Cloth shopping bags as pots?

Has anyone tried using those cloth supermarket shopping baggs as pots?


I've got a bunch of seedlings that will need transplanting in a few months, and wondered whether anyone's tried the reusable shopping bags. I'm talking about the ones thst fold flat, but look square when they're opened-up.


They might decompose too fast to be of use, but if they don't they'd make nice cheap pots considering the size of em.

Yep, if it is thick enough. I used one that was a bit to thin and bottom rotted out in 2nd month.

Make your own grow bags from heavy duty can liners (trash bags) just add drainage slits in bottom.

Ringsixty said:

Yep, if it is thick enough. I used one that was a bit to thin and bottom rotted out in 2nd month.

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Yeah thar's what I was concerned about: their bio-degradability being a bit too good.

SnapsProvolone said:

Make your own grow bags from heavy duty can liners (trash bags) just add drainage slits in bottom.

Click to expand...

Thought about doing that with a garden garbage bag I got left, though it's so big I'd have to cut it by 3/4 and then there goes the rim/strength round the top.

I've got a 6'+ Siberian Motherwort that's been rootbound for weeks. These plants are just annual herbs meant to grow 3-4 feet: remarkable how it seems to gain a foot or two each year with it's offspring seeds. It hasn't started flowering yet, but when it does, it will stretch like canna, and develops attractive purple flower spikes, so it should be a kodak moment if it's given the rootspace it needs before it starts it's floral bloom.

I also have Four Beams Yellow Pear tomato plants that're only a half foot now, but I have to orgainize some big pots for them now, because it's thus far been mye experience, that the biggest setback for tomotoes in our gardent o date has been my being too lazy to bother giving them large enough pots for them to really thrive.

I use bags and gravitated towards using the same material sold @ Lowe's as the cheapest landscape cover fabric.

I sewed them together myself and as long as I aerate the bottoms [which you should anyway for any smartpot]...... by setting them on a couple of 1/2" styrofoam slats, , I have no troubles.

I grow mint this way and they love it. M. arvensis and Yerba buena [Satureja douglasii]

i use a hole saw to cut big holes in plastic buckets (i use 4 gallon squarepots) and the bag fits perfect in.
if i want to reuse the bag i clean it, or i just replace it.
I aim for the non-plastic ones, a nice mesh so you know air is getting through. if the mesh seems too tight i stab some holes in it with a knife once the soil is in it.

Hi Dribbles,

What else do you have lying around? The paper bag will degrade after some time, unless you reinforce it with something. Maybe some wood/plywood or anything that degrades but only after paper

I use paper cups to sprout my seedlings and replace them only when they are eaten by my canna plants

Good luck mate!

not the paper ones man hes talking about the green/red/blue whatever stores colors are cloth like bags. you know the ones you can buy at the register and reuse time after time so you dont have to get paper or plastic. i think its a good idea and the bottom wont rot as fast if you put some loose sand/pebble mix in the bottom and elevate it on a wire mesh above the drain pan if you dont over water and let it dry out a little between watering it should hold up for 3 months and at worst your gonna have a more aerated pot from the decomposition. i like the smart pots but this seems like a quick cheap fix that is just as good as the real deal. btw you could always just slide the bag in to another $2.50 bag and leave it or even cut it off once inside seems like it would be easy enough and 2 bags is still cheaper than one smart pot. good thinking thanks for posting

Yeah I'm not talking about paper bags or standard plastic. Ones I'm on about feel like felt, and they're a dollar at most stores. They're made of woven polypropyline(sp?) so they feel kinda like canvas, but softer. Anyhow, I solved the issue with half a dozen massive 50 Litre plastic pots in the end

I mainly wanted a larger single pot for a Siberian Motherwort plant that was rootbound at 6 feet, just to see how much bigger it would get. Well, having been in the much larger pot a few weeks now, it's spread to about 5 feet across and almost 8 feet tall.

This species of plant is meant to grow to only 2-3 feet, so I'm pretty stoked to see almost triple that size.

I've been growing this species a few years now, and this plant is from 3rd-gen seeds (3rd gen to my yard, I mean) so I reakon that's why it's so huge and healthy.

They work fine. Well even. Better than regular pots although they look weird. My store has burlap bags which are quite awesome.

Hi Dribbles,

Cool thing you sorted it out. Would love to see your Motherwort Bloom I have been looking for this plant, as well as many other "useful" plants. I am in India and a jungle full of plants awaits. been searching the internet and not much info on active plants in India. Can you send some seeds to me please

Love and Peace,

Toker.

Here she is just starting to flower-up the other day. The sun's off her now but I've been meaning to find the tape measure just to see how tall it is now, maybe I'll snap a pic of it with the tape measure for reference tomorrow. I wouldn't mind sending seeds to India if it's only a few bucks.

I can't spewk for whether Indian customs would care or whatever, not cos of illegality though, I mean from a quarantine(sp?) point of few.

Certainly got lots of last years 3rd gen seedlings, and that plant only got to about 1.2 meters, this one's well over 2 now so should bare a cupful of healthy seeds

That photo is of the lowest/smalleest branch, cos thr top ones are hard to get a stewdy photo of, and they haven't quite started pumping out white & purple petals yet, but I'll have a photoshoot with the plant certainly when the top "colas" well, they're flower spears really, or before the plant starts yellowing and looking ugly.