Steven Valys

For those that use them, can the larger sizes withstand the stress of being moved a handful of times? I like the "fabric" concept as long as it won't fall apart in my entryway when the naners get brought in this fall. Thanks for any and all input.

__________________
Steven Valys

fergus banana

well, i cant really answer your question directly, but i do have 20 gallon smart pots that i will be putting my indoor dwarf bananas in very soon.
the smart pots dont appear to be very "heavy duty" based on their appearance alone.

do you have the smart pots? the fabric does seem very thin and i can see the light through the material. i am not saying that they are not durable, since i havent used them yet. they probably can in fact handle the stress that you will be putting them through.

this probably doesnt help you very much, but i just wanted to chime in cause i will be using the smart pots for the first time very soon. hopefully, someone with more experience with smart pots will be better to help you out.

i am using hydroponic grow media, so it is lighter than soil and i will be keeping the plants indoors at all times. i will provide more feedback when i get the smart pots up and running.

Steven Valys

Thanks for the reply! I have not ordered one yet. My largest plants are in 16.5" clay pots right now. It's time to upgrade though. The price for large plastic pots at the local Lowe's is ridiculous, and the local G.H.'s don't carry anything larger than a 16" in clay. And I'm just too lazy to build a big wooden box.

__________________
Steven Valys

buckeye5755

I hope these are a little more durable. I am moving my Gran Nain from a 15 gallon plastic container, and my Dwarf Cavendish from a 5 Gallon plastic to 30 and 20 gallon Smart Pot containers respectively, as soon as they arrive (Ordered on Friday last week)! I'll let you know here in a few days if they are worth it.

Steven Valys

I don't want to invest in a couple of 65's just to have a side blow out during a tedious 20ft trek from front lawn to entry way. If you could, throw some photos up when they're filled. Thanks!

__________________
Steven Valys

buckeye5755

Sure will, not a problem! I have a question though, how do you plan on moving them over and over? I know that my 15 gallon plastic is getting hard to pickup as it is. I plan on getting the movers on wheels that you can put under trashcans with no wheels to move around, and when I have to bring them indoors, I'll do so by putting them on a Dolly. How do you plan on doing it?

Steven Valys

farm tractor with loader or pallet forks

__________________
Steven Valys

Patty in Wisc

Hi guys, I have a couple 65 gal. smart pots & yes, they are durable. They are made of what I think is industrial fabric weed barrier. Impossible to tear. The 65 gal pots are about 33 -34 inches wide & impossible to move unless you have it on plywood & castors. I posted pics of me moving it on our skidster with the forks on. You MUST have it on a solid base or it will flop around on the forks. It's impossible to move around because of weight when full. You cannot pull, push or move it on a dolly.
I went thru same thing looking for a bigger-than-30 gal pot for my nana & they are just too expensive. I posted the pics here in "container grown..." titled "need a large pot ASAP". I'll find it & post the link here.
They are great for nanas - shallow & wide. It doesn't hold water like plastic, but it's good because it's self pruning. The roots will never get rootbound.

__________________
Got a lite?
Patty




____
Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

Patty in Wisc

It's page 3 post #58 that shows me moving it.
Need a large pot ASAP

__________________
Got a lite?
Patty




____
Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

Steven Valys

[quote=Patty in Wisc;88573] The 65 gal pots are about 33 -34 inches wide & impossible to move unless you have it on plywood & castors./QUOTE]

I estimated the weight of the 65 gal. to exceed 1000lbs with soil and plant. They would have to be some heavy duty castors. Thanks Patty!

__________________
Steven Valys

ewitte

Do you mean 100 pounds? 1000 is impossible for the 65gal. I'm not sure if I can get that stacking weight plates in it even. I used about 2 or 2.5 40lb bags of potting mix (plus a little peat moss and perlite) in mine. Sounds closer to 120-150lbs. Although possible 2-3 times that when wet.

Patty in Wisc

I don't know Ewitte. I have a empty bag here & it's 16 DRY gallons & 28 lbs. I used the mix that was in the old 30 gal pot plus at least 1 1/2 bags of mg mix that was prolly 40 lb bags. It seemed to take forever to fill LOL. When the 'boys' carried the nana plant out they estimated it weighed at least 160 lbs. Now add water & I'd guess it weighs at least 500 lbs. Mike can lift 100 lbs easy but no way could 2 of him lift the 30 gal pot. I have same 30 gal pot on casters - the only way to move it, or we could drag it on the floor. I don't think I'd be able to move the 65 gal pot very far even on casters.

__________________
Got a lite?
Patty




____
Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

Steven Valys

No, I meant 1000lbs. Moistened soil that I use weighs roughly 17lbs per gallon. Assuming that the container holds a true 65 gallons, it would come to 1105lbs. I took out a few lbs for the weight of the corm and roots as they are not as dense.

__________________
Steven Valys

ewitte

Most of that has to be the water. I didn't think it added that much though. 65gal is only a little over 10cf which is like 150lbs dry. I took it from the car to back yard in 2 trips on my shoulders so it couldn't have been a huge amount

One thing to note is 100% of that soil is not going to be moist for long. If it were moving around even 10gal pots would be a lot harder than it actually is! Yet its probably closer to 20-30lbs versus 170lbs by your calculation.

ewitte

Shape has as much to do with picking stuff up as weight. A few hundred pounds is a lot heaver when you have nowhere to hold onto it

Steven Valys

what product?




I will agree. Soil will not be 100% saturated at all times.

__________________
Steven Valys

ewitte

3 bags of Miracle grow Potting mix 3cf each and 3 bags of perlite

Patty in Wisc

A dolly won't work on a 65 g smart pot. I will dig up my plant, fill buckets with the soil mix, set up the pot inside & plant the nana back in it. But first, I will wrap the bottom with plastic tarp. When you thoroughly water it, you will see water dripping out around the sides.
When I water mine outside, it takes 6- 10 gal to water it. I keep a dowel in soil to bottom of pot - about 4 inches inside, & pull it up to check the moisture on it. You might think you watered enough but this is the only way to check how far water went down. Soil dries faster around the outside because of the fabric...just a little different than watering in plastic pots which hold more water.
Oh yeah, as you fill them, pack the soil firmly around edges & wet it so that the pot won't sag when soil settles.

__________________
Got a lite?
Patty




____
Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

buckeye5755

I'm hoping I won't have to go THAT big! I saw that picture of you moving it, and as fun as it looks...... I don't think it would be econimical for me. I just got my 30 gallon Smart Pot in the mail today, and am getting plywood and castors tomorrow at Lowes. I use a really light mix, mostly Peat Moss (Pro Mix Organic) and add in vermiculite for drainage. I should only have to use a Dolly when I am permanently bringing it inside for the winter, and at that it will be sitting on Plywood, so getting under it won't be a problem.

To answer an earlier question, Steven, I believe the material of the Smart Pots seem VERY durable, especially for the price!

Ohio'sBest

What about using a large trash can?