Lush is full of innovative products that can be a bit overwhelming for newbies and veterans. Charity Pot lotion is on almost every employee’s favorite list.
This week’s episode of Inside The Factory explores the brand’s handmade production processes and follows the creation of their best selling bath bomb, Intergalactic. The show is available on BBC iPlayer here.
1. Keep the Plant in the Pot
The most important factor in keeping your plants lush in fabric pots is proper watering. The porous nature of these containers allows water to flow easily in and out of the soil, preventing root rot and encouraging healthy growth. This is particularly true for GeoPot fabric pots, which allow the plant to breathe, a huge advantage over plastic containers that tend to lock in water and suffocate the roots.
When the roots reach the dry air outside the container, they undergo “air pruning.” This helps to eliminate girdling roots and encourages the formation of many fibrous feeder roots that are better at uptaking nutrients than a few large dominant ones like those found in plastic pots.
Another way that fabric containers help to keep your plants lush is by insulating them from harsh weather conditions. This is especially true during the winter in regions that experience hard freezes, keeping them rich in microorganisms and nutrients. The fabric material hugs the bottom of the pot, acting as a blanket that keeps the roots warm throughout the harshest cold weather. It also provides a cooling effect in the summer, when hot temperatures can quickly kill a plant.
To maximize the benefits of your fabric pots, make sure that you use only clean, soft water in them. Hard water often contains a lot of calcium and magnesium, which is not ideal for plant growth. Using a water softener will remove some of this problem, but it is also best to simply avoid using hard water altogether.
Before bringing your planters indoors, it is important to empty them completely and run them through the washing machine with a bit of baking soda and vinegar. This will remove any dirt, bacteria, or insects that might have grown inside the pot and prevent any potential problems when reusing them for next season.
In addition, it is a good idea to line your planters with a layer of burlap, which will help them retain heat and provide additional insulation during the winter months. If you don’t want to invest in a burlap liner, you can also wrap the entire planter with a piece of tulle or a piece of cling film.
2. Remove the Plant from the Pot
A common mistake many growers make when they start using fabric pots is grabbing the plant by the base and yanking it out. This causes a lot of damage to the roots and the plant usually ends up having to be replanted soon after this. The best way to remove a plant from a fabric pot is to lie the plant on its side and run your hand or bamboo stake between the fabric and the root ball. This should be able to loosen it up and then you can simply pull it out.
This method is also a good way to keep your soil clean and free of any pathogens that might be lurking. However, there are times when this just isn’t enough and you need to take more drastic measures. If a pot is still refusing to come off after you’ve done everything you can, then it may be time to take out your heavy-duty metal shears or even a hammer. This will be very hard on the pot, but it is better than leaving a plant in a dirty pot that could eventually lead to rot and unwanted pests.
Luckily, most of the time your fabric pot will be able to be repaired after cleaning it up and before you replant it. Just grab some hydrogen peroxide (3%) that you can get at any drugstore and mix a teaspoon of it into a gallon of water, foliar spay the pot with it, and then use the solution for your next watering (it will be converted to water within the root zone and will kill any mold that might be living on the insides of the container).
Of course, this isn’t something that you should need to do often. When you do have to clean your pots, just fill a bucket with warm water and add a few tablespoons of baking soda and around 500ml of vinegar. Place your fabric pots in this solution for a few hours and they should come out as clean as they were when you started (but much more durable). You can even put them in the washing machine on a light cycle to fully cleanse them.
3. Reuse the Fabric Pot
Breathable fabric containers offer several advantages over traditional plastic pots. They allow oxygen to easily reach the root zone and discourage fungus and other unwanted plants from taking over. They also help to protect the roots from harsh weather conditions by insulating them like a blanket during winter and cooling them in the summer. Additionally, they allow for free drainage, which is essential for preventing over watering, a common problem that can kill cannabis plants.
Despite the benefits of using breathable fabric pots, they are not indestructible and will degrade over time with constant exposure to sunlight, rain, frost, and other environmental factors. However, looking after them well can extend their lifespan.
In order to keep your reusable fabric pots in the best condition possible, you should use a gentle cleaning solution. To clean your reusable fabric pots, you can soak them in a bucket of warm water with a small amount of baking soda and vinegar. This will thoroughly remove any buildup or residue from your pots and make them ready for reuse.
After soaking your reusable fabric pot, it is important to let it dry completely before you read g new soil or repot another plant into it. This is necessary to avoid damaging the fabric. To speed up the drying process, you can place your reusable fabric pot in the sun or somewhere where it will receive direct sunlight for a few hours.
If you notice any tears or holes in your reusable fabric pot, it is important that you repair them as soon as possible. Tears or holes in your reusable fabric pots can lead to loss of moisture and nutrients, which will negatively impact the health of your cannabis plants.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert grower, reusable fabric pots can significantly improve your yields and overall cannabis quality. Breathable fabric pots are made from a porous material that naturally “air prunes” your plants’ roots. This prevents the roots from growing long and spindly, which can cause them to kink and spiral around each other and become rootbound. Instead, the breathable material allows your plants’ roots to branch out with fibrous feeder roots that help them absorb more nutrients and increase their growth rate.
4. Water the Plants Regularly
In order to keep the soil healthy, the plants must be watered regularly. However, it is important to remember that a plant’s root zone needs to be allowed to dry out between waterings. This helps the roots to reach down through the dry soil and seek out water. If the roots are constantly getting wet they will not be able to perform this task.
Using breathable fabric pots will help the plants with this process. When the roots hit the sides of the pot they will sense the drier air and be “air pruned.” This will prevent the roots from growing too long and encircling the container which restricts water and nutrient uptake. Instead, a fibrous root system with many small roots will develop which is more efficient at uptaking water and nutrients.
The amount of water required will depend on the season and the temperature of the area. For example, leafy greens in early spring may only require daily watering. However, as the season progresses and they enter their flowering and fruiting stages the watering requirements will increase.
As an added bonus, you can also try adding a green manure crop into your garden beds or grow bags to add extra nutrients for the plants. Quick-growing crops like hairy vetch, crimson clover, peas, or wheat will work well. This will provide a natural boost to the soil and the plants and is an excellent way to eliminate chemical fertilizers in the garden.