# Free Smart Pots, ?



## BudLover#69 (May 30, 2011)

Hey does anyone shop @ an walmart that has changed to the Eco Freindly bags?  They hold about 3.5 - 4gal soil and are Basically Blue smart pots for 25 cents.  
 :holysheep:  Here is a couple pics of them.  I got 4+gal soil in them!  100% POLYPROPYLENE  and that is what they use to make smart pots.


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## 420_Osborn (May 30, 2011)

Are they a cloth material?


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## BudLover#69 (May 30, 2011)

420_Osborn said:
			
		

> Are they a cloth material?


 
Ya, It is the same material they use for smart pots.  I live in Sacramento CA out of the 15 walmarts here only 4 or so are using them it is a test run I guess they are probably going to start using them all over one day.


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## 420_Osborn (May 30, 2011)

No go in my podunk town up north...We dont even have a wallymart :rofl:

We are just now getting a hydro/organic shop and I hope to high heaven that they carry smarties.


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## Erbal (May 30, 2011)

Aside from Walmart, grocery stores usually have quite a few stacked up at the register. (At least they do where I am) It is a win/win for any store that carries them. People buy them to help stop global waste while companies make money both in selling the bag and in not handing out freebie bags.

I never thought about using them as pots though. Since they are made of cotton you can toss the whole thing right into your compost pile when your done with it. I smell a science experiment around the corner ...


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## 420_Osborn (May 30, 2011)

I think you're talking about the re-usable bags that you shop with.....

I could be wrong but I doubt it.....

We're on to different planes here doood.......


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## dman1234 (May 30, 2011)

where im from plastic bags cost a nickel at all stores, everywhere,they have to charge you for them, its the law, this was intended to prevent plastic waste, but its just another money gouge.


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## 420_Osborn (May 30, 2011)

:rofl:

Am I the only one who's confused?!!!

Are we talking about grocery bags or grow bags?

"Free Smart Pots"


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## Locked (May 30, 2011)

Can we get a pic? If they are like 25 cents a bag this is a no brained...take a buck, buy 4 and run 4 beans in them...please document it though...sounds like fun. There is a guy over at cannetics growing in the stuffing from pillows or Teddy bears I believe as his medium. Very cool.


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## BudLover#69 (May 30, 2011)

420_Osborn said:
			
		

> :rofl:
> 
> Am I the only one who's confused?!!!
> 
> ...


 
Bro I just bought two smart pots for 16$  and these Eco,reusable new walmart shopping bags are the EXACT same Material.. Yes they Are Smart Pot Material grocery bags,,,4gal of Soil JUST Right for most indoor growers.  I going to get battiers for my camera, Pics in a BIT.


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## 420_Osborn (May 30, 2011)

:rofl: Ok got it now...we ARE talking grocery bags...but stoner ingenuity has engineered them into grow bags!! I Like it!


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## bho_expertz (May 30, 2011)

if it works is money saved


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## BudLover#69 (May 30, 2011)

They are 100% POLYPROPYLENE and that is what Smart Pots are Made of Too!!  heres a couple pics  I got 4gl soil in it and handles worked fine.


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## Locked (May 30, 2011)

BudLover#69 said:
			
		

> They are 100% POLYPROPYLENE and that is what Smart Pots are Made of Too!!  heres a couple pics  I got 4gl soil in it and handles worked fine.




You know what wld look good in that bag?  A bean....:hubba: Do you hve room for one more in your veg space? 
Wld love to see how these perform. Of course I am in NJ and will probably never see this at my Walmart....suckage.


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## BudLover#69 (May 30, 2011)

Hamster Lewis said:
			
		

> You know what wld look good in that bag? A bean....:hubba: Do you hve room for one more in your veg space?
> Wld love to see how these perform. Of course I am in NJ and will probably never see this at my Walmart....suckage.


 

Ya I got a cple cuttings that need a couple more days and then in these they go.  I'm going to try two and see.. They are pretty cool for 25cents ya?  I am surprised all the pot heads here in Sac haven't used them yet.  Stupid Smart pots are very expensize 7$ for 3gal here in Sac!,, Gota love the wallyworld.


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## Grubbycup (May 30, 2011)

I've tried both, the grocery bags are cheaper, but start to break down after a few months. The commercial fabric bags are more expensive and reusable.


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## BudLover#69 (May 30, 2011)

Grubbycup said:
			
		

> I've tried both, the grocery bags are cheaper, but start to break down after a few months. The commercial fabric bags are more expensive and reusable.


 
These are washable and reuseable and at least 1 mill thick,, the first ones walmart had were really thin but now they are much more thick,,I think they would be fine for at least one cycle maybe even a few.  For 25cents even one cycle is great!


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## woodydude (May 31, 2011)

If they are polypropelene, they will not be biodegradable and should easily last a veg-flowering grow.
We have them in the UK but they look like an immitation hemp/canvas type fabric. I have seen them used as planters but not for weed.

I guess if someone can make a bong out of a grapefruit and a disposable pen then growing weed in a grocery bag should be simple!
W


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## Rusty Shackleford (May 31, 2011)

This seems like a good idea and i think i will have to try a few clones and a couple of seed. Way to go BudLover#69 good find.


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## Locked (May 31, 2011)

Rusty Shackleford said:
			
		

> This seems like a good idea and i think i will have to try a few clones and a couple of seed. Way to go BudLover#69 good find.




