Question about fabric pots

[Sorenna]

Okay, so Im ready to drop some more beans. I have 3 with tails so they have to go in the dirt today. My question is after dumping the dirt and the old plant from my last grow, should the fabric pots be washed, like in the washer, or do they not need cleaned? Can they even be washed in a washer? Maybe hand washed and set out to dry? I dont know.

Also, one more question. The 3 beans I have were all that came from some bagseed I liked especially and the seeds were a bonus. Only 3, all perfect. It supposed to be Kush of some sort, but sometimes people will lie even if the truth sounds better. My question for this is: Does it matter if I choose to plant them in their final pot to start with or do they like/need the upcanning?

Thanks in advance for reading/answering my questions.

 

[captain bud]

I wash my fabric pots at the local laundry mat as I have a bunch and my wife does not want me to use the home washer. I do not use any laundry detergent as there is always enough residue in the washers for the wash cycle. I simply select hot water wash and cold water rinse. I do turn my pots inside out for the wash cycle. When putting them in the dryer, I reverse the pots back. Have been doing this for 2 years with good results. The hot dryer heat takes care of any residual bacteria or mold spores. I use a 50/50 cocoa and vermiculite growing medium and have found out that I can screen the roots out of it, dry it and have been able to reuse the grow medium for 3 grows now without having to flush the grow medium. I believe my success with recycling the grow medium is because I only use organic nutes.

 

[captain bud]

Just realized that you had a second part to your question. I have settled on rooting my seeds in plugs and then putting them directly into their final pots. I do not like transplanting as it always seems to result in some root shock. Also, I use large drip trays with my fabric pots and bottom feed using the tray as a reservoir.

 

[Sorenna]

Thank you, Cap't. Bud. Ill get them washed up then. I wasnt sure if they would fall apart if I washed them in a washer, but it just makes sense to me that they SHOULD be washed somehow.

I sort of answered that second question for myself. I think it would just be easier to keep them hydrated when they are tiny in little pots. I dont have any little pots, so what I did was I got three 2-liter bottles and cut them down to, I dont know, about 5 inches high. Then I covered the outsides with duct tape. Once I had the already germinated seeds planted, I put a gallon sized ziploc bag on top for humidity. Ive never started seeds this time of year before, so I dont know what will happen. Ill put them in their final pots when they out grow these, which are 5 gallon, fabric pots.

 

[captain bud]

Sorenna, Have fun! There is no right or wrong way to grow. The garden becomes very personal and with experience you develop what works best for you and your garden.

 

[KingJohnC]

Fabric pots may be washed in a washing machine between uses to clean the fabric. When I germinate seeds I use a matchbox lined with about 320 sandpaper to shake the seeds in for a minute, it scrapes the sides of the seeds to aid in moisture penetrating the seeds shell.

After having germination issue with Jiffy peat moss pucks and soil I switched to Rapid Rooters and have had much higher germination rates. Rapid Rooters seem to provide the seed with the perfect amount of air and moisture. I soak my seeds in pH adjusted water for 30-36 hours or until i see tap roots. I cut the Rapid Rooter mat into individual squares then I soak the Rapid Rooter squares in pH adjusted water for 15 minutes before use. Then I place the seeds tap root down into the Rapid Rooter square then place them underneath a light with 18/6 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness. I do not use a humidity dome. I hand water with a syringe each day to keep the Rapid Rooter square moist. when I see roots emerge from the Rapid Rooter square I transplant to 5" pots in a mixture of peat moss, perlite, vermiculite and mycorrhizae.

https://generalhydroponics.com Rapid Rooter

I prefer to transplant my cannabis plants in stages into my soiless mixture.

Here is my soiless mixture

I use peat moss, perlite, vermiculite and mycorrhizae and bacteria for my plants. I would mix your soiless mixture in a ratio of 60% peat moss, 20% perlite and 20% vermiculite. If you can get Pro-Mix HP you would only need to add 20% vermiculite and mycorrhizae. Vermiculite acts as a catalyst between nutrients and the plants roots as well as retaining moisture.

PRO-MIX HP Mycorrhizae - High porosity peat-based growing medium


https://www.hydro-organics.com earth juice rooters mycorrhizae

Pro-Mix HP has 1 species of mycorrhizae added, I add 10 others species of mycorrhizae and more of the strain already contained in Pro-Mix HP. When I transplant my plants to larger size pots I use 1 teaspoon per 1 gallon size pot and 2-3 teaspoons per 3 gallon size pot of additional mycorrhizae granules.

 

[Blimpsious]

I wash my fabric pots at the local laundry mat as I have a bunch and my wife does not want me to use the home washer. I do not use any laundry detergent as there is always enough residue in the washers for the wash cycle. I simply select hot water wash and cold water rinse. I do turn my pots inside out for the wash cycle. When putting them in the dryer, I reverse the pots back. Have been doing this for 2 years with good results. The hot dryer heat takes care of any residual bacteria or mold spores. I use a 50/50 cocoa and vermiculite growing medium and have found out that I can screen the roots out of it, dry it and have been able to reuse the grow medium for 3 grows now without having to flush the grow medium. I believe my success with recycling the grow medium is because I only use organic nutes.

Thanks for the tip. Its my first grow and I am using 7 gallon fabric pots. I dread the thought of washing them here at home, especially without public sewer. We have a small laundromat down the road that's always empty. Good idea for the no soap too, glad I saw your post.

Thanks