Pots & Trays

Fabric or plastic?

The pot wall decides the root. Against plastic the tip hits a hard surface and starts circling; keep that up and the plant is pot bound, with little lateral growth. Against fabric the tip meets air and stops, then the plant branches into fine feeder roots throughout. GeoPot, Rhizo, AC Infinity and Grow Sack all start from that.

Plastic still belongs on a bench: moisture lasts far longer, the pots stack and wash easily, they survive being dragged about, and you can keep matched sizes in a row. Fabric dries faster. That is useful in a cool room and extra work in a hot one, which is why pot covers and self-watering bases exist.

Our range of pots and trays

Fabric pots and grow bags

Fabric is the deepest part of what we stock. Rhizo-Pot spans 3.8L to 78L, folds flat for storage, picks up carry handles from 16L, and the maker rates the pots for four to five uses. GeoPot with self-supporting handles runs 19L through 247L on marine-grade stitching, with a 380L planter sitting above. AC Infinity heavy-duty pots are 500G non-woven fabric, reinforced double stitching, built-in metal rings for low-stress training, in 3, 5 and 7 gallon five-packs. Grow Sack is a 30L bag of recycled, BPA-free fabric in a grey that stays cooler. Pot Sox are a sock you lift out with the spent medium at harvest. See all fabric pots.

Plastic pots, buckets and saucers

Black nursery pots and buckets in 16L and 18L, Slimeline 100mm and 150mm pots in six-packs for seedlings and potting on, and 200mm saucers that catch runoff, protect the surface underneath and show how much is actually coming through.

Net pots

Mesh-walled baskets for recirculating systems and deep water culture. The medium sits loosely so roots grow straight out into the solution. The Current Culture Multi-Mod 5.5in (140mm) is solid ABS, with a ribbed collar that seats into a lid and an inverted planting deck that keeps transplant depth the same each time. See net pots.

Trays, stands and covers

Garland square trays come in 80cm and 100cm — the 100cm tray holds 100 litres in recycled polypropylene, and base ridges keep pots out of the runoff — plus seed trays, dome and base tray kits, a 900 x 900 x 110mm heavy tray and G-Pots grids. RhizoStand lifts pots up to 16L or 39L off the floor so they drain and air can move underneath. See trays.

How to choose a pot

1. Size for the finish, not the start. A plant that ends in a 30L pot is easier to run in 30L the whole way than to pot up twice. Fabric pots here start at 3.8L and reach 380L.
2. Let the room pick the material. A hot, dry room or a tight watering schedule points to plastic. A cool room, a heavy hand or a habit of overwatering points to fabric.
3. Decide where runoff goes first. A saucer under each pot, or one tray under the lot. Trays also show you when you have overwatered.
4. Get pots off the floor. A stand or a grid keeps the base draining and air moving underneath — most useful when a fabric pot sits on a solid tray.
5. Look at the handles if you move plants. Anything above about 30L is awkward to shift when wet. Rhizo and GeoPot add handles at the larger sizes; AC Infinity's are nylon.

Runoff, stands and pot covers

Fabric pots dry out; two products are built for that. Pot Shield covers wrap the pot itself — the maker states they cut root-zone heating under lights by up to 25% and reduce moisture loss through evaporation by an average of 42%. AC Infinity's self-watering fabric pot base works from below: a 3.78L reservoir under the pot with wick lines that draw water up, rated to hold planters up to 45kg.

The store's guide to fabric grow pots is the longer fabric-versus-plastic write-up, including set-up and watering. Once the container is chosen, the grow mediums range covers what to fill it with.