Grow bags? Cheap nursery pots with saucers?

[JohnAndSancho]

So, I need to repot several palms in various larger sizes. I will try and find nicer pots for the Indoor Squad, but for the Patio Squad I really don't care about looks. (I will regret this come next winter when I need to bring everything inside, as I currently have ~40 palms huddled under grow lights that I can't water) - anyway. 

 

Grow bags vs nursery pots? Looking for opinions. Also, if anyone has a source for cheap nursery pots with saucers, I'm here for it. I need a variety of sizes (3 gal, 5 gal, 7 gal and 10 gal) - currently, everything I need is either out of stock or stupid crazy expensive unless I buy 100. I hate this because I'm going to end up with lots of leftover 1-3 gallon cutesy pots that I have no use for. Looking for feedback on grow bags - I get the vibe that I'll have to water them more often than pots, but YMMV. 

 

There's a nursery down the road, and I think my best bet will be to try to trade my now-undersized "cute" pots to them for larger nursery pots, but looking for opinions. In a perfect world, they'd buy a couple of my "too big to keep on an apartment patio and way too big to keep indoors" palms, but eh. 

 

Anyway, are grow bags a viable alternative to nursery pots?

[JohnAndSancho]

If y'all want details - apologies for using non scientific names and bouncing back and forth 

Washy Robusta - currently in a 7 gal pot

Majesty palm - currently in a 2 gal pot

Spindle palm - currently in a 2 gal pot 

C.benezeii - currently in a 5 gal pot 

Double Kentia - currently in a 5 gal pot

C. Cataractarum - currently in a 5 gal pot 

C. Plumosa - currently in a 1gal pot 

Butia x L. Weddellanium - currently in a 2gal pot

Rhapsis Exelcea - currently in a 2 gal pot 

D. Lutescens clump - currently in a 2 gal clump 

Spindle palm - currently in a 2gal pot

Queen palm - currently currently hella rootbound in a 14" pot 

L. Chinesis clump currently hella rootbound in 10" pot. 

 

Non palm - Monstera currently hella rootbound in 14x10 pot, recently repotted. 

 

Just for giggles, grins and details

 

Plan to use my current small plots for germination of seeds that @DoomsDave mailed me *checks notes* 2 months ago that the USPS still hasn't delivered.

[D. Morrowii]

It seems like prices have gone up recently? I've ordered a bunch of containers from Greenhouse megastore but their prices have crept up as well. Shipping on any large pots will also be very high at least whenever I've checked. I did get a good deal on large used pots through a guy on Facebook marketplace. He had some sort of business or maybe knew somebody with a nursery. He had stacks of all different sized pots so I bought a few for future use. Might be worth checking Craigslist or marketplace around your area? Other wise the evil empire (Amazon lol) might have the best deal on new. Hopefully someone on here knows better.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, D. Morrowii said:

It seems like prices have gone up recently? I've ordered a bunch of containers from Greenhouse megastore but their prices have crept up as well. Shipping on any large pots will also be very high at least whenever I've checked. I did get a good deal on large used pots through a guy on Facebook marketplace. He had some sort of business or maybe knew somebody with a nursery. He had stacks of all different sized pots so I bought a few for future use. Might be worth checking Craigslist or marketplace around your area? Other wise the evil empire (Amazon lol) might have the best deal on new. Hopefully someone on here knows better.

Not sure how things are now but, here, a nursery i used to work for would give away plastic nursery pots to anyone who inquired. Had stacks of dozens ( ..and dozens ) in all sizes just laying around and taking up space in part of the Nursery after landscape installation jobs. Was the same way back in CA.  Never had issues asking if i could take some used pots, or stuff like plastic plant trays Annual stuff would come in  home from work.


On the other hand, everyone feared what the owner of another nursery here, out in Queen Creek would do if someone inquired about used pots, though i think he let me take some home, along with some older shade cloth that was going to the trash.. 

Can't remember if either of the guys i'd worked for in FL. were  ..ahem,  " sensitive " about parting ways with used pots we'd end up just tossing into the trash Half the time at least. 

That said, head to a few nurseries, ..and ask.. No good nursery owner should have an issue w/ inquiring minds, even if they turn down your request.

[JohnAndSancho]

The prices have gone through the roof, when items are even available. Pots I was buying last year for $8 are now $45. Fingers crossed that prices drop when things warm up. 

