Growbags have a number of advantages as well as disadvantages. However, the advantages far outweigh their disadvantages.
Table of Contents
Advantages of grow bags
Grow bags have great temperature control
Grow bags have great temperature control because they are breathable. The fabric of grow bags makes it easy to regulate soil heat due to their porosity, making them the best choice for growing your plants. Consider them when making a choice between different planters.
Grow bags have better aeration
Growbags guarantee adequate soil aeration as air is able to penetrated the bag from all sides and with ease.
This prevents the soil from becoming compact, enabling the plants to absorb soil nutrients easily. Better aeration also affects water absorption as the soil gets to experience water distribution evenly.
In addition, sieving your soil before adding it to the grow bags can help in soil aeration.
Grow bags have healthier roots
Grow bags encourage healthier roots due to their depth. Roots of plants in grow bags keep growing and once they get to the base of the bag or to the edges around the base of the bag, they get exposed to air.
The exposure stops them from growing further. This is known as air-pruning and it is essential for plant health as it prevents overgrowth of roots.
Air pruned roots lead to a more fibrous root system that allows for greater absorption of soil nutrients by the plants. The plants are also able to absorb enough water.
Plastic pots and plant roots
Plants grown in plastic pots eventually outgrow the pots, causing them to begin growing in a coiling, circular manner at the base of the plant. This tangles the roots.
They get constricted and can no longer access air and water. Most times, the soil water becomes stagnant because it fails to drain well from the plastic pots.
Eventually the stems bear extreme pressure leading to damage of the stem and root tissues and the eventual weakening of plants.
Grow bags promote improved drainage
Grow bags have much better drainage as compared to plastic pots and other planters such as clay pots due to their porous nature. Planters grown in these bags are never at risk of excess water retention.
However, due to their porosity, they need more watering than plants grown in pots as this is the only way to ensure the plants get sufficient water for transpiration and evaporation.
Grow bags are versatile
Grow bags can be placed outdoors directly on the ground or can be placed indoors in an area or space designated for the growing of plants.
This is because they are lightweight. They are ideal for use by lovers of indoor plants and for people who travel with plants such as those who live in motor homes.
Grow bags also come with handles making them easy to move around whether from the indoors to the outdoors or from the outdoors to the indoors. Most grow bags are biodegradable and can therefore be planted in the ground.
Grow bags are easy to handle and store
Growbags are easy to handle and store away when not in use. They are foldable and can therefore be stored in a compact state and in large numbers. They can also be stored by way of hanging them from their handles using a chain or rope and within very limited space.
Grow bags are portable
Grow bags that are in use are also easy to move to the outdoors when the weather is warm and to the inside when the weather gets cold. Again, once indoors, you can use artificial lights near the bags to allow them the benefit of continual photosynthesis.
For people living in cold climates that experience short but warm growing seasons, you can start by growing the seedlings indoors in a well-lit area before transplanting them outside.
Grow bags compared to pots
Clay pots can break or chip easily when moving them around. Plastic pots can break if not properly handled to ensure they do not fall or encounter forceful external or internal impact.
They are also problematic when not in use because they occupy too much space in the storeroom or backyard. They are also cumbersome to store away one by one. Additionally, old pots look dreary and may require fresh coat of wood-stain or paint after some time.
Grow bags come in many colors
Grow bags come in many colors, allowing you to make a choice based on your color preferences or based on the color scheme of your space.
The diverse colors allow you to buy a blend of mix and match if you so wish and it also allows you the option of choosing dark colored grow bags for use during cold seasons and light-colored grow bags for use during hot seasons.
Dark-colored grow bags help to conserve heat in the soil during cold weather while light-colored grow bags help to reduce heat absorption and retention during hot weather.
Disadvantages of grow bags
Growbags have a few disadvantages. These disadvantages are however avoidable with suitable and adequate precautions.
Grow bags do not adapt well to cold climates
Grow bags pose a challenge in extremely cold climates, necessitating constant relocation or shifting of your plants from the indoors to the outdoors to the particularly when the temperatures drop during the nights.
Their porous nature allows heat to escape from all sides which is a minus in very cold weather as it leads to frost bite on the plants. The plants therefore risk dying due to poor insulation.
Grow bags need frequent watering
Due to their high porosity and excess drainage, a lot of water is lost by way of seepage and evaporation. Evaporation is also higher in hot and windy weather conditions.
This causes the soil in grow bags to dry out much faster. Soil also dries out faster in climates with low humidity. You can however fix the problem by use of drip irrigation such as a hose with drip emitters to simultaneously provide water to multiple growbags.
Are grow bags are less durable?
Grow bags are less durable as compared to plastic pots. Most pots last hundreds of years. Grow bags also cost more than plastic pots and can be quite pricey depending on the material used in their construction.