Grow Bags? any Opinions

[IronLung OG]

anyone using the plastic grow sacks or bags? I am going to run a big perpetual SOG and I'm thinking it may be cheaper and easier to buy a shit ton of 1 or 2 gallon grow bags? I have a bunch of 5 Gal buckets 4 gal bucket 2 gal buckets I use 6x6 in square pots (1 Gal) for my SOG currently, but I don't really want to buy another 100 pots at about a buck each.

I won't be moving the bags/potts around at all through out the grow. I have a light mover and I will set the bags/potts on a chicken wire platform with trays underneath to catch runnoff...

Anyone using grow bags let me know the pro's and con's vs. pots
-can you reuse them or are the pretty shot after a harvest?
-can you move bags around without damaging the roots?

Your Opinions on Grow Bags
IronLung

 

[sunnyside]

Anyone using grow bags let me know the pro's and con's vs. pots
-can you reuse them or are the pretty shot after a harvest?
-can you move bags around without damaging the roots?

not using them...but I can tell you the pros and cons...

Pros..lightweight, easily disposed, cheap, space efficient
Cons...tip over tendency, one time shot (maybe two)

Yes you can move bags around without damaging roots.

One suggestion would be NOT to place your bags on a chicken wire platform...it is asking for trouble. The bags will sit fine directly in your tray. Remember stability is already an issue with the bags...why add to it by setting them on a chicken wire platform? What function was that going to serve?

 

[Closet Funk]

They are cheap and very efficient.

 

[Notcoolzeuss]

I love em. This is my first grow, so I can't comment about reusing them. I definitely plan on it. They are very stable. I've never had one even close to tipping on me. They are very space efficient, and I like that they are tall and skinny. The roots don't get damged when moving them. I move them around a ton, too. You can just drag them if they're on a smooth surface. Mine are 3 gallon bags. Here's some pics.

 

[IronLung OG]

cool thanks guys.... Notcoolzeuss nice job on your first grow...... sunnyside the reason I grow on a chicken wire platform is so I don't have to move my girls around. When I water i have all runn-off go through the chicken wire table top and fall into trays waiting below.... I believe it helps with hidden standing water within the trays or roots when you just set the potts on the trays, allowing a better wet dry cycle..... I appreiciate your thoughts..... I may just give that a try

 

[Ncogneato]

I'm using 3gal growbags right now. I would recommend them for anyone on a budget. I have had no problems with stability at all. You can buy larger size bags and roll the sides down if you don't need all the room. They are fairly thick and can be reused with no problem. They drain fairly well. They conform to your space. Oh, yeah, and did I mention; they are CMEMORY!! At least cheap enough that you can try them out and if you don't like them, just throw them away, no big deal.

 

[2buds]

Poke a few extra holes around the bottom for extra drainage if you have trouble with the bottoms staying wet. At .45 each for a 7 gallon bag, how can you go wrong. Stability is great, no probs with tipping or such. My only gripe is when the lip falls over and the water spews on the floor which is covered with a 45 mil pond liner so water on the floor is nothing. It evaporates in a day. I seen someone recommend a wrap of duct tape to the top of the bag so it doesn't fall inward. Can't comment on reuse, haven't tried it. I would recommend making them the last time you repot till harvest, I can't see how you could get the plant out of the bag without screwing up the roots (edit) or cutting the bag which end the reuse part. 7 gal will easily hold a 5' tree. :smile:

 

[Guest]

I love the bags. I swear by them now. Hell if I could find some the size of dixie cups i would probably use them for cloning also. I use the 3 gallon bags for my moms. And the 1 gallon ones for my babies. I am Currently SoG'ing it so these work great.

I have never had a problem with them tipping or anything. Just be sure to fill them up good and dont leave any air spots in the bag. There are strong enough that you can pick them up by the top and not rip them.

Transplanting isnt so bad, if you do it when the plant is really dry you can pull the bag off the bottom while holding the stem of a plant. I find it easier to have a buddy or someone help pull the bag off with two hands. Ultimately I find it easier to use a plastic cutter to cut the bags down the side and bottom take the plant out.

