Quick question: My first grow was in plastic pots. Now with second grow I moved to grow bags.
It seems like I have to water more often with the grow bags given the same timeline and plant size?
Every 5 days now at this stage with grow bags versus 7+ days with pot.
Is this to be expected?
Thanks
I would think so. Plastic pots don’t breathe like fabric bags do.
I had 2 autos outside, one in a plastic pot, one in a fabric. I could go almost 3 days without watering the plastic, but had to water the fabric twice a day towards the end.
Yes, another reason why I personally don’t like them indoors, give me the buckets with the handles any day. Plus I got the exact same yield with pots anyway.
Outdoors they are great!
I prefer fabric pots as they allow the plant to breath better allows the roots to have more oxygen its harder to over water with fabric pots unlike plastic pots u can over water easily and plastic pots also makes the root zone hotter which isnt a good thing and you will end up with roots out the bottom where fabric pots air prune the roots .i think fabric pots are much better then plastic pots
You can use a Lowe’s 5 gallon bucket the same as a grow bag. You have to punch about 80+ holes throughout the bucket.
Putting holes in the bottom (about 20+ 1/4” holes) and in between 40-100 holes throughout the side of the bucket (basically making an air pruning bucket) does close to, if not the same as a air pruning bag/bucket.
You do have to water more due to water seepage and air circulation, which if adding liquid fertilizers means go light (1/4-1/2 dosage of what you normally do in your watering process) so as to not waste/over do your chemical additives. This should allow for even distribution of nutrition throughout.
Great information people!
I used the bags last summer, and watered daily, due to the
dry heat here in SW Colorado
Welcome @shambala
I am going to move one plant to the outdoors in the summer and will probably have the same thing happen as far as watering
Thank you VirginaGrowBoy. …there is a greenhouse here too,
but the temps get too high in the summer, so out they go. .
Spray inside top 4 inches of 5 gallon fabric pots with flex seal. That forces water to go down in pot before running out of the sides. Most roots should be deeper than that anyway. So fabric still does it’s
job with wicking roots. Hated when I watered that I had to water either really slow wait to absorb water more really slow. Or water and it runs out top of pot right through the fabric which I feel is just a waste of time and nutes unless I let it wick back up. In which case I mite as well be bottom feeding…
That’s my opinion anyway.
My first grow I used plastic pots. One died up, one stunted. Had a hard time keeping moisture right in the plastic.
I got a few smart pots and I love them. Yes, I do have to water more but the plants are way healthier looking.
I’m not going back to plastic!
I have seen people wrap part or all of the top half of the fabric pot with plastic wrap. And vice versa people wrap the bottom. I am gonna try wrapping the top half this grow.
i Made pans out of 3/4 ply with 1x2 on sides then sprayed it with flex seal. works great and u can make any size. very cost effective 
Sometimes when I water and it starts running out the side of the fabric pot, I will water with a dunk method(it works great). Submerge fabric pot into a larger container fill with water and nutes, let it absorb what I can for about 20-30 seconds then let it runoff to a drip for a couple minutes then back into runoff pan. Great for hanging baskets also when they dry out mid summer and the flowers die. The dunk works great since the roots and soil/medium compact so hard they don’t absorb as they did when they soil wasn’t as compact and hard.
That is an old method I use to do now I put coffee cans around plants in a air pot. Fill coffee can with water let it soak in. No more slow watering.
Yeah I seen your pics on that, seems like a good idea I think I’m going to try it.
Works with fabric pots too.