Partially Burying a Grow Bag?

Greatgardens · May 19, 2021

I use conventional metal tomato cages with my grow bags, and by doing that, I lose the use of a good part of the cage. One thing I could do is to cut up a cage and create some "extenders" to make up the amount lost (or even more). I don't know how sturdy the extended part of the cage would be. Burpee sells extenders for some of their cages, so presumably those extenders work OK. (Out-of-stock at this time, BTW).

Or, I could partially bury the grow bag. My grow bags are about 16" tall. I probably would not bury more than half the bag. That would seem to have some advantages and disadvantages. I might help keep the roots cooler. Every inch buried is an inch of useful cage gained. OTOH, drainage might be adversely affected and the bags may rot sooner. But normal watering requirements for the bag might be lessened a bit. We don't have nematodes in our area, so that is not an issue.

Maybe both are worth a try? What do you think?

-GG

zipcode · May 19, 2021

So they would be a sort of mini raised beds. Sure, don't see why not.

Salsacharley · May 19, 2021

One of the major features of grow bags is their air pruning function. If you partially bury the bag, that air pruning feature would be compromised somewhat. If your bags are 5 gal or greater that might not matter for the life of a tomato plant, but I bet that the bag's useful life would be shortened.

SQWIBB · May 19, 2021

I agree with both Salsacharley and Zipcode. By burying the bag, you are making a raised bed and the benefit of air pruning will not occur.
So if you want the benefit of air pruning, don't bury the bags, plus if you do bury the bags, the roots will make it through the bag into the soil.

paradajky · May 22, 2021

Stopping the air pruning may not be a negative. Depending on the type of growbag, if buried, the roots may actually grow through the bag and into the dirt. One could also poke a few holes into the bag to encourage this. This is from personal experience, though not sure how much that means considering I'm new year

I am happy to share the experience if you are interested.

May 19, 2021	#1
Greatgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,124	Partially Burying a Grow Bag? I use conventional metal tomato cages with my grow bags, and by doing that, I lose the use of a good part of the cage. One thing I could do is to cut up a cage and create some "extenders" to make up the amount lost (or even more). I don't know how sturdy the extended part of the cage would be. Burpee sells extenders for some of their cages, so presumably those extenders work OK. (Out-of-stock at this time, BTW). Or, I could partially bury the grow bag. My grow bags are about 16" tall. I probably would not bury more than half the bag. That would seem to have some advantages and disadvantages. I might help keep the roots cooler. Every inch buried is an inch of useful cage gained. OTOH, drainage might be adversely affected and the bags may rot sooner. But normal watering requirements for the bag might be lessened a bit. We don't have nematodes in our area, so that is not an issue. Maybe both are worth a try? What do you think? -GG

May 19, 2021	#2
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	So they would be a sort of mini raised beds. Sure, don't see why not.

May 19, 2021	#3
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	One of the major features of grow bags is their air pruning function. If you partially bury the bag, that air pruning feature would be compromised somewhat. If your bags are 5 gal or greater that might not matter for the life of a tomato plant, but I bet that the bag's useful life would be shortened.

May 19, 2021	#4
SQWIBB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Philly 7A Posts: 739	I agree with both Salsacharley and Zipcode. By burying the bag, you are making a raised bed and the benefit of air pruning will not occur. So if you want the benefit of air pruning, don't bury the bags, plus if you do bury the bags, the roots will make it through the bag into the soil.

May 22, 2021	#5
paradajky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2021 Location: Coastal Southern CA Posts: 164	Stopping the air pruning may not be a negative. Depending on the type of growbag, if buried, the roots may actually grow through the bag and into the dirt. One could also poke a few holes into the bag to encourage this. This is from personal experience, though not sure how much that means considering I'm new year I am happy to share the experience if you are interested.