Woven plant bags are a great way to grow plants as an alternative to using pots.
They are made using a woven polyethylene plastic weave that is laminated for extra strength. This means that water does not seep through the weave. Drainage holes are punched in the sides and bottom to allow water to drain. Sizes range from 15-20 litre bags all the way up to a 2500 litre size – almost a small swimming pool!
Moving House?
One of the great advantages is that you can take your shrubs and trees with you in the woven planter bags. They are easy to move, lift and drag around and then transport when it comes time to move.
Why do people use woven plant bags? Well depending where you get them from and what brand they are, they can be….
- Cost effective.
- Easy to transport and move around.
- Great to line fences with.
- Suitable for edible plants and fruit.
- Easy to fill and repot the bag.
- Tough and durable – UV reinforced.
- Quite trendy and presentable.
As you can see, many brands have strong handles sown on which allow you to drag or carry them around. The bigger bags can be picked up by the handles using a crane or forklift.
So… what size will I need?
Whilst working out what size you might need there are a few things to keep in mind.
Firstly when you are thinking about the litres in terms of what comparable pot size, the picture here with a bag next to a pot is good for comparison. Bags are straight sided, not ‘tapered’ like pots are and so hold more mix than a pot for a visibly similar size. This example here is a 45 litre bag next to a 400mm diameter pot (containing a maximum 27 litres of mix).
Next thing to do is work out whether the plant is going to be dug up from your garden or if it is coming out of a smaller pot. Ground grown shrubs and trees may have a bigger root ball than a container grown plant, so first determine how much of a root ball needs to be dug out with the plant.
Generally plants will grow lateral roots once they get to a certain size, and that is why the bigger the tree/plant the wider the container. Obviously they need adequate depth, but see the below picture of a tree in a 2000 litre bag – it is in a wider, shallow bag.
Different studies have concluded that the roots of an average tree can spread 2-4 times as wide as the crown – or even more! Obviously that is relative depending on your ground and space, and the age, etc. Do some research on your particular plant as you may be able to trim the edge roots a bit when you dig the plant out of the ground. The conclusion is that you need a nice wide bag for a decent sized tree.
If the plant is coming out of a pot or container, it’s much easier to work out the size of bag needed. Just make it bigger than the pot! Usually diameter measurements are the best guide. Click here to see where you can purchase these bags
What are some of the plants people put in these bags?
- Veggies
- Fruit & Berry Trees
- Hedges
- Trees
- Shrubs
- Bamboo
- Palms
In fact there are very few plants that you wouldn’t put in a woven planter bag. Healthy gardens to you all!
