This GeoPot review comes with a great deal of personal experience. I have used cloth grow bags of various kinds for the last 8 years or so. Over this time I have used combinations of brand name bags and some of the cheapest bags available on the internet. There are multiple choices for the modern consumer and very little guidance on which are the best products to buy. This review is going to concentrate on GeoPot – the brand that I have found to be the best of the best and the brand with an amazing number of options in sizes and types of bags.
First, why cloth grow bags? What makes them better than a standard hard sided pot? There are five answers to this question:
- Air Pruning. As a root reaches a side wall of these containers, instead of being bent and rerouted to wrap around the inside of the container, air pruning actually cuts off the root when it finds air on the other side of the fabric. This pruning then causes that root to split and continue growing multiple fibrous feeder roots inside of the rootball. Air pruning doubles each root and can help build a massive and compact rootball within that container.
- Improved Aeration. With air being available on all sides of the container, there is much more interaction with the air in the room than in a hard sided container. Roots need oxygen, and in a cloth container they are able to get a lot of it, from every side and even the bottom.
- Superior Drainage. A cloth container has the entire bottom and the sides where excess water can escape. A regular hard sided container’s drainage is limited to the surface area of its drainage holes.
- Temperature Control. Two to three degrees difference in soil temperature can be seen depending on the color of the container. GeoPots are available in both black and tan versions so that it is easier to use these containers outside in the hot sun.
- Durability. GeoPot cloth containers are designed with 5-6 uses in mind. Especially outside in high UV environments, hard sided plastic containers break down rapidly and get very brittle so they rarely can be used in multiple grows.
Not all cloth grow bags are the same
Some that are available on the internet are so cheaply made and of such flimsy material that they can barely hold up for one grow. A grower who wants to successively uppot through several stages may be enticed to buy the very cheapest bags available on the internet with the intention of only using them once and cutting them away when it is time to transplant. GeoPot gives two solutions to convince this grower that their system is more cost effective when it comes to transplanting.
One of the most exciting of these options are their Velcro-sided transplanter containers available in 1/2g, 1g, 3g and 7 gallon sizes. You will never have to cut a bag away when using these specialty bags, and they are able to be reused 5-6 times so they are extremely cost effective.
The other option is to use GeoPot’s version of the inexpensive bag, G-Lite, which is made with double instead of quad stitching and a little thinner cloth material. These very economical bags are also reusable 2-3 times if one doesn’t want to cut them away when transplanting. They are available in 1/4g, 1g, 2g, 3g, 5g, 7g and 10 gallon sizes.
Let’s talk about quality.
GeoPot bags are designed to be used many times, making them very economical to use. The bags are made from a thicker material than most bags, and made from a non-woven polypropylene cloth. They are stitched together with a special waterproof bonded-polyester thread. All seams and handles are quad stitched for strength and endurance.
These bags are designed to withstand constant moisture and prolonged UV exposure. The bags come in both a round and square bottom design to save space in the grow room. The thick cloth and strong stitching allow these bags to retain their self supporting form and structural integrity. The bags come in black or tan and with or without handles. The number of sizes available is impressive, starting at 1/4 gallon and ranging up to 1000 gallon containers.
GeoPot can sell you 5 different sizes of rectangular above ground planters that are held together with PVC frames, for use in raised beds or a flood tray situation. They come in 35gal, 112gal, 120gal, 157gal and 240 gallon sizes.
Their AutoPot GeoPot System combines fabric pots’ best qualities with self-watering systems’ convenience and efficiency to stimulate plant growth by aerating, feeding, and guiding the root structure.
They also produce a unique squat pot that is double the width and half the height of traditional containers, that can be used with short rooted plants. These are available in sizes from 2,3,5,7,10,15 and 400 gallon.
They also manufacture hanging baskets, made from the same material they use in their bags. These are available in a 2 or 4 pocket design.
GeoPot is an American success story. They started their small business in California by hand stitching each of their bags and selling them out of a van. They are doing a lot better these days, but the same quality and workmanship goes into each bag they sell.
420 Magazine Product Review by: Emilya Green
For more information: GeoPot
