Grow bags, Breathable

SlimkAA · May 5, 2020

Hello all,

Used grow bags, can they be used without cleaning roots and all dirt? would it be big problem if you use for next round without cleaning. was trying to wash hands , later washing machine and they still look bad with roots on them.?

thank you for answers

threatco · May 5, 2020

I used them in an ebb and flow tray filled with hydroton clay. I found the mess way too much of a hassle to hand clean. I wasn't going to risk my household washing machine running them. Too expensive to treat as disposable. Can they be reused without cleaning? I did not try, but rotting roots sound like not a great thing.

SlimkAA · May 6, 2020

threatco said:
I used them in an ebb and flow tray filled with hydroton clay. I found the mess way too much of a hassle to hand clean. I wasn't going to risk my household washing machine running them. Too expensive to treat as disposable. Can they be reused without cleaning? I did not try, but rotting roots sound like not a great thing.

i probably also would get new ones or go plastic baskets and make holes with drill ? how u think ?

BogartAmungus · May 6, 2020

I would think the decomposing roots would be good for the microbes to consume as they break down as long as you cut the main ball of roots out as long as it doesn't tie up nitrogen.??? You will be supplementing nutes anyway... Stir it up and add some microbes to it. Let it sit a week or more before reusing it. I am a rookie but I plan on doing the same thing with my soil. Someone with better first hand experience will guide you I am sure.

Hippogator · May 6, 2020

SlimkAA said:
Hello all,

Used grow bags, can they be used without cleaning roots and all dirt? would it be big problem if you use for next round without cleaning. was trying to wash hands , later washing machine and they still look bad with roots on them.?

thank you for answers

Hey man I would just soak them in a 30 gallon brute with a little bleach, rinse and let em air dry. If the root mass is extremely thick on the bottom, I'd just, scrape a little off and you're good to go. Any leftover bleach will oxidize out of the fabric in a matter of hours after rinsing.

I can usually fit about twelve or so 15 gallon pots in a 30 gal brute.

threatco · May 6, 2020

My solution was just not use any bags/baskets. I grow mutiple plants in a single flood tray and let their roots mix together. Works great for me.

Dirtbag · May 6, 2020

Its essentially like using an insect attractant. All those dead roots are like a siren call for fungas gnats and other critters.

I toss my fabric pots after a use.

I have heard, but havent tried it... That soaking the fabric pots for like a week in enzymes can help get rid of all that root matter, but I just toss them.

Hippogator · May 6, 2020

Dirtbag said:
Its essentially like using an insect attractant. All those dead roots are like a siren call for fungas gnats and other critters.

I toss my fabric pots after a use.

I have heard, but havent tried it... That soaking the fabric pots for like a week in enzymes can help get rid of all that root matter, but I just toss them.

One of the main ideas behind fabric pots is that they are supposed to be re-usable for a good while while being washable.

The roots at the bottom of the pot aren't any more of an attractant to anything than the actual organic compounds in the soil......You could just soak em in Dynazyme or Hygrozyme to break em down faster if you're really worried about it.

Why not just switch to air pots instead of throwing away your fabric pots every grow?

Dirtbag · May 6, 2020

Hippogator said:
One of the main ideas behind fabric pots is that they are supposed to be re-usable for a good while while being washable.

The roots at the bottom of the pot aren't any more of an attractant to anything than the actual organic compounds in the soil......You could just soak em in Dynazyme or Hygrozyme to break em down faster if you're really worried about it.

Why not just switch to air pots instead of throwing away your fabric pots every grow?

The fabrics cost me almost nothing, Im not going to spend my time and energy reclaiming something so cheap and easy to replace.
I go through a lot of effort ensuring I keep a healthy rootzone with little to no dead root matter, I dont see much sense handicapping myself off the start by reusing a fabric pot full of dead roots to save a buck fifty.
I'm not saying it cant be done, I know people who save their indoor fabric pots to be used a second time outdoors. I'm just saying the time and effort it would take to save them, isnt worth it to me.

jaguarlax · May 6, 2020

Dirtbag said:
The fabrics cost me almost nothing, Im not going to spend my time and energy reclaiming something so cheap and easy to replace.
I go through a lot of effort ensuring I keep a healthy rootzone with little to no dead root matter, I dont see much sense handicapping myself off the start by reusing a fabric pot full of dead roots to save a buck fifty.
I'm not saying it cant be done, I know people who save their indoor fabric pots to be used a second time outdoors. I'm just saying the time and effort it would take to save them, isnt worth it to me.

Maybe not an attractant, but definitely an ideal environment for undesirables to thrive. The answer is sure you could do it, but why? when were talking a couple bucks over the life of a grow, why would you even roll the dice?

Hippogator · May 6, 2020

Dirtbag said:
The fabrics cost me almost nothing, Im not going to spend my time and energy reclaiming something so cheap and easy to replace.
I go through a lot of effort ensuring I keep a healthy rootzone with little to no dead root matter, I dont see much sense handicapping myself off the start by reusing a fabric pot full of dead roots to save a buck fifty.
I'm not saying it cant be done, I know people who save their indoor fabric pots to be used a second time outdoors. I'm just saying the time and effort it would take to save them, isnt worth it to me.

Fair enough.

Hippogator · May 6, 2020

jaguarlax said:
Maybe not an attractant, but definitely an ideal environment for undesirables to thrive. The answer is sure you could do it, but why? when were talking a couple bucks over the life of a grow, why would you even roll the dice?

