So after using my preferred rooting method and I have roots in the range of 1- 3 inches it is time to pot up. This is where lots of guys use styrofoam cups. I used to do all that hole punching and then the PITA up pot shortly after. The roots just love to stick to the styrofoam. No more!

Last season I used vented 1/2 gallon square pots and they worked good but the little trees still needed up potting too soon. Now I use 1 gallon cloth pots(Root Pouch) and my mix of 2 pine bark fines, 1 Promix, and 1 perlite plus a splash of lime. This combination makes moisture control very easy. No more death by soggy roots! I water until water comes out of the pot.

Hopefully, this will accomplish my goals of:
1. Less up potting and longer time in 1st pot
2. Better quality roots
3. Better moisture control when the roots are young and fragile
4. Easier up potting( less circling roots and more branching)
5. Faster growth from better growing environment

I will post future results when I up pot. I also am experimenting with larger Smart Pots and Root Pouches(2 gallon- 20 gallon). So far I am liking how the plants are responding.

Hey Jason,
Is it any harder to move the 20 gal smart pots around? Compared to a standard nursery pot.
I like the idea of using the 1 gal for small rooted plants.

Where do you get your Root Pouches from Jason?
And what price range are they in?
Thanks!

Interesting Jason. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to progress.

Kubota1- Currently they are a little harder to move but when the rootball develops I suspect they'll be comparable but cloth pots will be lighter because of less retained water. The big advantage will be root maintainence and less repotting. I really like the 1gallons for new trees.

Dan- greenhousemegastore.com they vary in lifespan and price but all are reasonably priced especially when you factor in plant health.

7deuce,
I tried the bark fines with lemon seedlings and didnt like it much. The tiny roots grow into the bark pieces and it was impossible to separate them. Some smaller roots broke off with bark later on.

Jason, I went from roots using your method to starbucks cups.  So do you think it would be reasonable to up-pot from there into 2 gallon root pouch containers instead?

Greenfig- Never had that issue. I use pine bark fines in most of my container mixes including my 4 citrus trees.

Rewton- I believe you can go bigger if you can control moisture. It is easy to do with a cloth pot and fast draining mix.

Hey Jason ,

I'm not clear on what the advantage of the cloth pots is over the regular plastic 1 gallon pots .

Thanks .. John

I bought the 18-24 month, 1 gallon Root Pouch.  I have smaller and larger Air-Pots, but realized I was going to be in a position to send out most of what I root this year and felt like the Root Pouches would be a better container to ship in.  So far, I have potted up 23 trees.  I can already see a potential problem with movement of the pots.  I think my solution is going to get 2 gallon white buckets from the bakeries and create a pot in pot situation.  I will lay down a bed of mulch in the bottom of the 2 gallon buckets for the root pouch to rest on, then fill the gap between the sides with mulch as well.  I am hoping this will give enough support so the contents don't move around so much. 

Jason, are you having the same issues?

John, the fabric pots allow the root tips to die back when they reach the sides. 

Greenfig, I used mulch in my growing mix as well and have encountered roots growing into it. I did not see it as a big deal since I was already pruning roots.  I did notice it was more likely to occur with the larger mulch pieces (large enough they probably should have been screened out).

James- I've had no issues moving them and I bought all 3 types to try. The cheapies are a little flimsy but I use a coarse mix that I settle in tight with the water hose. I think once the roots grow out you'll be fine. The bags just need a little structure inside. Are you using a loose mix?

In my larger cloth pots, anytime I move them I have to respray the edges of the mix to fill the gaps. I suspect when the pots are full of roots this wont be an issue.

If you put the pot in mulch they might not air prune till they get pulled from the 2nd pot.

So bottom line, so far they are winners for me.

I modified my mix this year. 

I started with a 1-1-1 mix of pine bark fines, compost heavy potting soil, and Perlite.  I switched from Turface to the compost to reduce weight and I need a bit more water retention where I am growing now.  It seemed to be a bit too much, so I adjusted the next batch to 3-2-3.  My trees are not to the point where they are getting a regular "watering".  They are still in clear totes for humidity and as the growing mix dries out, I'm adding about 2oz of water.

I think you are correct about the movement of the growing mix, once the roots are more established.  My concerns arose when I saw the mix pulling away from the edge of the container.  Also, I witnessed one container with a crack in the growing mix (about an inch off center).  Time will tell.  I have another 30 trees to put in containers this weekend.