Rain Science or Fabric Pots

I am cleaning up some pots and made this observation

Fabric pot turned inside out. Roots growing through the bag.


More importantly, I was able to break up the root ball very easily by rolling the pot on it side.

Rain Science bag root balls


The roots are too tight and completely filled the bag. I am unable to break it apart. And, the roots did not penetrate the bag. The bags will also be easier to clean.

For what it is worth.
Anyone want a bunch of fabric pots?

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I switched back to plastic just for cost effective solutions. I think both grow just fine though.

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I love the Rain Science bags. They were so easy to clean. Ended up with the commercial version for the lower cost, rugged little things.

My demand isn’t that high. But, how did I end up with so many fabric pots?

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I don’t want to count mine either…

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It’s nice to see a side by side comparison. I never heard of rain science before so I guess I’d be up for the fabric pots until they fall apart.

This is the first time I used them. The density of the roots is more than I ever had in a fabric pot. Now I have to figure out which size will fit in a autopot XL tray.

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My 3 gallon pots are 10" in diameter if that helps anything

Thanks. I was thinking I would have to go with a 3 gallon bag to fit the autopot tray

What size do they accept?

A little over 10" diameter
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I still love my HydroLock system, but I’m constantly wondering if I should’ve gone autopots. I’ve seen a couple people chasing issues with them, so it turned me off. I guess there’s give and take like anything else. :metal:

They make a new 5 gal that fits them, otherwise the 3 & it leaves 1/2 all the way around, algae spot, fold the sock in to shade.

I have had a few. Operationally, the valves occasionally malfunction and cause flooding. I also have had to flush the coco due to rootzone ph related deficiencies. I resolved the first issue by using a tray to contain any overflow. Still working my way through the latter.

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I’ve seen it happen to you a couple times now. With you growing such respectable plants, it made me nervous. :rofl:

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Now that I’m using Rain Science bags, I’ll never go back to fabric. So easy to clean, and very versatile.

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Good to hear from you.
I have the 5 gallon bags. I think they have 12" diameter. Because the 3 gallon is 10", it does leave the gap between the bag and the tray. Do you cram / fold the 5 gallon to fit?

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All I had to do was rinse them off outside with a hose. Amazing. On the other hand, the fabric pots are soaking in oxy and Flora Kleen

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They make a “NEW” version for the springpots/XL…its a little taller and smaller Diam. I just picked up a dozen. Look on there new products section, I received an email about them, thats how I found out.

But yes those were my alternates…jam the five in by squishing the bottom & before roots got down there. Or make life easy and switch to 3’s…roll the sock inward to hinder algae growth. Not a problem when plant is bigger and offers shade.

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I became tried of buying bags, since I wouldn’t put much effort into cleaning the used ones. This led me to use 5 gallon buckets with air injection on the roots.
One of the first things that I noticed about the plastic was that it holds moisture much longer. Since there is no evaporation occurring through the sides, and the air pump is providing oxygen to the roots from the bottom of the container. The plastic and air injection is much more efficient with water. Since the plant is using most of the water going in I can use a lighter feeding schedule. This really reduces the salts, and need to flush in mid grow.
@Underthestairs, @Underthestairs, Do the Rain Science Bags hold moisture better than the fabric bags?

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