Do a little searching on the net and you should be able to get the bags for pretty damn cheap.

 

[IronLung OG]

Hey trey what strain are u SOG'n right now... how is the 1 gal working out during your SOG? any rootbound problems? I'm think'n of going with 1 gals and pack'em close

 

[Guest]

i was just about to do a post on the joys of bags.

i had over 100 pots of various sizes. lots of experiments.

what a mess. i got some one gallon bags a couple years ago and have since replaced all buckets/pots with 1, 2 and 3 gallon bags. LOVE THEM.

they don't tip. just make sure you place them level when you set them down and for the larger bags, i agree with poking a couple extra holes in them.

they are very strong and i have yet to rip one. they are also taller then the 3 gallon pots i used to use and have a smaller footprint. they are the perfect pot for pot.

weekend.

 

[denver nuggets]

i find plants grown in bags do a better job of not becoming rootbound. when the roots hit the wall of the bag they seem to do a 180 and continue to thrive whereas when roots hit a rigid pot, they simply stop growing. i dunno, maybe its me. i like them also because it makes a very easy way to utilize double potting right before going into flower. i would take buss trays (like in a restaurant) and fill them with plain dirt, no nitrogen. i could fit 6 plants per tray and still keep them mobile. that way. anyway, i would take a razor and cut the bottom of the bags and score the shit outta the rootmass, inducing growth and recovery. then i simply countersink them about two inches into the dirt. the plants have all that new dirt to grow into during flower and better yields are attained. it also makes watering much simpler. once the roots are established, i didnt even add water to the top of the bags, just the buss tray filled with dirt. it worked pretty good, might wanna try that sometime. happy grows!

 

[Guest]

hey denver. that's a good idea. i used to double pot but it was a hassel. the bags would definately make that easier. i'll give it a shot next grow. which won't be necessary for awhile due to an abundant harvest.

 

[Student_grower]

Can you please give a bit of info about the bags, like brand that produces them, or something... I never met an item called "grow bag" in my place, but what you say about them is quite interesting, maybe I'll do more detailed search....

 

[Guest]

hey student. i'm only aware of one brand. just type in grow bags and there they are. very cheap. like 30 cents a bag. i wish they made a 1/2 gallon size

 

[Student_grower]

fatboy,I tried to make a search on how "grow bag" sounds in our language, bud found nobody who sells them. Really, what is common in one place can be unknown in the others.

 

[Guest]

howdy.

Notcoolzeuss. nice tidy grow you have there. mine were all neat and clean until after the 20th. now the room is a mess but it gets the job done.

what kind of mix do you use for potting soil etc? i notice you have a bunch of something on the top. is it perlight?

student, i don't know what country you are in but searching on google for grow bags +hydroponics will give you hundreds of sites that sell them.

happy hunting.

 

[supermanlives]

i use growbags from 1/2 gal up. they store well and quality ones last a long time i have some a few years old. if your plant is tipping over use bigger bags next time. they move fine till you get to the 10 gal size . the only downside is the soil pulls away from edges really easy and if you water too fast it runs down the sides.

 

[Notcoolzeuss]

howdy.

Notcoolzeuss. nice tidy grow you have there. mine were all neat and clean until after the 20th. now the room is a mess but it gets the job done.

what kind of mix do you use for potting soil etc? i notice you have a bunch of something on the top. is it perlight?

student, i don't know what country you are in but searching on google for grow bags +hydroponics will give you hundreds of sites that sell them.

happy hunting.

Thanks for the compliments. My grow room may be the most organized place I spend time in. Outside of that room, I'm a slob.

I use Fox Farm Ocean Forest. It has some perlite in it already, but not much. So I add some. It's 50% Ocean Forest, 25% Fox Farm Perlite, and 25% wormcastings. I use a 3 inch layer of perlite at the very bottom of my grow bags for drainage, and to prevent the roots from getting rootbound too quickly. I also add a very thin layer of perlite at the top. This slows down the drying out effect of my HIDs, and also prevents the soil from getting too compacted every time I water. These are both little tips I picked up from random people on OG. They seem to work well for me.