Fabric pots

MustangStudFarm said:

Sorry, I went back to ebay to see the brand that I was looking at, Ruth's pots. Out of Iowa. My question is, are all fabric pots created the same? Equal?

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I'd say no; you tend to get what you pay for. That said, it doesn't mean that the most expensive is necessarily the best, but I guarantee that the cheapest will likely be the cheapest quality. Do some research and ask for the weight of the fabric used.

Ghetto 7.5 gallon grow bag with long handles.

Smidge34 said:

Ghetto 7.5 gallon grow bag with long handles.
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No need to buy expensive fabric pots. Those bags are cheap, can be found practically anywhere and no heat grabbing a bunch at a time.

Yield pots or Geo pots.

The yield pots breathe like a smart pot and hold water like a nursery pot. It's not the fabric people are used to seeing on fabric pots.

MustangStudFarm said:

Sorry, I went back to ebay to see the brand that I was looking at, Ruth's pots. Out of Iowa. My question is, are all fabric pots created the same? Equal?

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They're just grey polyester but thickness is key.
Handles would be a pimps way..

Go big! Bigger the better, less drying out, less teas, less work and more life more web more moisture more roots more yield!

MustangStudFarm said:

Sorry, I went back to ebay to see the brand that I was looking at, Ruth's pots. Out of Iowa. My question is, are all fabric pots created the same? Equal?

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Ruth's Pots has very poor customer service, and the measurements are off. A "Five Gallon" pot holds about 3.5 gallons. Don't do business with them. I like the Brown Root Pouch. Very sturdy and lasts multiple years. Just don't try to move them. I tried to reposition a 100 gallon pot and it turned into a mess. Saved by a patch from an old pair of blue jeans and gorilla glue! Remember, the bigger the pot, the bigger the plant. K.I.S.S.

greasemonkeymann said:

all depends on how much soil you are making man.
nothing wrong with epsoma, you could tweek it to do a lil better, but it'll grow herb just fine.
For me, I re-use my soil, as well as my fabric pots, so I don't cut corners on either.
Only the best for my grow, the difference in money isn't worth it.
Bulbs, genetics, pots, soil, etc.

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^^^ this right here. over the years you learn cost is negligible. you can get the best of the best with 250$

I really like geo pots too,

I started earlier this year in smart pots, though years ago I did a high-school-kid style grow and used plastic at first and switched to smart pots. they're definitely not worse than traditional plastic pots and probably better. Definitely more noob friendly with regards to overwatering,
both because of the excellent drainage and the fact that water seems to get taken by the plants or evaporate a little quicker.

I've noticed a few things though-
Transplanting can be a difficult mess. I've heard people say if you just bury the pot in the new container, the roots grow through the fabric just fine, which does make sense to me, since if the pot sits in a tray, the bottom of the pot is usually speckled with roots poking out, so I know they can pass through the fabric. I tried this on two different plants, both plants did fine and had roots poking out of the bottoms of their 7 gallon pots, so I knew they must have passed through the one gallon pots just fine. However, I felt that I got better results and made the most of my soil on other plants where I actually removed the pot. My starbud was in a one gallon pot, I just buried that one gallon pot in a 7 gallon and it finished to be the best weed I've had in 2015, but the other plants that I removed the one gallon pots from bounced back bigger after the transplant than the starbud did. (starbud still out-yielded errythang).

nutrient salt build up on the sides of the pots happens, and quick. It's lame, though I haven't been able to figure out how detrimental it is to the plants, but haven't really tried, I just spray it off with water once a week or so, but I know that it isn't actually getting rid of it

this other fabric pot brand I've tried (I think it's root pots) seems just in general more cheaply made, they don't hold shape as well as smart pots, and the bottom of smart pots I believe are designed for that capillary contact biznizz, and I'm sure it'll happen in these other ones but probably not as well. that's just my very limited (3 weeks, mostly one gallon pots and one three gallon)

it's just not as sturdy. Handles on pots has only majorly helped me after harvest moving my bag of dirt around, because the container isn't rigid. I don't wanna shake the roots around and rearrange the soil every time I move it, so I lift from the bottom. That's not a problem if you're not moving it though.

This next round my idea is to use smart pots for finishing plants, but I don't wanna mess with transplanting into and out of smart pots any more. I'm gonna use rootmaker pots for veg and use 7 gallon smart pots for flower, I'll probably try big rootmaker pots or air pots during flower as well, at least for the beans and clones that are just germing/rooting right now.

I find the problem with fabric pots is that they dry out waaaayyyyy too fast. Not to mention indoors they always seem to get moldy down low. Then it's having to prevent that along with taking care of plants. Mold anywhere near a girl in flower is enough to drive you nuts with always checking them.
If you want the same effect on your roots then seriously look into Mycrocote Spinout. UB started up a thread on it that made me look into it. The 5 gallon ones are nothing short of awesome. I personally won't be going back to anything else for anything in a container. If you want to go bigger they sell the paint as well to cover any sort of container you can think of. Grab a 55 gallon tote for a couple bucks. Drill some holes in the bottom. Paint it up and you now have a nice wide container for one awesome huge root mass. Works 10/10 outside as well.
Drop 20$ on a cheap Co2 airbrush gun and you can get every mile out of the paint if you decide to buy. It just needs a very thin surface coating.

Smidge34 said:

Ghetto 7.5 gallon grow bag with long handles.
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Same plant a month later finishing indoors bathed in 2300 watts of Gavita flower power. It's the one on the far right with the three mains surrounding the hanging remote temp probe. That's what good light and breathable, ghetto fabric pots will get you. Watering is easily accomplished with a jug with a tiny hole in bottom to drip water slowly right into the root zone. Transplanting is a breeze. Just lay your plant over, cut down one side, then the other, then around the bottom. Slip pot right off. I don't use salt based chemical nutrients, but I also tend to get a white salt looking buildup on the bottom. I've read that salts are the result of nutrient breakdown? Never has hurt a thing yet. If I had mold growing on my pots, I'd probably cut back on the watering before I rotted my roots.

Richard Drysift said:

I got my fabric pots from several different sources - some are thicker & sturdier than others; some have handles some do not- either way the plants don't seem to care which ones they are in; they all grow the same way. I say you get what you pay for but just because it has a label that says smart pot doesn't mean it is superior to geo pots or root pouches or whatever nomenclature the people in the marketing dept came up with. Get yourself a quality fabric pot but don't overpay either- check out eBay. Personally i like the geopot brand fabric pots the best: they are durable and have nice big handles for moving large plants around plus they are moderately priced.

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I ended up getting some 15gal Geopots! Thanks for the advice, they seem solid!!! I was glad that they came with a square bottom and handle, it was not in the description.