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Post by binnylou on Jul 29, 2021 18:42:23 GMT -5
To those who use these fabric pots, what is the advantage of using them in place of a plastic pot? Do they not dry out quickly and need daily watering? Are they good for more than one growing season?
Inquiring minds…I see them offered and wondered about advantages.
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Post by datgirl on Jul 30, 2021 8:04:36 GMT -5
I had some last year. I found them on clearance. They dried out really fast and ant the end of the season the material was shot. I was glad I didn't spend a lot of money on them.
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Post by raphanus on Jul 31, 2021 19:18:17 GMT -5
I am obsessed with fabric pots. They are much cheaper than plastic or clay pots. I love that they come in massive sizes. I have fabric pots ranging from 2 gal, 3 gal, 5, 10, 20, all the way up to 50 gallon for fruit trees. There’s a cool benefit of air root pruning which prevents rootbound. I’ve grown identical varieties in same soil and compared plastic vs fabric for same size pot and the fabric pots produce much healthier plants. Fabric pots do require more watering. I live in a very wet area and usually lose crops to flooding, fabric pots were a godsend for me to keep plants drier. Fabric pots would not be a good idea for someone who lives in a desert unless they were using them in a hydroponic situation. There are a lot of different brands of fabric pots and quality varies considerably. Biggest problem I have is handles ripping after a couple seasons. The giant fabric pots like 100 gal + are a really cheap alternative to a raised bed. There’s also less soil compaction with fabric pots so plants in fabric can tolerate pooer heavier soils and don’t necessarily need potting mix. In wet climates, fabric pots can rot after a few years and weeds can occasionally start to grow into them. They come in a lot of colors. I always get white or tan because I’m in a hot climate but black would be better in cold climates. Crops that like dry feet like peppers and citrus do really well in fabric pots.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jul 31, 2021 20:52:46 GMT -5
I only grow the plants that I bring indoors every season in fabric pots - the kaffir lime trees, curry tree, and bay laurel tree. They work great, and I would use them more outside, except that any container plants I grow outside are in sub-irrigated planters (SIP). The fabric pots seem to need changed as often as the regular pots - different type of rootbound, but the plants start getting the same stress signs after 3 years, and I have to root prune them, the same way. One thing I like about the fabric pots is the shape - they are shorter and wider, compared to other pots, and less likely to tip in the wind. I've had them last for 6 years - re-used after one 3 year period, but starting to fall apart, when I try to remove the plants after another 3 years.
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Post by binnylou on Apr 14, 2023 14:12:19 GMT -5
So, I purchased the fabric pots and am trying to decide placement. I’m thinking of placing the container on concrete pavers(?) resting on a concrete block. This would be for cucumber growing on a trellis. Am I asking for trouble by growing on an elevated surface? If the container is in contact with the ground, I’m guessing I won’t have to water as often? It’s time for me to decide, and make my decisions in the proper order. Once the containers are filled, there’ll be no moving them.
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Post by gardendmpls on Apr 14, 2023 16:03:45 GMT -5
They do tend to dry out quickly. Besides being on the ground, I put two rows of them together. This year I may try a triple row to help retain moisture.
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Post by raphanus on Apr 15, 2023 7:14:25 GMT -5
So, I purchased the fabric pots and am trying to decide placement. I’m thinking of placing the container on concrete pavers(?) resting on a concrete block. This would be for cucumber growing on a trellis. Am I asking for trouble by growing on an elevated surface? If the container is in contact with the ground, I’m guessing I won’t have to water as often? It’s time for me to decide, and make my decisions in the proper order. Once the containers are filled, there’ll be no moving them. I have large fabric pots on concrete and some on the ground. The ones on the ground rot faster, the ones on the concrete last longer but need to be watered more often.
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Post by raphanus on Apr 15, 2023 7:18:04 GMT -5
They do tend to dry out quickly. Besides being on the ground, I put two rows of them together. This year I may try a triple row to help retain moisture. When I started putting 5-10 gallon fabric pots on a concrete driveway, I made the mistake of getting black pots and was having to water twice a day. I switched to larger 15-30 gallon fabric pots on concrete driveway now but packed them all right next to each other so they are touching, I have 32 of them in a rectangle 8 long and 4 wide and they don’t dry out quite as fast now. The whole reason I got fabric pots was to keep pepper plants drier though, my peppers were drowning in the ground with all the rain and flooding we get here
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 15, 2023 10:32:04 GMT -5
binnylou My fabric pots are all out on my deck. I have a drip watering system set up for them, and when the rain is fairly generous, I set them on top of upside-down saucers so the water runs out, but it's not sitting on the deck for long. When the rain is not cooperating very much, I set them in the saucers normally, to catch all of the water, and since I don't want plants sitting in water, the rare times that a large amount of rain has them overflowing, I have a couple pieces of thick hemp string, hung over the edges, and this basically "siphons" the excess water out by cqpillarity. It's amazing how fast this works! Here's a photo of some pots on the upside-down saucers: Curry tree, 8-6 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by gardendmpls on Apr 15, 2023 23:33:04 GMT -5
started putting 5-10 gallon fabric pots on a concrete driveway I am thinking of that, as soon as I get rid of my son's/daughter's car. He gave it to her for when she got her drivers license, but she waited a number of years to do that. Now he can't find the title and is too busy to order a new one. They are now both in Florida. Right now I use it as my garlic drying rack. Need to get rid of it this year, although what it needs is a new battery, tires and fluids flushed and renewed. Also a thorough cleaning. Would hate to junk it, when someone could use it. Will have to put the pressure on to get the title. Need to start up my nagging mother engine.
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