Simple question here. I think. I have been told that roots will grow directly through fabric pots if planted into another(bigger) pot and filling with soil. If this is true, then i am curious about root growth. Do the roots have to work overtime to get through the fabric? Will it stunt growth in any way? What is a downside to planting a fabric pot, into another fabric pot?
Funny, just last night I forgot to vacuum out the water in a tray. About 3/4 inch of water in a 20″ tray and literally 5 minutes I ago I went to vacuum it and the water was all gone and looks like I was running DWC lol! So many roots, I was amazed at how fast they got through the fabric and filled up the tray. I haven’t had any desire to try planting into multiple fabric pots…it doesn’t sound like a great idea, but it seems like it would work.
Anyway, just thought I’d share that my roots had no trouble getting through.
Perhaps it depends upon the fabric pot, because I run my saucers full and create a dual root zone by filling bottom of pot with 3 inches of pumice and although roots do make it through, they definitely have a hard time doing so. I would never transplant without cutting away or “X” scoring the sides and bottoms of the fabric pots that I use.
That being said I have seen pics online of some that replant as you suggest. I grow autos so I don’t transplant, yet. I am experimenting with DIY rolled newspaper pots because I do like the idea and ideal of zero shock transplanting.
Yeah same! Being able to transplant an auto would definitely be more beneficial, specially given its veg lifespan, being able to better control the air/water ratio at the younger age is my goal with some experiments with the fabric pots and transplanting. Maybe even sprinkle some great white or something on the outside of the pots before transplant.
never understood why people want to do this when you can simply and very easily cut a fabric pot away with ease. I have done this when I start autos inside in the spring and move them to in-ground and outside when the weather breaks.
They say don’t transplant autos but from my experience with this approach the plant doesn’t even recognize the transplant and if it does its minimal as you are not pulling it out of a pot.
place soil in bottom of new pot, cut the bottom with a utility knife, place in new pot, then slice down the side, pee l away the sides of the pot and back-fill with soil. VERY EASY and makes for a quick rebound, why you want your plant to try and fight through fabric whether it can or cannot makes no sense when this method is super easy and cost you 5 minutes of time and the cost of a fabric pot which is cheap CHEAP.
Just my 2 cents.
Why? Removing is easy.
I use smart pots and I’m sure the other ones will work the same.
Transplant when pot is dry. The roots are weaker when wet, the soil is heavier when wet and more strain on roots, root ball will stay together better when dry.
Place on top of on smaller bucket for leverage. Ex. A one gallon pot sits on top of a 1 quart Chinese takeout soup container.
Fold over the top edges and work around the fabric pot pulling down.
It may take practice, but I do it all them time.
What are the downsides? So, I never did this but I will contemplate.
I would think the root growth will be adversely affected.
The inner pot may hold water and dry at a different rate.
The inner pot may grow mold.
Harder to clean inner pot to reuse.
I just don’t like it and if you were my son I would tell you to not do it. And if you did I would make you clean the gutters and ask you repot the dam plant. Your sister would be upset and miss your graduation party. Is it worth all that?
Here’s what I do and found to work well for me in my setup.
2×2 tent fits a 20g fabric pot filled with Build a Soil Coots mix with a 12 seed cover crop blend. The 20g sits in a saucer on one of those plastic risers. I fill the saucer up with perlite flush to the top of the riser and the 20g sets on top.
So I start seeds in solo cups and root out
Up pot to 1g fabric pots to veg and prune to shape. Same coots mix.
When ready, I just place the 1g on the surface of the 20g right over the cover crop. I’ll top dress and mulch about an inch .up the sides. Roots grow right down through the bottom and sides and at the surface under the cover crop and mulch. Worms and all kinds of life crawling around.
After chop, I just twist the 1g off clean and bring into my veg room, plant cover crop on let that grow in. After.about a week, the stem will twist out easily, roots and pot remain undisturbed.
I take the next lady I have ready in a 1g and after putting an inch of worm casting in the round hole left from the last pot, I just place her in her new home and away she goes.
Back to the veg room, when the next clone/seedly is ready, i use a bulb planter tool to cut a perfect hole in the fallow 1g and plug the solo cup shaped seedling in the hole.
It’s a living soil assembly line.
I dont disturb the soil in any way. I do not want to kill the life cycle and energy that is built up in the soil.
I also keep water in the saucer just up to the bottom of the 20g, like a sip. The 20g is in effect sitting on a water table.
So, yes, roots will grow through a fabric pot with a problem, as far my experience shows.
Ooops. That was suppose to be , “eoots grow through with no problems” lol
Just got down partaking of the fruits of my labor. Hahaha
Hella feedback thanks! Everyones view seems to paint me a picture of “just go try it” worwt that could happen is i lose a pot. Gain some knowledge.
In regards to the livin soil assembly line, thats fucking awesome! It sounds confusing but seems like you got it down. In the future i might dabble with that idea, for now im just buying bags n bags, and more bags, lol and…. prolly more bags. Damn.
That really makes a living soil seem much more legit when i say it like that… hmm…
I actually have a test case of this going right now. I didn’t have any extras and I am broke so I didn’t want to cut the fabric pots away. I wish I had radical bags but I dont. So on the first 3 gal I rolled it down and pulled it away and it seemed to break a puck sized thickness of roots away from the bottom when I pulled the put away although i may have had it pretty dry.
The other one I didn’t wanna hurt the roots so I just threw it in a 7 gal instead of taking it out of the 3 gal.. Neither plant really slowed down and both are vigourous and growing similarly right now. They are chest high im like 6ft and are just starting to flower both seem to be nexk and neck. Now when I did the transplant there may have been some droop a couple days but I did a HEAVY topping a couiple weeks before flower and it barely slowed them a day. I think you would be fine throwing it in a larger pot although cuttin it may help if you dont mind loosing your pot.