Not sure I've noticed a thread on this anywhere so I'll throw one up.
When I started growing I bought fabric pots for the whole root prune thing and was happy with the results. I was also disgusted by the condition of the pots after a run. Lots of folks said you can wash them but I was nervous. I continued experimenting with different container sizes in my garden until I found a combo that I like. Now I use 9x 3 gallon containers per cycle. No way I want to buy $50+ worth of containers every month. Or any $ worth of containers for that matter.
So I started washing them. I thought for sure it would destroy the washing machine and I would be in the doghouse forever. I looked into it first, the one line that stood out to me above all else came from a Maytag dealer. "These things are built to handle cloth diapers, your flower pots ain't nothin" lmao. Well when you put it like that what have I got to lose.
Here is the process that I use. It's super simple takes an hour or two and your good to go. I've washed some bags three times so far and they still look good.
Step one
Allow the pot and root ball to completely dry. This makes removing the rootball easier in my experience.
Notice all the buildup in the sides? It's from evaporation, these plants get 6 irrigation cycles per day all to run off. What's on the pot is everything in the water left behind as the water evaporates.
Step two
Get as much dirt out of the inside as possible.
Step three
soak the pots in a bucket or tote full of water. Agitate them in there swirl em around scrub em on each other, try to break any perlite loose so it floats to the top and not in the pots.
Step four
Dump your dirty water out or use a second bucket with clean water. Turn the containers inside out and agitate again. If there's a lot of roots stuck you can scrub them off with your hands or a soft bristle brush. (Nylon or boar hair, not wire)
Step five
Ensure there's no or very small perlite left on the pots by dunking them in a clean bucket. The perlite or any other hard chunky material is the one thing that can make problems for your washer the drain tubes are not overly large and too much larger debris could plug it up.
Getting the big chunky stuff out is the whole reason for the prewash, it's not to clean the pots it's to protect the washer.
step six
Toss them in the washer. I use a half dose of laundry detergent nothing special. Haven't had it affect the plants yet. I wash them on the normal cycle and they come out clean enough for me.
You could probably tumble dry them but I just let them hang dry. I have planted into them directly after washing with no Ill effects.
It's not rocket science but I was nervous so I'm sure other folks are or have questions as well. Hopefully this will help. Questions, comments, concerns, queries? Let em rip. Keep em green y'all.
When I started growing I bought fabric pots for the whole root prune thing and was happy with the results. I was also disgusted by the condition of the pots after a run. Lots of folks said you can wash them but I was nervous. I continued experimenting with different container sizes in my garden until I found a combo that I like. Now I use 9x 3 gallon containers per cycle. No way I want to buy $50+ worth of containers every month. Or any $ worth of containers for that matter.
So I started washing them. I thought for sure it would destroy the washing machine and I would be in the doghouse forever. I looked into it first, the one line that stood out to me above all else came from a Maytag dealer. "These things are built to handle cloth diapers, your flower pots ain't nothin" lmao. Well when you put it like that what have I got to lose.
Here is the process that I use. It's super simple takes an hour or two and your good to go. I've washed some bags three times so far and they still look good.
Step one
Allow the pot and root ball to completely dry. This makes removing the rootball easier in my experience.
Notice all the buildup in the sides? It's from evaporation, these plants get 6 irrigation cycles per day all to run off. What's on the pot is everything in the water left behind as the water evaporates.
Step two
Get as much dirt out of the inside as possible.
Step three
soak the pots in a bucket or tote full of water. Agitate them in there swirl em around scrub em on each other, try to break any perlite loose so it floats to the top and not in the pots.
Step four
Dump your dirty water out or use a second bucket with clean water. Turn the containers inside out and agitate again. If there's a lot of roots stuck you can scrub them off with your hands or a soft bristle brush. (Nylon or boar hair, not wire)
Step five
Ensure there's no or very small perlite left on the pots by dunking them in a clean bucket. The perlite or any other hard chunky material is the one thing that can make problems for your washer the drain tubes are not overly large and too much larger debris could plug it up.
Getting the big chunky stuff out is the whole reason for the prewash, it's not to clean the pots it's to protect the washer.
step six
Toss them in the washer. I use a half dose of laundry detergent nothing special. Haven't had it affect the plants yet. I wash them on the normal cycle and they come out clean enough for me.
You could probably tumble dry them but I just let them hang dry. I have planted into them directly after washing with no Ill effects.
It's not rocket science but I was nervous so I'm sure other folks are or have questions as well. Hopefully this will help. Questions, comments, concerns, queries? Let em rip. Keep em green y'all.