Grow Bags - Page 2

crocee · June 29, 2013

Don't feel bad, I've got 15 seedlings to pot up tomorrow. My other grow bags are filled with Ray's 3-2-1 mix and doing OK. I think I'll try the above 5-1-1 mix since it contains what I already have and I don't have to pay another $12 for the MG mix.

baileyj · June 29, 2013

I have used grow bags for the past 2 years now for Potatoes. I have never considered growing tomatoes in them--maybe dwarfs but I am not sure what type of trellis I would use. (I grow all my tomatoes in either Eathboxes or buckets).

I use Oregon Breathers for my grow bags. They are similar to Smart Pots--made of fabric but thicker and heavier material than the smart pots, not felt. The smart pots seemed too thin to me. This year I also tried the green vinyl bags sold by some of the garden centers made for growing Potatoes and tomatoes.

The breathers air prune the roots and worked well. They do need to be watered more as they will dry out quickly on really hot days but I was very happy with the results. My potatoes grew to about 4 foot and were fairly well supported by the pots with good yields for Colorado Rose and Yukon Golds.

I will not use the vinyl ones again....kept the mix too wet, less than 1/2 the yield I had from the Breathers and very disappointing. Not sure what they will be good for. The drainage holes did not seem to be as effective and the vinyl obviously does not allow for drying. I watered them 1/2 as much as the breathers but even still they retained too much water.

I am planning now that the potatoes are harvested to plant beets and carrots in the breathers after I refresh the mix with some Perlite and re-fertilize.

I have considered making my own pots from felt....haven't gotten that far and not sure I really need more pots at this point.
Just my thoughts...

ObliqueAngles · June 29, 2013

I've used the reusable fabric Grow Pots/Grow Bags with good success. With the "breathers", I use my own soil and compost, but have also used bagged soil and, one one occasion, used potting mix in a couple.

If using the breathers, I would recommend using "real" soil - it's a lot less fuss and the plants are more productive. That's assuming your soil is not somehow contaminated with diseases and/or herbicides, and is moderately "grow worthy". Or, just buy reputable bagged soil and plop the plants in. It requires a lot less watering and a lot less fertilizing. I may fertilize the real soil a few times over the growing season, but if I miss for a while it's not a big deal.

Since I still have to work for a living, and work long hours, I don't have a lot of time to spend servicing soil-less mixes, balancing components, water, and nutrient needs. I do use soil-less mixtures for the plastic and vinyl containers. I've used soil-less mixtures for growing tomatoes and they were a lot less productive. Of course, they do have to endure my neglect (I try to be good but it doesn't always go according to plan); there's a lot more wiggle room if you're in a position to use real soil. :-)

I've tried earthtainers a few times and had no success with those. I just don't have the time and patience to attend them, I guess. Plus, it's so rainy and humid here that conserving (or finding) water is not normally a big issue. There would be greater motivation if I lived in an arid climate that had big problems with acquiring water. Or, if I had more time to tinker and get the hang of it.

livinonfaith · June 29, 2013

Yep tlintx, I hear you! The whole time I was mixing up the soil, I was just hoping that there wasn't some kind of weird "something" in the mulch that would mess up the whole thing!

The other ingredients were from garden supply places, so I had a little more faith in them. Also, the composted manure was from Home Depot, and such a small amount per batch that it wasn't too much of a worry.

What I ended up with is a little denser than what you would normally think of as a potting mix, but not as dense as most regular soil. It seems to hold moisture pretty well, but not enough that it gets soggy.

(I wouldn't recommend my mix for the Earthbox or SWC's, because I don't know if it would wick correctly. Raybo's mix would be the way to go with those, since he has done the research and has the results to prove it!)

Honestly, I was going for the best I could do with the least monetary investment! So far the plants seem to like it. I also added a handful of Tomato Tone at planting and have been adding 10-10-10 at regular intervals.

Again, the true test will be how it does once we get into our 100+ degree Summer days!

tlintx · June 29, 2013

My thought is just that so much depends on climate. I hope your mix works well for you, then you can give me a recipe next year!

