Geo Fabric Pots

Why growers use fabric pots instead of plastic

A fabric pot is a soft-sided container of breathable non-woven fabric. Every wall is porous, and that changes what the roots do inside.

Roots air-prune instead of circling

In a plastic pot the tap root reaches the wall, finds nowhere to go and wraps around until the plant is root bound. In a fabric pot the root tip meets air and stops. Geo Pot describes the result as forced lateral branching into fibrous feeder roots — the ones doing most of the uptake. Rhizo and AC Infinity claim the same for their ranges.

Air and water move through the whole wall

A plastic pot drains through a few holes in the base; fabric drains and aerates across its whole surface, so the medium stays moist rather than waterlogged. AC Infinity states this permeability makes its pots difficult to overwater and that thick fabric insulates the root zone. Grow Sack uses grey fabric to keep root temperatures lower.

Our range of fabric pots

Rhizo-Pot — 3.8L to 78L

Nine sizes as singles, 3 packs and 5 packs. The three smallest are plain: 3.8L (15 x 15 x 19cm), 8L (21 x 21 x 21cm) and 12L (26 x 26 x 22cm). Everything from 16L (28 x 28 x 26cm) to 78L (50 x 50 x 40cm) has carry handles. Rhizo describes the fabric as reusable, biodegradable, made from recycled materials and suitable for all media types.

Geo Pot — 19L to 380L

The Geopot with self-supporting handles covers 19L, 38L, 57L, 76L, 114L, 171L and 247L in one listing, with marine-grade stitching and handles rated to move a full pot. Above it sits the Geopot 380L (100 gallon) in geotextile fabric — where the range stops being a home-grower product and starts being a field one.

AC Infinity heavy-duty — 3, 5 and 7 gallon

Sold as 5-packs in 500G non-woven fabric with double stitching and nylon handles. AC Infinity publishes true rather than nominal capacities: 3.4 gallons (12.87L), 5.39 gallons (20.4L) and 7.66 gallons (30L). Built-in steel rings let twist ties route through for low-stress training, and AC Infinity states the fabric is BPA-free and safe for growing vegetables.

Grow Sack and pot stands

The Grow Sack 30L is 100% recycled material with reinforced handles and double-stitched seams. Underneath, the RhizoStand Small takes pots up to 16L and the RhizoStand XL up to 39L, lifting the pot so it drains freely. The Rhizobrain Unit gathers run-off from up to six lines and 72 stands and empties it with a float-switch pump.

How to choose the right fabric pot

1. Size to the finished plant, not the seedling. Most indoor growers land between 16L and 39L per plant. The 56L, 78L and larger Geo Pot sizes are for outdoor beds and long-season crops.
2. Work out whether you need handles. Anything you will lift full and wet is worth buying with them. On the Rhizo-Pot range that means 16L and up; the Geo Pot self-supporting range has them at every size.
3. Check litres against gallons before comparing. AC Infinity quotes true capacity, so its 3, 5 and 7 gallon pots hold 12.87L, 20.4L and 30L. A pot sold as 7 gallon is not automatically the same volume as another one.
4. Match the pot to how you water. Fabric dries faster than plastic, so a large pot hand-watered in a hot room is more work. Add a stand if you want run-off caught.

Watering, washing and reuse

Fabric pots need watering slightly more often than plastic — the store's fabric pot guide says so plainly, and the trade-off it names is a much lower risk of root rot, because the airflow that dries the medium also stops it sitting wet.

Cleaning determines how many cycles you get. Rhizo rates the Rhizo-Pot for four to five reuses and a Geo Pot at five to six, both assuming you clean them. Let the pot dry out completely after you pull the plant, brush off the leftover medium and roots, then rub the sides together. Dry and clean, it folds flat until next cycle.

For more, read Best Fabric Grow Pots Australia, then choose what goes inside.