Growing fruit trees in fabric pots

[Bananaizme]

    I know that there are some members on this forum who for what ever the reason choose to grow their plants / trees in containers. I came across a vendor in Los Angeles who sells the fabric pots . The sizes vary from 1 gallon all the way up to 200 gallon. Have any members on this forum actually used these fabric pots ? I must admit I am curious if they actually " Air prune " the roots like they claim. I have several varieties of white sapote in 25 gallon and will need to repot in the spring and was curious about whether these might work for this purpose.

 William

[Doglips]

Not familiar with these per se.
They work as advertised.  They work better on a wire rack, the bottom won't air prune without air.  They do go through water quicker, especially in a drier climate.  Some people report issues with removing them without damaging the plant.  You can just leave them on during an up-pot.  So pretty much one use only.

[fyliu]

White sapote has deep roots. I'm not sure how well it'll work with root pruning. Can't put it in the ground?

I've only used fabric pots for smaller pots like 1-3 gallons. 1 gal dries up too fast. It's like doglips says. It won't work if there's no air on the bottom.

Is it out growing the 25 gal pot? That seems really big. Maybe see if you can prune the roots yourself and keep it in the same size?

[FruitFreak]

I use 15gal up to 65gal GroPros and am impressed so far with their performance.  They definitely dry out quicker but all of mine are on low-flow spitters so its never an issue.

[goosteen]

I've used some 45 gallon ones, I opt for plastic.  It's easier to water, the fabric folds over the dirt as time goes on.  Also the roots go through the bottom into my pavers.

[Bananaizme]

    After reading your comments , Im not so sure if I should use these or not. It sounds like they might be more trouble than their worth. The reason for using the containers in the first place is because of the lack of room.I may just have to build some large redwood boxes that way I can make them what ever size that I want. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

 William

[FruitFreak]

I've used some 45 gallon ones, I opt for plastic.  It's easier to water, the fabric folds over the dirt as time goes on.  Also the roots go through the bottom into my pavers.

Not all fabric pots are created equal 👍
For cheaper fabric pots you can easily avoid the fabric folding by top dressing with mulch.  There really should be excess fabric with a proper fill.

Can't imagine how hot plastic would get on pavers.  In my climate that would surely cook the roots, bake the soil of any beneficials, and stress the plant.  Fabric pots definitely facilitate a healthier root system for container growth.

I've used a couple different ones and I'm very happy with the Gro Pro premiums/tan color

[alan]

I have a number of white sapotes planted in what are called geopots.  I think these are higher quality than many of the others.  Anyway, they work for me in 30 gallon containers.  In terms of white sapote, the best way to handle them in a fabric container is to have an airlayered white sapote.  This will alleviate the typical problem of the long tap root that a white sapote has.  If you can't do airlayered, then pick white sapotes that are generally dwarf, smaller, in size.  For example, rainbow and suebelle work well in containers.

[fyliu]

65gal! How do you up pot into that? I mean isn't the root ball heavy? Do you tip the plant on its side and roll it into the new container? Wouldn't it be better to prune the roots and branches so it stays smaller, rather than letting it grow so big that it might as well be in the ground? That is, unless the ground soil is really bad. Maybe I'm just in an area with decent soil and weather?

[FruitFreak]

65gal! How do you up pot into that? I mean isn't the root ball heavy? Do you tip the plant on its side and roll it into the new container? Wouldn't it be better to prune the roots and branches so it stays smaller, rather than letting it grow so big that it might as well be in the ground? That is, unless the ground soil is really bad. Maybe I'm just in an area with decent soil and weather?

Haha, you are correct up potting from 40 to 65 was a workout.  They were 7yr old mangos!  But they will be in the 65 for another 10months before being planted in the ground.  Because they will eventually be planted in the ground I didn't want to root prune but otherwise I believe that would be the better alternative and that's what I'll probably have do with my Fig trees.