Just picked up my usual 5 growbags from local diy store and noticed they are
thinner, ie: less volume. So I went around my local farms and collected some
vitamin tubs that the farmers use for feeding cattle, called "cow lick" or similar.
They are pretty big and a single grow bag barely fills 2 of them. My question is
do I need to drill holes in these tubs? My personal feeling is no because
my grow bags usually dry up very quickly in the greenhouse and they need
watering at least once a day - I have heating on at night too in the greenhouse.
Seems a waste of a good tub to drill holes in it when it can be used for 101 other
things. I was also thinking of adding something to the growbag contents to
fatten it up. Would leaf mold be any good?





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Janet Baraclough <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes
>The message <9Ha5g.7195$ca3.3398 [at] newsfe5-gui.ntli.net>
>from "Dave" <dave [at] dave.com> contains these words:
>
>> Just picked up my usual 5 growbags from local diy store and noticed
>> they are
>> thinner, ie: less volume. So I went around my local farms and
>> collected some
>> vitamin tubs that the farmers use for feeding cattle, called "cow
>> lick" or similar.
>> They are pretty big and a single grow bag barely fills 2 of them. My
>> question is
>> do I need to drill holes in these tubs?
>
> Yes. Otherwise there will be stagnant water in the base, inviting
>rot. Growbags also need a drainage hole spiked in them.
>
It is *possible* to grow things in deep tubs without drainage, but you
have to be very accurate about your watering, otherwise, as Janet says,
you'll get rot. The tub needs to be deep, so that the main root mass is
not in the area susceptible to waterlogging.

If you put them outside at any time, then you *will* need drainage
holes, as the weather is not as accurate at watering as you might be.

Problem with drainage holes in the base is that if you let the compost
get too dry, then it can be difficult to wet it again - the water runs
straight through. What I find works well for me is to put drainage holes
round the sides, about two inches up - then the bottom acts a reservoir.

Better still would be to fill the bottom two inches with stones or
crocks to discourage fine roots in that region - then you're getting
close to one of these fancy 'self watering pots' which have a separate
water reservoir in the base.

--
Kay

Thanks, I'll just drill some drainage holes to be on the safe side. Pity to ruin a good tub, but I can
always get another tub.



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"Janet Baraclough" <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:313030303930323944554E2778 [at] zetnet.co.uk...
> The message <9Ha5g.7195$ca3.3398 [at] newsfe5-gui.ntli.net>
> from "Dave" <dave [at] dave.com> contains these words:
>
> > Just picked up my usual 5 growbags from local diy store and noticed
> > they are
> > thinner, ie: less volume. So I went around my local farms and
> > collected some
> > vitamin tubs that the farmers use for feeding cattle, called "cow
> > lick" or similar.
> > They are pretty big and a single grow bag barely fills 2 of them. My
> > question is
> > do I need to drill holes in these tubs?
>
> Yes. Otherwise there will be stagnant water in the base, inviting
> rot. Growbags also need a drainage hole spiked in them.

I have managed without drainage holes - but mainly in high summer when too
much rain is not an issue.

This is when I know that my dodgy gardening will mean that I let the pots
dry out, then need to add loads of water because I will be away for a few
days etc.

Not the best way to water, but better than the plants snuffing it.

To get over the problem of re-wetting dry compost I mix in a bag of JI No.3
(or bags of topsoil if I can't get JI No. 3) with a larger amount of
compost. I tend to lob a bag of farmyard manure in as well.

This give a reasonable amount of 'wetable' addition to the mixture.

HTH
Dave R

P.S. Suffolk is very dry anyway - you may have problems if you are on the
we(s)t side of the island.

First and last time I ever put tomato plants in tubs. First problem was blossom end rot on
most plants. Second problem, even when watering twice a day, the inside of the tubs were
as dry as sawdust in a desert.

So, one by one, I laid each plant on its side, dug large holes in the ground inside the
greenhouse, nudged each plant and soil out of the tubs, and slid them into the holes and filled
up with the excess soil. I was surprised how easy this was even with 4 feet high plants.








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