Growing Pots & Boxes

chefmateo

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So being in the Food & Beverage industry as my career, wine crates, milk crates, & other misc. box like containers have all been at my disposal over the years. Lately, they are more harder to come by with packers and manufacturers using more cardboard & recycled materials. I'm not really into building boxes, nor have I had any luck sourcing the Anderson Flats. I did run across these interesting fabric planter bags on eBay. I was wondering if anyone has ever used these before with any success? I went ahead & ordered a set of 5 - 7gal size for $10. Worst case scenario they could be used for tomatoes or peppers when I plant my veggies for the year. Anyway, I attached some pics and link to the bags. Thanks all.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-PCS-Fabr...rden-Plant-Root/142422912818?var=441428679370
 

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parhamr

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I’ve used the plastic-based fabric planter bags. They work very well for aerating the root ball. They have very little structure so for new plantings into the bags you must either leave them alone for ~6 weeks of growth or place them on a solid platform to move them around.
 

chefmateo

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I was thinking of using them more for collected material in lieu of boxes or to use in place of ground planting by buying the largest ones possible(20-30 gal), so the material has ample space for root development. Not really planning on moving them much once they are planted. Obviously I may be grasping at straws..but trying to consider some alternatives. Thanks for the info.
 

W3rk

Chumono
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So being in the Food & Beverage industry as my career, wine crates, milk crates, & other misc. box like containers have all been at my disposal over the years. Lately, they are more harder to come by with packers and manufacturers using more cardboard & recycled materials. I'm not really into building boxes, nor have I had any luck sourcing the Anderson Flats. I did run across these interesting fabric planter bags on eBay. I was wondering if anyone has ever used these before with any success? I went ahead & ordered a set of 5 - 7gal size for $10. Worst case scenario they could be used for tomatoes or peppers when I plant my veggies for the year. Anyway, I attached some pics and link to the bags. Thanks all.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-PCS-Fabr...rden-Plant-Root/142422912818?var=441428679370
I had 1 apple and 3 tridents in grow bags last year. I've re-potted 2 of them so far this year and they had really good fibrous root balls.
 

chefmateo

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I had 1 apple and 3 tridents in grow bags last year. I've re-potted 2 of them so far this year and they had really good fibrous root balls.
This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thank you for this info.
 

River's Edge

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So being in the Food & Beverage industry as my career, wine crates, milk crates, & other misc. box like containers have all been at my disposal over the years. Lately, they are more harder to come by with packers and manufacturers using more cardboard & recycled materials. I'm not really into building boxes, nor have I had any luck sourcing the Anderson Flats. I did run across these interesting fabric planter bags on eBay. I was wondering if anyone has ever used these before with any success? I went ahead & ordered a set of 5 - 7gal size for $10. Worst case scenario they could be used for tomatoes or peppers when I plant my veggies for the year. Anyway, I attached some pics and link to the bags. Thanks all.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-PCS-Fabr...rden-Plant-Root/142422912818?var=441428679370
I have purchased and worked with material grown in them, found the root balls a nightmare to work with. I think they have benefits for the growers, not sure about the end user if it is bonsai?
 

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
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Plastic grape crates work well, and I used them for propagating cuttings for years.
 

parhamr

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I was thinking of using them more for collected material in lieu of boxes or to use in place of ground planting by buying the largest ones possible(20-30 gal), so the material has ample space for root development. Not really planning on moving them much once they are planted. Obviously I may be grasping at straws..but trying to consider some alternatives. Thanks for the info.
The biggest grow bags I've used are 15-gallon and they end up pretty deep. The lowest part of the bag remained too wet, because of the height of the water column, and the roots didn't descend very far. I saw that with mountain hemlock and Japanese quince.

With the 7-ish gallon bags I've had great success by folding down the walls halfway. That gave the bag more structure, prevented water saturation at the bottom, ensured a root ball wider than deep, and resulted in amazing development. I did this with native shore pines and maples.

I also have a scots pine from Telperion Farms. They used a 5-gallon bag. It worked well.

Overall, I have seen great results with coarse soil, minimal organics, 3–7 gallon bags, and some sort of structural support. That's what I can recommend.
 

chefmateo

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Thank you for the detailed info. I'll stick with the smaller bags to start per your instructions.
 

cmeg1

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If you use grow bags aim for Rootpouch brand that prune by entrapment pruning and not air pruning.I liked them for seedlings that had enough time to get a rootball....4 months.I did have to literally rip the bags off,but seemed beneficial really.Can also store trees in ground with Rootpouch brand since they dont let roots out into ground.
Entrapment pruning is where its at with bags,if you ask me.Some brands air prune instead.
 

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