homemade smart pots DIY

[Bud Sweat]

ok so....is the landscape fabric the same material that Smart Pots are made out of? Doesnt seem possible to me since your paying a whole lot more for a smart pot.

Great idea though if you can achieve the same results as a smart pot. I will probably try this out in a swamp and see how it goes.

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

I got some pots i made last year with a staple gun. Last year i put em inside a wire cage. This year i just used 3 short n strong lengths of bamboo. Used them as stakes and stretched the bag this way.

Works quite well.

 

[Maina]

Pond Liner Underlayment - Thick 7oz Underlay google this ebay has it

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Heres a better example

 

[Anacsot]

I was thinking same thing awhile back but with different kinda tarp. Great DIY.

 

[DirkDiggler420]

is this the same material as weed blocking ploy fabric?

 

[Aeroguerilla]

you can find it on google by typing pond underlayment

 

[tony clifton]

.

 

[Bud Sweat]

home depot sells them

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID

 

[DirkDiggler420]

thanks all.

 

[GanjaPharma]

wanted to pop in here and share this stuff http://www.amazon.com/Pond-Underlayment-5-x-15/dp/B000PR5058

its as close as i have found to the smartpot material.

 

[Eatatjoes]

At the local landscaping supply co. they have it for $2.50 a linear foot x 15' wide. Length cut to order.

 

[Slangheat]

pondliner.com is where I ordered mine - haven't put the pots together yet but the fabric feels identical to the smart pots when you give it a feel.

 

[somoz]

For Ian and other guys that did this with the Landscape Fabric instead of the Pond Liner Underlayment how did they hold up over the winter? The landscape fabric states that it will break down and degrade over time but I'm just wondering how they held up after a full season and an off season. If you leave your soil fallow over the winter I wonder how bad the fabric degrades?

 

[easy]

The 6oz sq/yd geotextile landscape fabric that I mentioned early worked very well and is extremely strong. Pots are on their second season and look brand new. Even was able to remix and amend old soil right in the pots. The fabric prunes roots well and is super cheap. Comes in varied colors.

Edit: The fiber reinforced fabric handles staples and adhesives well too if you have thoughts about leaving out the field fencing.

 

[ion]

....i was researching these last summer, most of the smart pot-esque materials are polypro, there's a small window/margin of acceptable woven materials for the roots to not dig into, but it looks like everything thats been mentioned is in that window...as far as the plants/roots....the next issue would be overall strength to allow hogrings, staples, zippers etc. ...kinda rambling to think out loud here......for the peeps using the black, def consider coffee/burlap bags to wrap with. new england yea, but the sun is a beamer here july-aug......


i experimented with two plants in a swampy area last yr, pretty friggin small.....15gals.....put out mid-late june, both did very well considering. from all the pics ive seen, everybodys planting on nice dry land.
with a big enough pot....(30-50 gal for me considering all this soil will hafta be hoofed by me with a backpack--200 gal of soil trucked last summer in that fucker)..................what do you think about putting these in waterlogged areas? stndrd new eng swamp, standing water 2-5" with low probability of flooding sans a monsoon......maybe a taller pot....the bottom of the pot would be saturated most of the time, could play havoc with all kinds of issues....

 

[easy]

Hey ion... I've seen some impressive wild grows on another site that used open bottomed tubes filled with promix and set into swamps. I did an illustrated smartpots diy there and played around with a possible portable version. You'd probably have to camouflage or use a different color of fabric, but I imagine that they could be adapted to work.

When using the fabric always put the felt side towards the soil. They seem to prune a bit better that way.

 

[Bud Sweat]

....i was researching these last summer, most of the smart pot-esque materials are polypro, there's a small window/margin of acceptable woven materials for the roots to not dig into, but it looks like everything thats been mentioned is in that window...as far as the plants/roots....the next issue would be overall strength to allow hogrings, staples, zippers etc. ...kinda rambling to think out loud here......for the peeps using the black, def consider coffee/burlap bags to wrap with. new england yea, but the sun is a beamer here july-aug......


i experimented with two plants in a swampy area last yr, pretty friggin small.....15gals.....put out mid-late june, both did very well considering. from all the pics ive seen, everybodys planting on nice dry land.
with a big enough pot....(30-50 gal for me considering all this soil will hafta be hoofed by me with a backpack--200 gal of soil trucked last summer in that fucker)..................what do you think about putting these in waterlogged areas? stndrd new eng swamp, standing water 2-5" with low probability of flooding sans a monsoon......maybe a taller pot....the bottom of the pot would be saturated most of the time, could play havoc with all kinds of issues....

Upstate ny here and thinking of doing the same kind of grow...in wetlands with standing water. Id like to know if anyone has any experience doing this kind of grow or any ideas on what dimensions to make the pots for say 50-100 gallons of soil.

 

[Bud Sweat]

So i put together my pots today. i made the dimensions a little taller as they will be in a couple inches of standing water.

each pot should hold about 50 gallons. dimensions are 2' tall x 2' diameter

these materials were available at my local home depot.

6'x12' pond underlayment - 27.96 x 3 = 84

4x50' green wire fencing - 56.00

zipties - ?...had a bunch in the garage

total 140+tax

these materials should make me about 16, 50 gallon pots which ends up being about $8.75 ea.

45 gallon smart pots are about $15 ea so you'll save about $5.25 on each one. or $84 altogether for 16.

Basically just cut the 50' roll of wire fence in half with an angle grinder. After that just cut up 6.5' sections.


Laid out ready for the pond underlayment


Cut the Pond underlayment into the same dimensions as the fence piece and zip tied it on. Smooth side out is the way to go from what others have said.




and ready for the swamp.


didn't take to long to put together. i should be able to move through them pretty quick. the good thing about these is you can adjust the volume to anything less than 50 gallons.

 

[Maina]

nice jobon your maina pot! ok this is the bump for swamp grow