[Doja_Ridge]

I usually grow organic and I don’t wash the pots before reusing. I have did runs with grow dots. I turned them inside out and hit them with the hose same as you would a plastic pot for reuse. Maybe the questions should be, which pot would your plants prefer?

[jmystro]

I switched to Rain Science’s plastic mesh pots because I was never happy with how wet the fabric pots stayed.

[lightning93]

What do you think of the soil protectors?

• This reply was modified 1 month, 4 weeks ago by  lightning93.

[jmystro]

Pot covers? I’m sure they could be helpful for some.

[marizema]

I was wondering about them. I’ve noticed a big difference between the 7 gal and 10 gal fabric pots. So much so I added pot stands and a fan blowing on the pots. It’s been a little bit of a learning curve moving up pot sizes.

[jmystro]

I’ll never grow in a fabric pot again.

[potninja]

Totally agree with jmystro. I use Rain Science exclusively. Great drainage and air pruning and they clean up easily for repeat use. If anyone wants some new fabric pots from ACi, hmu. I will never use them.

[ChomeFactory]

You have to sell a dozen fabric pots to make up the cost of one from rain science.

[ChomeFactory]

Don’t tell my wife but I throw them in the washing machine while my wife is at work. Extra clean.

[marizema]

Soak and rinse them first lol. Perlite is a bitch in the wm

[pungolian]

You are a brave man! Lol

[pungolian]

I only use fabric inside and and probably changing over to fabric outside as well. Occasionally have some dryback issues but normally not. Only thing i dont like on smart pots are the built in handles (not seperate sewn on handles) make it a pain to water sometimes. I have been reusing them for several runs now and i hit them with the hose , a little blue dawn and sun dry them. No issues ….so far…. Knocking on wood.

[stanm]

I use fabric pots and top dress with organics to feed. Consequently there are no salt stains due to not using liquid nutes. After removing the root ball I dump the remaining soil in a tub and brush out the inside of the bags. Then I hose them down in the laundry tub and watch the bags in the wash machine. They spin out pretty good so I can set them in a corner to dry. I started with the salt based crap and would throw them away after one use. Now I keep enough 1’s, 3’s and 5’s around and keep recycling.

Reusing the soil for the first time on the grow I just started. They say I should be able to get five years out of them. I’m at the age and health situation where five years might be my limit to how long I can grow. At that point just cremate me and throw my dusty old ass in the grow bags.

[ChomeFactory]

Morbid but sweet in a way.

[stanm]

We all have a shelf life. 🙂

[green-giggles]

awesome Sounds terrific. Allow me to fertilize the earth, not sit on a self in an urn.

[dBuds]

If it’s not an AC Infinity fabric pot, it’s not worth saving—plain and simple. In my opinion. Anything else goes straight in the trash after first use because, honestly, they’re cheap enough to replace. I run 10-gallon AC Infinity pots, each on its own 20-inch 4-inch deep drip pan with use of a 16-inch graded standoff, which lets me collect, measure, and analyze, and dispose of my runoff like an actual grower should. When I do reuse AC, they get a thorough rinse in the tub, a hand wash-and-dry cycle, and that’s it. I only do this once, but I don’t see why you couldn’t do it a couple more times, but I wouldn’t keep them for years. Definitely replace them.

I typically run two plants in a 4×4, pulling around 2-3 pounds after drying and curing. Fabric pots make a huge difference in root health by air pruning, regulating moisture, and improving oxygen exchange. Meanwhile, plastic pots? That’s like putting your roots in a coffin. If I see a grower using plastic, I already know they’re fighting root-bound plants, poor drainage, and probably still wondering why their yields are weak.

That said, fabric pots do have their pros and cons:

✅ Pros:

✔️ Air pruning prevents root circling, promoting healthy growth

✔️ Better oxygenation for stronger root development

✔️ Superior drainage prevents overwatering and root rot

✔️ Helps maintain consistent moisture levels

✔️ Easy, quick flushing—no standing water, no hassle

✔️ Lightweight and easy to move

❌ Cons:

⛔ Dry out faster, requiring more frequent watering

⛔ Salt buildup can occur without regular cleaning / light flushing

⛔ Cheap fabric pots degrade fast—get the good ones (AC)

Plastic Pots: The Bad & The Worse

❌ The Bad:

• Root circling is inevitable—leading to poor nutrient uptake and stunted growth

• Retains heat, which can stress roots, especially under strong lights

• Limited oxygen exchange, leading to less vigorous root development

• Poor drainage—unless modified, they hold too much water and risk root rot and mold

• Once roots hit the pot wall, they spiral endlessly instead of branching out

• Overwatering becomes a real issue since moisture doesn’t evaporate as efficiently

• More prone to anaerobic conditions, inviting root diseases

• You’ll end up repotting more often because the roots become a tangled mess

Bottom line? Fabric pots let roots breathe, grow, and thrive. Plastic pots? Well, unless you’re running hydro, they’re basically a slow-death trap for your plants. Get yourself some real grow gear and stop playing in the kiddie pool 🤓

[green-giggles]

lol this must be an AI bot.