I mean if you're going in soil or soilless....you already have created the prime environment for critters and pathogens. Soil is full of decompsing organic matter just like the dead roots. I feel that line of thinking should just resolve to hydroponics. If you've bleached and dried em, the roots just end up as other decomposing organic matter. I guess in my head throwing away fabrics every grow is a pretty big waste even if they're cheap. I'd just switch to air pots.

jaguarlax · May 6, 2020

Hippogator said:
I mean if you're going in soil or soilless....you already have created the prime environment for critters and pathogens. Soil is full of decompsing organic matter just like the dead roots. I feel that line of thinking should just resolve to hydroponics. If you've bleached and dried em, the roots just end up as other decomposing organic matter. I guess in my head throwing away fabrics every grow is a pretty big waste even if they're cheap. I'd just switch to air pots.

Not disputing the logic there. I just think its smart to try and eliminate as many variables as possible.

Dirtbag · May 6, 2020

Hippogator said:
I mean if you're going in soil or soilless....you already have created the prime environment for critters and pathogens. Soil is full of decompsing organic matter just like the dead roots. I feel that line of thinking should just resolve to hydroponics. If you've bleached and dried em, the roots just end up as other decomposing organic matter. I guess in my head throwing away fabrics every grow is a pretty big waste even if they're cheap. I'd just switch to air pots.

It is a big waste, I'll give it that. But I think I washed about 7 fabric pots before I said screw this...lol.
And I'm using straight coco which is decomposing sure, but it's at a controlled stage of decomp when you buy it, to be at its peak for use.
I'm inoculating my coco with bacteria and fungi as well, but all i want in the pots is stuff I want in the pots. I dont want dead roots in my pots lol, it's the reason I'm using microbes and enzymes to begin with.

But I'm going to experiment with enzyme soaking my fabrics to see if I can get them clean enough to reuse easily. Because I do agree its wasteful.

But I wouldnt reuse them without getting rid of all the dead root material first. That's just me.

BogartAmungus · May 6, 2020

Ok lmao I wayyy over paid for mine. Twice that much per pot. I only bought 5. I get all points of view on the subject. I think I will try and reuse mine a few times at least. Im in it for the hobby with benefits. I don't sell. I love growing shit. My neighbor calls me flower child...not because I'm a hippy but because I have so many different flowers in my landscape lol I'm curious to see how it pans out. I can see if you have issues with the soil or pests or using small bags. I'm in 10 gal. That's a lot of soil to replace. I hope I don't regret it HA!

threatco · May 6, 2020

BogartAmungus said:
Ok lmao I wayyy over paid for mine. Twice that much per pot. I only bought 5. I get all points of view on the subject. I think I will try and reuse mine a few times at least. Im in it for the hobby with benefits. I don't sell. I love growing shit. My neighbor calls me flower child...not because I'm a hippy but because I have so many different flowers in my landscape lol I'm curious to see how it pans out. I can see if you have issues with the soil or pests or using small bags. I'm in 10 gal. That's a lot of soil to replace. I hope I don't regret it HA! View attachment 969738

I was buying mine on amazon too. Way too expensive.

Dirtbag · May 6, 2020

BogartAmungus said:
Ok lmao I wayyy over paid for mine. Twice that much per pot. I only bought 5. I get all points of view on the subject. I think I will try and reuse mine a few times at least. Im in it for the hobby with benefits. I don't sell. I love growing shit. My neighbor calls me flower child...not because I'm a hippy but because I have so many different flowers in my landscape lol I'm curious to see how it pans out. I can see if you have issues with the soil or pests or using small bags. I'm in 10 gal. That's a lot of soil to replace. I hope I don't regret it HA! View attachment 969738

Is that 10x 10 gallon pots for $26? If so that's a pretty good deal.
I need to buy my pots in bulk, you can get the 1 gals as cheap as $0.50 each that way.

BogartAmungus · May 6, 2020

Dirtbag said:
Is that 10x 10 gallon pots for $26? If so that's a pretty good deal.
I need to buy my pots in bulk, you can get the 1 gals as cheap as $0.50 each that way.

Yes that's for ten lol I get the cheap as hell disposable point of view. I paid that for five of them but they are probably better quality? IDK I actually cut the one gallon pots down the side to extract the root mass as it was a PIA to try pulling them out without a mess.

Burned Haze · May 6, 2020

It matters if you mean going from outdoors to indoors, do you want any possible ways of getting insects or issues ? Than salt build ? that’s why most guys clean em, but if your keeping em in on e environment and not worrying of any pest or the salts , I wouldn’t worry

I have been using the same air pots outdoors till they rip, no problem

BogartAmungus · May 6, 2020

Burned Haze said:
It matters if you mean going from outdoors to indoors, do you want any possible ways of getting insects or issues ? Than salt build ? that’s why most guys clean em, but if your keeping em in on e environment and not worrying of any pest or the salts , I wouldn’t worry

I have been using the same air pots outdoors till they rip, no problem

I'm afraid to even go in the room with the tent if I have been out in the landscape or vegetable garden! I have sprayed insecticide (Bifen XTS) around the perimeter of the house and landscape. I will not put anything from outside in my room. LOL.

Grow bags, Breathable

Grow bags, Breathable

SlimkAA

threatco

SlimkAA

BogartAmungus

Hippogator

threatco

Dirtbag

Hippogator

Dirtbag

jaguarlax

Hippogator

Hippogator

jaguarlax

Dirtbag

BogartAmungus

threatco

Dirtbag

BogartAmungus

Burned Haze

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BogartAmungus

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