Bag Growing

[AlittleSalt]

A few years ago, my ex-sister-in-law wanted to plant some tomato transplants. She told me she bought some bags of planting dirt, cut off the top of the bag and planted the transplants directly in the bag. (Planting dirt = Mix or soil I guess?) I have no idea what she bought.

I was curious to how well they would grow in a bag of potting mix or potting soil, but she moved and left them there at the rent house.

While I personally don't have a need to try this, I am still kind of curious - does it work?

[My Foot Smells]

HA!! The original grow bag. Sure, why not? A few drainage holes, good to go. Bags do get hot if left in sun.

I once had the dubious pleasurable task of cleaning out a compost toilet holding tank, which didn't stink if you can believe that. Sawdust was used to cut the smell after each use. I piled up the decomposed waste in the woods and tomatoes galore. The tomato seed was still viable through the human digestive system.

So, I believe a tomato plant can grow almost anywhere; but how well is to TBD.

[garyjr]

Type in grow bags on youtube and you will come up with some interesting videos on people doing that. Seems to be a common practice in Great Britain. They have the bags designed just for that. There are 3 squares with dotted lines on the front of the bag that show you where to cut out. They also have a pot made specifically for that with a serrated bottom that scores the plastic. You cut it out, put the plant in then put the pot over top. As it grows up you can fill in more soil/ compost, and the outer rim has holes and is used for watering. Interesting but not real sure how well it works or how economic it is.

gary

[PureHarvest]

I have 200 bags I'm growing in this year.
I am loading the bags myself with plain potting mix (promix HP). And the bags are magde to stand up like container, and have holes in the bottom.

So, a pre-bagged bag of potting mix (not soil) is the same difference.
You might have an issue standing the bag up, but you can also lay it flat and grow out of that way too as long as you have holes on whatever will be the bottom

FOR ME growing bags is great IF:
the mix drains well
you supply the fertilizer via your watering
you can supply the nutrients/water DAILY

I'm sure you can use heavier mixes to hold more water/reduce daily watering.
You can also pre-load the mix with granular or time-release fertilizer. That is not my cup of tea, so I could not tell you the details on that.
I never got that method to work, and have hit a home run using the daily feed method through my irrigation.
I have a nutrient tank with a pump that delivers the solution through 1/2 tubing that has smaller tubes attached to a spray stake in each bag. A timer automates the daily watering, so all I have to do is mix up a tank of nutrients every few days.

[MrSalvage]

Originally Posted by PureHarvest

I have 200 bags I'm growing in this year.
I am loading the bags myself with plain potting mix (promix HP). And the bags are magde to stand up like container, and have holes in the bottom.

So, a pre-bagged bag of potting mix (not soil) is the same difference.
You might have an issue standing the bag up, but you can also lay it flat and grow out of that way too as long as you have holes on whatever will be the bottom

FOR ME growing bags is great IF:
the mix drains well
you supply the fertilizer via your watering
you can supply the nutrients/water DAILY

I'm sure you can use heavier mixes to hold more water/reduce daily watering.
You can also pre-load the mix with granular or time-release fertilizer. That is not my cup of tea, so I could not tell you the details on that.
I never got that method to work, and have hit a home run using the daily feed method through my irrigation.
I have a nutrient tank with a pump that delivers the solution through 1/2 tubing that has smaller tubes attached to a spray stake in each bag. A timer automates the daily watering, so all I have to do is mix up a tank of nutrients every few days.

Can we get some pictures? Sounds fantastic!

[fonseca]

Black Kow has a video where they plant directly in a bag. I have some neighbors that do this every year with tomatoes.

Straight compost does not have the drainage and aeration characteristics that help ensure a successful harvest IMO.

Originally Posted by PureHarvest

You can also pre-load the mix with granular or time-release fertilizer. That is not my cup of tea, so I could not tell you the details on that.

I'm currently working on filling 50 growbags. My mix has all the (organic) nutrients needed to get my plants through the year. I rarely have to correct any nutrient deficiencies, and by the time they appear the season is already over.

[luigiwu]

Originally Posted by fonseca

My mix has all the (organic) nutrients needed to get my plants through the year.

I want to go more organic going forward, do you mind sharing your organic nutrients formula?

[peebee]

A couple of years ago while in Japan I visited a nursery and saw some large bags of planting mix sold with small plant cages. The instructions on the bags said to cut off the top and plant a tomato seedling in it directly, and to punch a few holes on the bottom. The cage was to be inserted as the plant grew. This all cost less than $10 which I thought was so cool, as most bags of mix cost that much anyways. You don't have to buy a separate container or cage. The cage if I remember was a collapsible one.
Apparently the concept did not sell so sell, as I have not seen them since, in my yearly travels to that country.

[Jeannine Anne]

Everybody in THE Uk uses these for everything, very popular, they have the soil and added nutrients to feed e the plants. I used to put them in my greenhouse with 2 bottomless 3 gallon pots sunk in them I filled the pot and used them for tomatoes, the roots gre down and into the soil, they worked very well, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THERE HERE THOUGH

[Starlight]

Many years back a veggie grower had showed pics of her driveway. All up it she had bag after bag of potting soil and had a squash plant in each one. I thought it was so neat. Like said up above, just make drainage holes in bottom, flip over, cut ya a hole and put your plant in. Reminds me kind of like planting in hilled rows covered with plastic, but without all the work.

[dustyrivergarden]

http://dustyrivergardens.blogspot.co...s-in-bags.html I really enjoy growing in bags. Had great success with no weed problems

[fonseca]

Originally Posted by luigiwu

I want to go more organic going forward, do you mind sharing your organic nutrients formula?

I'm always trying different amendment combinations at different ratios, but I do have a base formula to provide minimum, fairly balanced amounts of N-P-K-Ca-Mg-S.

The usual meals:
Alfalfa
Fish bone
Crab shell
Neem seed
Kelp

Clays/Minerals:
Dolomite lime
Gypsum
Oyster flour
Azomite
Glacial rock dust
Humic shale ore
DE w/ bentonite
Soft rock phosphate

Compost:
Cow, chicken manure
Mushroom
Worm castings

Misc:
Neptune's Fish/seaweed hydrolysate
MycoGrow soluble
Compost tea
Homemade biochar

I use peat as the base ingredient, and for structure (drainage/aeration) it could be coarse vermiculite, coco husk chips/fiber, or partially composted pine bark. I would not say that any of the above amendments are a necessity. I grew for years with just blood, bone and kelp meals and dolomite lime. I also used only Plant-Tone with DL for several years, and the tomatoes in that mix did fantastic. But I am trying to avoid CAFO byproducts in the garden. I do use Black Kow compost, which is from dairy farm cows kept in holding pens; I would eliminate that in a heartbeat if I still had access to composted horse manure that I knew was safe.

The great thing about growing with 1/3 compost is that I never have any PH-related issues. I will foliar feed Neptune's fish if the plants look like they could use a nitrogen boost, maybe 1-2 times during the season. I have had nitrogen deficiencies when reusing spent soil that was not refreshed, but I can get through an entire season just using compost tea.