[dBuds]

Nope, I’m 100% real—no AI, no GPT, just me actually knowing my shit. The reason I type this way is simple: if I say it any other way, people get offended. If I dumb it down, I’m ‘condescending.’ If I keep it raw, I’m an ‘asshole.’ So I write professionally to avoid dealing with fragile egos.

But here you are, dismissing actual, credible information just because it sounds too well-structured for your brain to process. That’s not on me—that’s on you. So if you wanna be the ignorant fuck in the room, go ahead, but at least be self-aware about it

[ohiogrowncolas]

🔥🔥🔥 sometimes the ones with the best info/knowledge get overlooked or downplayed and that’s ok… you helped me learn a couple things I just didn’t notice so thank you!!! Be the a hole….be the condescending one….its all good if you are reaching things❤️💛💚

[green-giggles]

sincere apologies. Right off the start I thought it was an advertisement.

I appreciate your response and will review it all again.

[stanm]

I’ll use my non-AC Infinity grow bags for the next five years. If I’m still around in five years at 78 I’ll use them another five until I’m 83 or the handles fall off. Whichever comes first. 🙂

[CLTsasquatch13]

I’ve been using fabric pots for three grows now. Most of mine are between 2 gallon 3 gallon and 5 gallon, depending on the strain.

Two and three for autos and fives for the photos.

I am having great luck so far with them. But I also use self watering bases. I am gone for work usually four days at a time every couple weeks. The day before I leave, I top up the water and just let my plants be plants.

As to reusing… I dump my soil and turn the pots inside out, and take a hose to them with a soft bristle brush. Then I hang them on a line and let them air dry.It’s worked for me so far. Hope this gives a little insight.

[ChomeFactory]

Are you organic or synthetic? I reuse soil and I use synthetic nutrients. I often wonder about salt accumulation. Have you noticed any?

[CLTsasquatch13]

I have a mix of things going on. A little of both. I like to experiment and see what works better. So, I grow two plants of the same strain using Different nutrients.

For my organic, I use Gaia green. And then I use a synthetic/organic hybrid Flora nova. I’m also doing one plant with grow dots this run To see how it stacks against the Gaia Green. It is still a little early in the run to make an informed decision.

I definitely see the salts accumulating on the synthetic run pots. However, with a good washing, it doesn’t seem to have any ill effects.

[ChomeFactory]

The reason I ask is, I was inspecting a pot the other day and while digging in it found a for real salt pocket glimmering in the light. This was after I rinsed it but it’s a pot I have used for about 6 grows (too much. I know. ). I’m thinking of limiting my soil to a couple grows and then ditching it. What do you think?

[stanm]

I grow in living soil and top dress with dry amendments. The soil and nutrients company I use, Coast of Maine, recommends no smaller than three gallon when top dressing. They make an organic liquid fertilizer that they recommend for smaller pots.

You might keep that in mind if you have any issues in 2’s. I generally go with 3’s for autos and 5’s for photos and that has gone well.

[CLTsasquatch13]

For soil, I generally limit it to no more than 3 uses. Again, that’s just what I do to reduce unknowns.

[stanm]

How does a person know that they have reduced unknowns if they’re not known? What kind of unknowns are we trying to reduce? How does ma nature reduce unknowns outdoors using the same soil for eons?

But seriously, I will buy a fresh bag or two or mix in a bag of left over unused soil. Some say they get as much as ten years out of reusing their soil. That will get me into my 80’s if I don’t go belly up first.

[ChomeFactory]

Ma nature isn’t growing this plant over and over again in a finite soil environment. Wonder if there’s a way to rehab the soil with other plants.

[CLTsasquatch13]

When tinkering with grows, I generally don’t reuse soil at all. Usually, I do this to compare different nutrients on the same strain, same environment, and same soil. Or likewise, change soil types where everything BUT the the experimental factor is the same. I will only change one factor at a time in each plant to try and determine what differences occur.

Doing that used medium, without doing a soil analysis there are likely more unknown quantities of elements that will be introduced, and in that, the experiment changes.

Now, if am comparing used to new, that’s another thing completely. Same with used to used. Those experiments will rely on past data collected from any given used medium.

At the end of the day, it’s all about what I learned from any given data set. And also, what works best for me.

[stanm]

Data and garden never appear in the same sentence in my garden. Successful grows are my only goal.

[calmtomatoe]

Tehe longer I use them unwashed the better the weed grows

[flowerpower]

These are the 7gals I use for autos, After about three runs I dump ’em out, turn ’em inside out, hit ’em with a brush, and finally in the washer with some vinegar. Used many different pots. Plastic, fabric, PVC,..I settled on these. Plenty of room in my 7gals for my autos, and plenty of spots for trainning.