- Wed Jul 19, 2017 11:19 pm
#298538
For a while now I have been growing VFTs in 20oz. styrofoam cups. It works well but the sun does break them down over time. Something also bugs me about the wasted space of them being round and my trays being square.
I have searched for a better solution. Most square pots are dark colored/black. That won't work in the summer heat and sun. A few weeks ago I found these on the internet. The holes in the side bothered me. They were also pricey on ebay/online because I had to buy them in bulk. I just wanted to test one first. I called around and found a local authorized hydrofarm dealer. They also sold the pots cheaper then ebay! I was very pleased with the thickness of the pots as well. And they are white and square!!
There are holes all over, however. It is a hydroponic pot... So after some brain storming I decided to line the inside holes with something that wouldn't allow my mix of 50/50 silica sand & peat moss out but would still allow to drain. (Those of you who grow with LFSPM this would not be an issue).
I went to lowes and found a weed barrier made from recycled bottles. So the weed barrier should be plastic and hopefully not leach any thing in the soil/water. I spray glued peices to the inside of the pot to cover the side and bottom holes. I put soil in the pot and sat it in a tray of water outside and took notes of the TDS readings over a period of many days.
Nothing changed with the TDS readings even after a few rains and top waterings, I feel the glue after it cured is waterproof and should cause no harm to the plants. The dirt also stayed in the pot!
I bought many more pots and glued the plastic fabric over all of the holes in all of the pots.
I am very pleased with the results. I also have an inexpensive "brothers" label maker that I used to make the labels for the pots. Hint - these labels probably will last forever. I stuck these kind of labels on a plant tag years ago and the print, everything is like the day I printed it and I grow everything in full on all day sun. Hint #2 instead of paying the $18 or so for the label "tape" i bought an off brand from ebay for $5 and I cannot tell the difference! The cheaper labels have only been on the pots for a few weeks now so we will see how well it lasts in the weather and sun compared to the name brand stuff. I like the square pots. They fit very nicely in the 10x20 trays. By no means am I going to be converting all of my plants to these pots. I am only putting the "Mother" plant from each cultivar I have in these pots.
What do you think? Do you think the holes in the side may cause problems down the road? What is your favorite growing pot/container?
I have searched for a better solution. Most square pots are dark colored/black. That won't work in the summer heat and sun. A few weeks ago I found these on the internet. The holes in the side bothered me. They were also pricey on ebay/online because I had to buy them in bulk. I just wanted to test one first. I called around and found a local authorized hydrofarm dealer. They also sold the pots cheaper then ebay! I was very pleased with the thickness of the pots as well. And they are white and square!!
There are holes all over, however. It is a hydroponic pot... So after some brain storming I decided to line the inside holes with something that wouldn't allow my mix of 50/50 silica sand & peat moss out but would still allow to drain. (Those of you who grow with LFSPM this would not be an issue).
I went to lowes and found a weed barrier made from recycled bottles. So the weed barrier should be plastic and hopefully not leach any thing in the soil/water. I spray glued peices to the inside of the pot to cover the side and bottom holes. I put soil in the pot and sat it in a tray of water outside and took notes of the TDS readings over a period of many days.
Nothing changed with the TDS readings even after a few rains and top waterings, I feel the glue after it cured is waterproof and should cause no harm to the plants. The dirt also stayed in the pot!
I bought many more pots and glued the plastic fabric over all of the holes in all of the pots.
I am very pleased with the results. I also have an inexpensive "brothers" label maker that I used to make the labels for the pots. Hint - these labels probably will last forever. I stuck these kind of labels on a plant tag years ago and the print, everything is like the day I printed it and I grow everything in full on all day sun. Hint #2 instead of paying the $18 or so for the label "tape" i bought an off brand from ebay for $5 and I cannot tell the difference! The cheaper labels have only been on the pots for a few weeks now so we will see how well it lasts in the weather and sun compared to the name brand stuff. I like the square pots. They fit very nicely in the 10x20 trays. By no means am I going to be converting all of my plants to these pots. I am only putting the "Mother" plant from each cultivar I have in these pots.
What do you think? Do you think the holes in the side may cause problems down the road? What is your favorite growing pot/container?