Fabric pot question?

I transplanted the other day into fabric pots. My old plastic ones had holes in the bottom plus holes I drilled. I have the fabric pots sitting in a plastic tray to collect water but I noticed when I water that it pools at the bottom. It eventually sucks back up into the pot but is that OK? Is it OK to have the excess water absorb back up into the pot?

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I use 10 gallon fabric pots…I suspend them on a grating so that they don’t sit in the runoff. I empty the runoff and discard it.

Others have different methods that work as well, this is just what I do.

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Pots shouldn’t sit in runoff water. It invites a few problems.

https://www.amazon.com/Gro-Pro-Level-Pot-Elevator/dp/B01J37FHF8

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What @MidwestGuy said. Those plant risers will do the trick!! :blush::v:

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I agree 100%, but for goodness sake don’t pay $11+ for those lifts on Amazon. My local grow store sells them for $3.99 a piece!

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I do the same @merlin44 drip out before returning to the tent.

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You guys are awesome thank you.

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If you can’t find them for less than amazon they have them on Ebay for 9.39.

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Unless you’re attempting a “bottom feed”, where you set your bags in a bucket or tub of mixed feed, it’s not good to let them sit in it. The runoff has all the excess, for the most part, and if it gets sucked back up, then it’ll shoot up your PPM’s, can throw your pH outta whack.

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This is what works for me. The saucers slide underneath the rack. It makes dealing with runoff much less of a PIA.


The green saucers are much better than these flimsy plastic ones (had to start somewhere)

Bottom feeding plants is OK (think autopots, sub irrigated pots, etc) as long as it isn’t coming from through / down the pot. Plants consume what it needs in terms of what nutrients, micronutrients, and minerals that are available. What isn’t used is washed out of the pot as runoff or may accumulate in the medium. Hence, you have no idea of what the runoff is comprised of. You can see that some has accumulated on the sides of the bag as it evaporates.
During good weather it goes in the garden. yard, flower beds, what ever. When I can’t do that some is used to feed house plants, not much, otherwise down the drain.

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myself have tried many ways and have stettled on this way. I have trays about 4 inches deep with my fabric 5 gallon pots/bags sitting on clay trays that sit under clay pots for house plants ,they are about 1/1/2 inch high so I get runn-off Wet vac that up. Plus when feeding time and water when they are big girls it helps make the roots go deep (Proof from past harvest when I pulled plant out root ball was huge down to the bottom and to the sides of 5 gallon fabric bag) I am a bit disabled and this set-up is about the easy way to save my back from putting me on the basement floor if I try to lift and rearrange the pots. But I encourage you @Spinnemyke Try and find what works for your situation/tent. check out @Hellraiser He has great ideas with pictures “Even a caveman could grow weed under his mentorship!” haha

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If u have an unused oven rack, suspend it over large cake pans. this will catch the runoff and be easy to test your ppm. then dump. Happy grow

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I use these, and just dump the runoff from the collection trays:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091Q7WRR9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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I see some one else saves there kitty litter buckets :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:. I do the same thing 1 for mixing my Jacks in 1 for the runoff and 1 for when I defoliate. Several as stand byes.

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The ones I have 4pk

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Our cat keeps using litter I use the empty buckets filled with horse poop, rain water, compost tea, runoff handy things repurpose,reuse adapte look for using every piece of stuff in the basement/garage. I also use them to keep rabbits from chewing new veggie plants in garden cut the bottoms off

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Lol, I’ve hauled thousands of gallons of runoff from the grow room to the bathroom in those cat litter buckets!

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How do you test ppm and why?

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Ppm meter on amazon. used to test parts per million. ppm tells u how much dissolved solids r in your soil. basically, if u are feeding to little or too much.

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Dollar general. 5 bux.


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