June 29, 2013	#17
baileyj Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Annapolis Maryland Zone 7 Posts: 120	Grow Bags for Potatoes I have used grow bags for the past 2 years now for Potatoes. I have never considered growing tomatoes in them--maybe dwarfs but I am not sure what type of trellis I would use. (I grow all my tomatoes in either Eathboxes or buckets). I use Oregon Breathers for my grow bags. They are similar to Smart Pots--made of fabric but thicker and heavier material than the smart pots, not felt. The smart pots seemed too thin to me. This year I also tried the green vinyl bags sold by some of the garden centers made for growing Potatoes and tomatoes. The breathers air prune the roots and worked well. They do need to be watered more as they will dry out quickly on really hot days but I was very happy with the results. My potatoes grew to about 4 foot and were fairly well supported by the pots with good yields for Colorado Rose and Yukon Golds. I will not use the vinyl ones again....kept the mix too wet, less than 1/2 the yield I had from the Breathers and very disappointing. Not sure what they will be good for. The drainage holes did not seem to be as effective and the vinyl obviously does not allow for drying. I watered them 1/2 as much as the breathers but even still they retained too much water. I am planning now that the potatoes are harvested to plant beets and carrots in the breathers after I refresh the mix with some Perlite and re-fertilize. I have considered making my own pots from felt....haven't gotten that far and not sure I really need more pots at this point. Just my thoughts...

June 29, 2013	#16
crocee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Arkansas Posts: 27	Don't feel bad, I've got 15 seedlings to pot up tomorrow. My other grow bags are filled with Ray's 3-2-1 mix and doing OK. I think I'll try the above 5-1-1 mix since it contains what I already have and I don't have to pay another $12 for the MG mix.

June 29, 2013	#18
ObliqueAngles Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New Scotland, NY Posts: 20	I've used the reusable fabric Grow Pots/Grow Bags with good success. With the "breathers", I use my own soil and compost, but have also used bagged soil and, one one occasion, used potting mix in a couple. If using the breathers, I would recommend using "real" soil - it's a lot less fuss and the plants are more productive. That's assuming your soil is not somehow contaminated with diseases and/or herbicides, and is moderately "grow worthy". Or, just buy reputable bagged soil and plop the plants in. It requires a lot less watering and a lot less fertilizing. I may fertilize the real soil a few times over the growing season, but if I miss for a while it's not a big deal. Since I still have to work for a living, and work long hours, I don't have a lot of time to spend servicing soil-less mixes, balancing components, water, and nutrient needs. I do use soil-less mixtures for the plastic and vinyl containers. I've used soil-less mixtures for growing tomatoes and they were a lot less productive. Of course, they do have to endure my neglect (I try to be good but it doesn't always go according to plan); there's a lot more wiggle room if you're in a position to use real soil. :-) I've tried earthtainers a few times and had no success with those. I just don't have the time and patience to attend them, I guess. Plus, it's so rainy and humid here that conserving (or finding) water is not normally a big issue. There would be greater motivation if I lived in an arid climate that had big problems with acquiring water. Or, if I had more time to tinker and get the hang of it.

June 29, 2013	#19
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	Yep tlintx, I hear you! The whole time I was mixing up the soil, I was just hoping that there wasn't some kind of weird "something" in the mulch that would mess up the whole thing! The other ingredients were from garden supply places, so I had a little more faith in them. Also, the composted manure was from Home Depot, and such a small amount per batch that it wasn't too much of a worry. What I ended up with is a little denser than what you would normally think of as a potting mix, but not as dense as most regular soil. It seems to hold moisture pretty well, but not enough that it gets soggy. (I wouldn't recommend my mix for the Earthbox or SWC's, because I don't know if it would wick correctly. Raybo's mix would be the way to go with those, since he has done the research and has the results to prove it!) Honestly, I was going for the best I could do with the least monetary investment! So far the plants seem to like it. I also added a handful of Tomato Tone at planting and have been adding 10-10-10 at regular intervals. Again, the true test will be how it does once we get into our 100+ degree Summer days!

June 29, 2013	#20
tlintx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: SeTx Posts: 881	My thought is just that so much depends on climate. I hope your mix works well for you, then you can give me a recipe next year!