[PalmsandLiszt]

If you're repotting everything you listed you only need five more pots; 1 >7 gal, 2 >5 gal and 2 >2 gal. All the rest get upgraded in the pots you've freed up. I'm not counting the plants you gave in inches as I don't know how to covert them and I think life is too short to work it out. Give pots in inches diameter (my preference) or US gallons but not a mixture of two! At most you might need to buy 8 new pots in total to cover those plants, which surely can't be too bad with bog standard plastic pots, particularly on ebay or amazon, as somebody mentioned.

Edited February 7, 2022 by PalmsandLiszt

[Palmlover_78]

On 2/4/2022 at 9:12 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

If y'all want details - apologies for using non scientific names and bouncing back and forth 

Washy Robusta - currently in a 7 gal pot

Majesty palm - currently in a 2 gal pot

Spindle palm - currently in a 2 gal pot 

C.benezeii - currently in a 5 gal pot 

Double Kentia - currently in a 5 gal pot

C. Cataractarum - currently in a 5 gal pot 

C. Plumosa - currently in a 1gal pot 

Butia x L. Weddellanium - currently in a 2gal pot

Rhapsis Exelcea - currently in a 2 gal pot 

D. Lutescens clump - currently in a 2 gal clump 

Spindle palm - currently in a 2gal pot

Queen palm - currently currently hella rootbound in a 14" pot 

L. Chinesis clump currently hella rootbound in 10" pot. 

 

Non palm - Monstera currently hella rootbound in 14x10 pot, recently repotted. 

 

Just for giggles, grins and details

 

Plan to use my current small plots for germination of seeds that @DoomsDave mailed me *checks notes* 2 months ago that the USPS still hasn't delivered.

I hate scientific names.....nice to see

.

[JohnAndSancho]

7 minutes ago, Palmlover_78 said:

I hate scientific names.....nice to see

.

I try to fit in lol. I still refer to some of them to the names I've given sometimes too. 

[SeanK]

I paid $50 for 50 pots. They're lightweight, between 10-in and 14-in size

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233627650373?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item36654b0945:g:pb4AAOSwl25g5BIg&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACwPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSRAQR8FABHjfpFoyRlXhWmeaLVo6gs%252FVbR4oWsNJWPRzlyoV9LHh57qzK2ITxzdd262QS5fdFg2vcif0F5hVx7sqJ2WtMeuWVkt04RDOEerKHXr8bCek2VA6uVbyj5zcoPAIb6RIzS%252F8deiNsxdffv8c1AtFOHDGAtBZs3YEiUkqH8Xbrv%252Bx4Qol5X8fLW5xk%252FoC686oo2WXHd7W1afWF0LqHjWjgBhupBYzFXDfHb1G805L%252BIA%252BYIrJEDVVW9mkJ1huxDerTshsMkWUlMIk3QYOj5wciC%252B1Xdh1IwgK3rpE%252FzCZf%252BbnNUYkKHBNEQX9cpnL17Ok6Grvil0nV%252FUprtAtQyv6PPCL4yHuo1DDxXn2cqBtuzETKmGMkR2METGp%252F0MvQhMi%252FZgUTTvC%252BwPfyCMrLJh6N5VRKj0yWoCIbN4E%252BnErB8EcEVskyMfPF7kj0sVoriHRUzkKT%252FXJfXBMPecayK1B7GMgdNEdA%252BCMyriXMsroqEz1z9FapMRniX1iqRGWO0aB44pjNP%252Ff6xzZWsZwbrwBNiQFMFs5NehJ%252BlvobpZy%252BP59vCQfQxQL9prNNMsgEX8Hv9h2Y1NlrLmE7cnflp45Fp3HO%252FLqhNXUU99yW9hIE%252BRfzw%252FP8H27ryxUd5tjgR6LBOPrnr%252FwzJNMygUKuSqs4tU0%252F6cP4FCI%252FySBk79i%252Bb555cLhGeZieN0p9tqQgu1J0%252FNLTvb5E1GvvYtizNiRYdkYwHCNtcxQpyJS00vZh%252BHw0y3ZYqx4nv4JVIfaKHDFMgkfluXNj4sLORtlEtTJZKGf3M%252F4Ul%252FQHkDklg8JTigUK0vUVay43Dd3knltIrum4vdYk70jGNVT9zCqxwxKDtgiyf%252Fj7zcvx%252FCE5tEGBTrvkIYi6%252F25OjrER%7Cclp%3A2334524%7Ctkp%3ABFBMpvi-rOJf