At the start of any growing season you have got to come to decision plenty of things, like what plants you growing, which lights you’ll use, what quantity of space you may need, and the way much it’ll all cost!
Plastic pots are the norm for cultivators for many years. They’re cheap, relatively durable, and find the task done just fine. However, fabric pots have gained popularity in recent years not simply because of the advantages of growing in an exceeding fabric pot over plastic, except for the environmental aspect additionally.
Neither plastic pots nor fabric pots are perfect, which is why knowing the pros and cons to every will make it much easier to come to a decision between the 2.
Plastic Pot Pros
To get it out of the way first, plastic pots are extremely affordable. a 1-gallon plastic pot costs well under $1.00, and after you have plenty of plants to require care of the value can add up. A grower looking to save lots of will find plastic pots because of the most affordable option.
Plastic pots also are sturdy. The stiff and rigid plastic helps keep your medium compact and supported, and you do not need to worry about plastic pots slumping when your plant gets bigger and heavier.
Lastly, plastic pots create a robust barrier for your roots. When your roots develop in your medium, they need to achieve out and continue to grow downward to make a sturdy rootage. A plastic pot restricts your roots from spreading downward and outward, creating a sturdy web of roots weaved and wrapped around your medium.
Unfortunately for a few of those plastic pot pros, they’ll even be considered cons.
Plastic Pot Cons
The rigidness of plastic pots while supportive, can only be so supportive. With so little provides a plastic pot with an enormous, heavy plant in it’s more likely to crack or break. this could easily be avoided by ensuring you have got the proper size pots for up-planting into larger pots when your plants need it.
Another con to plastic pots is that they are not very breathable. While most pots will include holes on the underside for drainage, those holes don’t do an excessive amount of to aerate the plant throughout.
And when it involves moving your plants around once they’re potted, it’ll be tougher with plastic pots since they typically only have a lip at the highest to grab. While it should appear to be a minor issue, after you have 100 plants in 5-gallon pots, the work will add up.
It’s typically for the above reasons that somebody will make the switch to fabric pots.
Fabric Pot Pros
To pick up where we left off with plastic pots, fabric pots have handles. This alone could also be enough for larger cultivators to create the switch. having the ability to simply obtain your plants with handles can save lots of your time and energy.
While both plastic and fabric pots are reusable, plastic pots typically won’t maintain their quality for as long as fabric pots. the fabric that produces up a cloth pot may stretch and wear with time, but it’ll last longer than a plastic pot which is able to eventually crack or break.
Besides the handles, what really differentiates a material pot from a plastic pot is its breathability. The fibers in fabric pots are sufficiently small to permit air to labor under, making the whole pot extremely well aerated. More oxygen to your root zone nearly always means bigger roots and greater plants.
Just like plastic pots, however, fabric pots have their flaws.
Fabric Pot Cons
Bigger roots are great, but fabric pots can sometimes let your roots go a bit too crazy. A plastic pot will keep your roots contained which usually causes wrapping, but a material pot may let the roots grow through the fibers within the pot.
While rare, this will eventually restrict your roots and cause issues by clogging up the small openings within the pot, and also make it more of a pain to induce your pots to clean afterward.
Your plants need support from their pot too. a cloth pot will support your plant just fine as long you make sure to evenly lay your medium within the pot. A plastic pot will force the medium to center on the underside of the pot thanks to its rigid sides, whereas a material pot will have more give if your medium is laid unevenly.
Lastly, and a giant reason some growers don’t use fabric pots, is that the cost. a 1-gallon fabric pot with handles can cost two and a half times over a 1-gallon plastic pot. If you’ve got plenty of plants, that may really add up especially once you wish to transplant into a bigger pot.
Whether you associate with plastic pots or fabric pots is ultimately a private choice. One isn’t blatantly better than the opposite, and both have pros and cons as we’ve explained. Plastic pots will likely save on costs, except for a more environmentally friendly and prime quality product, fabric pots will always be superior therein regard.
