The longevity of grow bags has made them a suitable alternative for growing vegetables as an alternative to traditional containers. When the growing season comes to an end, you may wonder if the bags have to be thrown away or if they can be saved for next season.
Do grow bags go out of date? Poly grow bags don’t go out of date. They can be emptied, washed out with a mild bleach solution, rinsed, dried, and stored for the winter. If cared for properly, they have the potential to last for many seasons with little sign of wear or tear.
This is good news for those of us who enjoy growing our own flowers and vegetables and like to reduce the amount of waste we produce by our seasonal gardening. We’re going to talk all about grow bags: how to use them and ensure they’ll be with you for several seasons.
What Makes a Grow Bag Reusable?
How long your grow bag lasts mainly boils down to how well you take care of it during the growing season. But the quality of the bag also counts to how long you’ll be able to use it.
Those made from thin fabric or of cheap grocery bag-type material typically fall apart after as few as two seasons. Fabric bags made of thick, good quality materials can endure an entire four or more seasons when left alone.
Exposure to the elements including the sun, can contribute to the integrity of the bags as well. Fabric pots offer a lifespan of similar duration, but it is, again, based on the quality of the material. If they’re used year-round, the bottom will start to disintegrate after about two to three years.
Understanding The Concept Of Grow Bags
Grow bags are generally used to house a growing medium for plants like vegetables. They are made using breathable fabrics or plastic and come in a variety of different sizes.
The fabric bags are well aerated and offer a superior drainage system. They are most often filled with soil or material that is organic in nature.
Grow bags have become a very popular alternative to in-ground planting and have the ability to be used inside or outside. They are perfect for shallow-root plants and can be used if there is not enough space within the garden, or the soil is poor. Some qualities that have made grow bag use so widespread include:
- Simple. With grow bags, a gardener need only sow the crop and water to obtain the ultimate growth.
- Portable. They are also portable allowing them to be moved to areas where there is sufficient light for the vegetables.
- Flexible. Being made of fabric, there is the ability to shape them as you feel necessary. When not in use, they can be stored over the winter inside. They are foldable for flat, compact storage taking up much less space than their plastic container counterparts.
Benefits of Gardening with Grow Bags
The method of growing plants in grow bags can provide great benefits to the health and quality of the garden as a whole. Here are some reasons many gardeners have taken to these simple, quick, and low-cost enhancements to the garden.
- Free Circulation of Air. Grow bags are typically made with a pressed, non-woven type of fabric or felt fitted with small holes allowing for free air circulation. This promotes healthy root growth, as roots are able to efficiently absorb the nutrients and water from within the soil.
- Self-Pruning. Once a root hits an air pocket within the grow bag, the plant will be encouraged to prune that root which, in turn, creates a side bud. There is a much more enhanced surface of root hairs as the plant was able to produce a solid, fibrous root system.
- Companion Plants. The mixed growth of various plants is encouraged through companion planting in grow bags. There are complex root systems produced within this tiny ‘ecosystem’ along with a blend of soil microbes among sister plants that assist in feeding one another.
- Simple Watering. Guesswork with watering plants is eliminated when using grow bags. The bags are fitted with tiny holes and pores within the pressed fabric material that allow the excess water to drain out.
This greatly reduces the likelihood of overwatering, but there is still an opportunity for you to underwater. With free air circulating throughout the bag, soil can dry fast making it critical to water on a regular basis.
- Durability/Mobility. Grow bags are ideal for gardens of any size whether they be inside or outside. It’s possible to start your plants in small bags and transplant into a larger bag as the plant goes into maturity.
As we mentioned, with good care, a grow bag has the potential to last longer than the predicted four or five seasons. The fabric is pressed as opposed to being woven allowing for greater durability.
They can be cut with no damage to their structure which allows for growth not only on top of the bag but on the sides as well.
- Vertical Systems. Nutrient-rich systems are possible with a nice vertical grow bag. Multiple grow bags can be stacked or hung together.
When you water the ones on top, the nutrients will drain from those and form a cascade onto the lower bags. This type of system can be irrigated using a PVC pipe setup or watered by hand.
How To Start A Grow Bag
Starting a grow bag is not a difficult process with only a few items needed for the entire process:
- Fertilizer
- Soil (organic)
- Grow bag
- Water
- Plants or seeds
- A sunny location
Planting your grow bag:
- Fill the bag with plenty of soil to allow for just a few inches of room for the plants to percolate the water down to the root system.
- Mix the soil with fertilizer and moisten it in order to prepare it for the plants.
- Sow the seeds into the soil or plant the plants.
- You will want to fertilize every four weeks to make sure the plants are receiving the proper nutrients.
Potential Cons of Grow Bags
As with any type of scenario in gardening, there are things that you need to watch out for with your plants when using grow bags. They are a great alternative to traditional containers, but issues can still potentially crop up.
You will need to weed if a seed somehow finds its way into the plant, or if a bird or other type of critter drops a seed into the garden.
There is also the possibility of pests, including aphids or worms or other types of insects, making a presence in your grow bag.
An earthworm casting would be an organic, good solution to deter pests from the space. These castings can be blended with the soil to make the plant less tasty to the unwanted garden guests.
What You Can Grow In A Grow Bag
Grow bags are successful at growing vegetables in the garden. A few vegetables that thrive within a grow bag include
- Strawberries
- Fresh Herbs
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Capsicum
- Chilies
- Courgettes
- Carrots
- Kale
- Cucumber
As mentioned, these can be started from seed on the inside and moved to the outside without any harm coming to the plant in the grow bag.
How Many Plants Can You Grow in a Grow Bag?
Based on the size of the grow bag that you have, there is a chance for up to three plants to be grown in one grow bag alone. These bags support the efficiency and versatility of gardening. You want to make sure to prepare the bags as appropriate for planting and sow the ideal plants for the specific bags.
It is critical that you care for the plants from the time that you sow the seeds or when you transplant the seedlings up to the time that they become ready for the harvest.
Wrap-up
The higher the quality of the grow bags that you purchase and the more care that you take of them will determine the longevity that they give back to you. A grow bag is not going to go out of date, but it does have the potential to wear down if not taken care of properly or if handled too much over the course of a season.
Buy the best for your plants and reap the benefits from your plants!
