transplantable root ball.

So I'm buying the bad ones, without it.
I'll be looking for 2 gal pots with side openings this week.
Cut and sew to each plant may be a lot of work.
Thanks Charles

 

[Lester Beans]

Fabric pots dry too fast.

Hard to clean. My wife threatened to kick me in the nuts if I put those in the washing machine.

The do not sit right for some reason. Always a leaner.

Harder to move around with a bigger plant.

More humidity added to the environment with more frequent waterings.

Perfect material for all kinds of nasty shit to spawn and live.

I could go on and on but I'll just say I did not like my fabric pot experience and will be sticking with a good old flower pot made of plastic or clay.

 

[CharlesU Farley]

So I'm buying the bad ones, without it.
I'll be looking for 2 gal pots with side openings this week.
Cut and sew to each plant may be a lot of work.
Thanks Charles

These are the ones I use:

2 gal velcro bags

 

[CharlesU Farley]

Fabric pots dry too fast.

Hard to clean. My wife threatened to kick me in the nuts if I put those in the washing machine.

The do not sit right for some reason. Always a leaner.

Harder to move around with a bigger plant.

More humidity added to the environment with more frequent waterings.

Perfect material for all kinds of nasty shit to spawn and live.

I could go on and on but I'll just say I did not like my fabric pot experience and will be sticking with a good old flower pot made of plastic or clay.

Initially before the root system is fully developed, they do dry out a whole lot faster. But after the root system develops in a week or two, the reason why you have to water them so much is because you've got so much root mass, so the plant is taking up more water/nutrients. That's what I want, as much water/nutrients being drawn up and used by the plant as possible. I can exhaust the shit out of the tent to keep humidity within reasonable range, as long as it's not the dead of summer or winter, then humidity does gets challenging. Never had a leaner, but when I load them the soil is pretty well supersaturated, so they stay flat.

Totally understand staying with what works for you though, that's why I still use Peters.

 

[Lester Beans]

I don't have any problems with massive snow white roots filling out my plastic pots. Solo cup to 1gal to 3-5gal up-potting shows solid rootballs throughout.

 

[bigsur51]

I tried fabric and it was a pain in the arse to uppot and clean….so I guess I am also a lazy bastaige

at least that is my experience albeit with smaller fabric pots , no bigger than 10 gal

with that being said , I have seen some very successful grows using 60-120 gal fabric pots…

I think the difference between fabric and plastic is minute and also strain dependent , also soil , nutes , yada yada yada…

 

[Poptart Smoothie]

My justification in the past was that it's easier to repot. But you can just bury the 1 gal grow bag inside the 3 gal inside the 5 gal with absolutely zero issues and no transplant shock lol.

 

[CharlesU Farley]

My justification in the past was that it's easier to repot. But you can just bury the 1 gal grow bag inside the 3 gal inside the 5 gal with absolutely zero issues and no transplant shock lol.

I'm going to have to tread very delicately here, because this brings up memories of a seed slinger from the past (who is dead now), who is very revered on most cannabis forums, who used a similar technique that you do, only with plastic pots. He claimed it helped with "transplant shock", which I've never had a problem with, because I actually take _care_ of my plants.

He would simply cut out the bottom of the smaller plastic pot and transplant it directly into a bigger plastic pot. What utter and complete bullshit! Why make it harder for your roots to expand in soil by keeping them encased in smaller, plastic, or in your case fabric, containers.

It's just not logical and it doesn't make any common sense.

But if it works for you, go for it!

 

[Poptart Smoothie]

I'm going to have to tread very delicately here, because this brings up memories of a seed slinger from the past (who is dead now), who is very revered on most cannabis forums, who used a similar technique that you do, only with plastic pots. He claimed it helped with "transplant shock", which I've never had a problem with, because I actually take _care_ of my plants.

He would simply cut out the bottom of the smaller plastic pot and transplant it directly into a bigger plastic pot. What utter and complete bullshit! Why make it harder for your roots to expand in soil by keeping them encased in smaller, plastic, or in your case fabric, containers.

It's just not logical and it doesn't make any common sense.

But if it works for you, go for it!

I really dont see how some antidotal anecdotal evidence of someone somewhere you used to know cutting holes into plastic pots with the plants still attached remotely relevant and a justification for you being antagonistic lol. The fabric is designed to allow roots to grow through easily.

edit: spelling error

 

[Boo]

 

[Boo]

I’ve been using these corrugated sided pots for almost 20 years and they all outperformed the felt bags is 10 times easier to deal with, especially if you want to upsize the plant into a bigger container. The roots don’t spin around the outside, but go back into the center of the form of dense root mass that’s healthy.