DIY SmartPots

[OG_TGR]

So where I live 2 gallon SmartPots are around $4/ea. I've always thought that with a small amount of work someone could make them for less; I was right!

I planned on making 10 to start and as it turns out, the way they sell the material lends itself to making 12. So, I have two mulligans!

I got 2 yards of felt @ $7.99/yd (x 2 yards) and one 500m roll of poly thread for $5.50. Not considering labor I am already in for less than ~54% of 10 SmartPots.

I determined that I would cut the felt in 1'x3' pieces, 2' for the wall and 1' for the base.

I used a large knife to cut the folded over felt (measured to 1' at first, then I actually decided to go with 9.5"). This dimension will determine not only your height, but also the diameter of your base so these dimensions will vary drastically with different volumes.

1st run of cuts (1'x3', cut into 1'x1' and 1'x2')

Same set with one bottom trimmed out @ 9" diameter:

So the hardest part of the whole things was setting up/running the damn sowing machine!

After a few tries on scrap material and determining which I thought would be the best thread pattern; I found that it is critical to keep the base on the top and caress it into place as the machine takes in the material. It's hard to get a photo of black on black but you can kind of see what I am talking about here (follow the stars):

 

[kiwi_growa]

Great tutorial OG! I will definitely be giving this a try, the mrs is good on a sowing machine so this should be a breeze.

 

[OG_TGR]

First try, outer diameter of base was a bit too large and the 2' strip was a tad bit short. I took it apart and moved the seam in from the outer diameter and that was a major pain, so I trimmed about 1" off all the way around, so that the base and wall seam would line up square.

First try came through looking a little rough, lol:

This is the finished seam, turned right side out, on the second attempt on the first try. The ripple on the bottom is from me pulling the side closed and taking up the slack. This would actually work, but it looks like shit and I can't have that!

2nd run on 1st try, interior seam:

 

[OG_TGR]

Haha thanks Kiwi!

I've literally never touched a sowing machine before and it intrigued me, lol. More to come!

 

[OG_TGR]

Ugly, haha:

Inner seams of 1st try, Stock SmartPot and 2nd try (new piece)

Outer Seams:

Stock bottom:

 

[FlamingFlowers]

This is very useful to me. This year I made 300 gallon pots with burlap coffee bags but the are not reuseable. I need to find the felt. THANK YOU!!

 

[OG_TGR]

2nd try bottom:

As I mentioned in the opening, I decided to go cut the next pieces at 9-9.5". This would give me the diameter I needed to work with for the base, and still plenty of room for height. 1' height was waaaay too tall and kinda did this Abe Lincoln stovepipe hat thing.
As you can see, after cutting the base out, I ended up with more than 2' in length for the wall, so I had plenty of room for error as well as material to use for the closing seam:

This is the the first one with the new template size, it worked out great!

Outer seams, stock pot on bottom:

The first one took me about 45 minutes, the second one with the remeasured material took me <10.

 

[OG_TGR]

This is very useful to me. This year I made 300 gallon pots with burlap coffee bags but the are not reuseable. I need to find the felt. THANK YOU!!

Dayum! haha, glad you found it useful!
I think the real limits here are the material itself, and the limits of the sewing machine. You could actually use light canvas for larger bags I imagine, although your standard sewing machine might not handle it.
Hell, the 60g smart pots are the same material and same stitch. With the larger pots, the cost savings increase proportionately!
Regardless of the size, the same principles apply though.
Thanks for stopping by.

 

[OG_TGR]

I've since taken the top lips and folded them back about 1", and ran a seam around it. This gives them a little bit more rigidity and helps keep them open when you are filling them up. I'll post some pics shortly, for clarification.

 

[Granger2]

I've got everything[?] I need to hand sew 20-25 Air Bags that will be 5x5 sq. x6 high. Can't find anything this size or similar ready made. I'll get on in when things settle down on the next run I'm starting. Definitely use something that is 100% polyester or nylon, etc. Takes the same labor as making them out of something that will rot. Sewing machine not available unless I can rent one. Will hand sew 3 or 4, then decide if it's worth the effort. Will report back. -granger

 

[OG_TGR]

I've got everything[?] I need to hand sew 20-25 Air Bags that will be 5x5 sq. x6 high. Can't find anything this size or similar ready made. I'll get on in when things settle down on the next run I'm starting. Definitely use something that is 100% polyester or nylon, etc. Takes the same labor as making them out of something that will rot. Sewing machine not available unless I can rent one. Will hand sew 3 or 4, then decide if it's worth the effort. Will report back. -granger

Yeah as an added bonus the poly material I got was mostly recycled, or at least they said it was. Hand sewing may be quite labor intensive...Although the fact that you are doing square may make it easier. I would imagine all you need to do is reinforce the corners and then just put a few stitches along the seam, instead of all the way down like with a machine. Heck, with the money you save you could buy a cheap one I think? Idk how much they cost, it was my ex's.
I'm curious to see how it works out for you.

 

[Sforza]

I just turn by wife lose on the project. I'll give her a smart pot, which she will take apart and use as a pattern, and some heavy duty non-woven geotextile material and let her go to town.

 

[closetdreams]

Looks like they use a serger machine to make the Smartpots, I can see the thread tail in your picture. Sergers are twice the price of regular sewing machines, a Brother or Singer serger might set you back about $200 at Target or Walmart. Wouldn't suggest any other sewing machine brands, unless you want to spend more - not less. Sergers use 3 or 4 threads to make that over-the-edge (overlock) stitch, which is super strong.

 

[Granger2]

Since then I found this:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=262977
Has dimensions for all sizes, and the guy glues them, which is easier for us non sewers. He links to totally No VOC glue also, but has had not problem with off gassing from the other glue he uses. Good luck. -granger

 

[Mikell]

Heh, I thought this was a new thread and was going to link to that as well XD

 

[magiccannabus]

Nice project! Its very important to remember to get a fabric that is not treated with anything(many landscaping fabrics are treated with herbicides!).

This is similar to the bags my girl made for me a while back:



She just took two long rectangles and laid them over each other, sewed the overlapped pieces quick, then sewed up the sides almost to the top, folded the slack over and sewed around the rim. Easy peezy.

Unfortunately I had major heat problems with that grow due to an AC failure, but I still got some useful observations out of using these. I would strongly recommend putting a mulch on top to keep the moisture levels between the top and the bottom of the planter more consistent. I would also recommend bottom-watering as your standard watering method. Just get a small plastic tub and put some water in the bottom and let them sit in it, adding water to the tub as needed. I wouldn't use your bathtub though without cleaning it carefully, because some soap residues can be deadly to plants.

 

[OG_TGR]

Since then I found this:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=262977
Has dimensions for all sizes, and the guy glues them, which is easier for us non sewers. He links to totally No VOC glue also, but has had not problem with off gassing from the other glue he uses. Good luck. -granger

Nice.

Conversely or, additionally; one could certainly use a glue gun on Poly felt, too. It's inert when dried/cooled.

(many landscaping fabrics are treated with herbicides!).

Good point!

 

[queequeg152]

nice thread.

had you ever considered heat sealing this fabric?

from what i recall these fabrics are mostly polyester fabrics. they should heat seal nicely provided the correct set up.

i wonder if this could cut some time off of your fabrication process?

also, is finding a post helpful the same as adding to ones rep? i dont really under stand all this jazz.

 

[Mikell]

Helpful gives 1/4 the reputation of "Add to blots Reputation"

 

[OG_TGR]

nice thread.

had you ever considered heat sealing this fabric?

I hadn't until recently. I think it could work very well though.