If ya can start a thread on it with some pics...love seeing stuff like this and I am sure others wld too. Thanks aBroham and welcome to MP.


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## BudLover#69 (May 31, 2011)

Rusty Shackleford said:
			
		

> This seems like a good idea and i think i will have to try a few clones and a couple of seed. Way to go BudLover#69 good find.


 
Thanks Rusty,  I'm going to try some too!  It would be cool if we both do journals on how they go and have eachother to compare.   As Hamster said Welcome and good luck with your grow.


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## tcbud (May 31, 2011)

I grow in (store bought) smart pots outside and I am pretty sure the sun would decimate those WalMart shopping bags.  I left a few in my old truck and a few months later, I used one and the bottom came right out, it had rotted, from the sun I guess.  Indoors they might work really well, I am all for watching.


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## BBFan (Jun 1, 2011)

While it may be the same base material, the processes in manufacture are quite different.  Those are nonwoven polypro.  Quite different from woven which is what is used in smart pots and other similar grow bags.

Your second pic in post 13 says it all- "Keep out of direct sunlight."  Good luck in your test run.  Be interested in seeing the root mass at the end of the cycle.  Hope it works out for you.


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## BudLover#69 (Jun 4, 2011)

Ya these are alot thiner than the actual smart pots, but I grow Indoors/Closet.  Just getting rid of my huge stack of pots is a plus for me, Im in a small Apt. Here is my First test run on these--Flower only,  I transplanted these 3 days ago and put them in flower closet same day.  So I will see how they work for flowering, one is a Querkle and the other a SnowCap.. We will see how they look two months from now. they are under a 600hps and will get company soon  ,, the other pic is the other side of closet, what the hell!


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## OldHippieChick (Jun 11, 2011)

I'd think these would work great for a 70 day auto strain grow. 

Very interesting but I'm afraid they won't catch on around these parts for quite a while. I have to ask for paper everywhere I shop. They seem to love plastic here.


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## Locked (Jun 11, 2011)

I like it...wish we had them here.


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## orangesunshine (Jun 11, 2011)

nice find budlover---looking forward to your report on the performance of these bags---i was just looking at smart pots the other day and was curious to know what their life expectancy was---i have actually seen root pushing thru the bag and would expect this to be wear and tear to shorten their life


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## Rosebud (Jun 11, 2011)

The smart pots are great, but i must not be very strong, cause I hate taking the plants out. It is hard. Like from a 3 gallon to put into a 5 gallon takes a lot of strength to tear those roots out. Guess the answer for me is don't use the 3 gall ones at all.


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## tcbud (Jun 11, 2011)

I have the husband take a shovel and shovel out the 45 gallon pots.  I don't think I would want to wrestle around the three gallon variety by myself.  I have seen roots thru the bottom before and into the ground here.  The worms love to live in and under them over the winter too.  I am personally a success story for Smart Pots.  I see a lot of them being used up here in the mountains.

As for life expectancy, I am on my third season outdoors for a few of mine, and they look pretty darn good to me.  They do seem to be not as dense, like the walls have expanded some, but nothing that would preclude using them a few more years.  I think I paid $15 each for them.  I sure hope I would get five years at least.  That would make them cost effective then.

I really like seeing you use the Walmart bags to grow in.


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## orangesunshine (Jun 11, 2011)

*Thanks TC* what are your thoughts when you see your special nute mix seeping thru the walls of the smart pots when you are watering---bums me out when ever i watch my mixes just pouring down the drain---literally pouring $$$ down the drain--- i gotta work out a "grey water " thang for the run off


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## BudLover#69 (Jun 12, 2011)

orangesunshine said:
			
		

> *Thanks TC* what are your thoughts when you see your special nute mix seeping thru the walls of the smart pots when you are watering---bums me out when ever i watch my mixes just pouring down the drain---literally pouring $$$ down the drain--- i gotta work out a "grey water " thang for the run off


 
Sounds like to me you are over watering them.  I just started using these Walmart Polyproplene bags,  but No water comes out the sides when I water them and it is pretty easy to get just a perfect amount to them just a little bottom sepage. Each bag has about 4.25 gal soil and I watered today a little over a half gal each seem to be perfect.


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## BudLover#69 (Jun 12, 2011)

So I got to take some pictures but you guys are all going to get a laugh out of this.  I got 20 bags from Wallmart, got the Old Singer sewing maching out and start making pots!!  LOL  they turned out Great, Very Cool and funny


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## nouvellechef (Jun 12, 2011)

orangesunshine said:
			
		

> *Thanks TC* what are your thoughts when you see your special nute mix seeping thru the walls of the smart pots when you are watering---bums me out when ever i watch my mixes just pouring down the drain---literally pouring $$$ down the drain--- i gotta work out a "grey water " thang for the run off



Or just use amendments  17 weeks of plain H20


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## BudLover#69 (Jun 12, 2011)

So I took some pictures of my new Free WallSmart Pots!!  LOL,,,  Using an Very old sewing machine and about two hours of Stoned Playing here is what I got so far.  I am Swithching to these and getting rid all my plastic! I like these way better and you can stuff more together under lights Just Cool, I love em!


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## tcbud (Jun 12, 2011)

orangesunshine said:
			
		

> *Thanks TC* what are your thoughts when you see your special nute mix seeping thru the walls of the smart pots when you are watering---bums me out when ever i watch my mixes just pouring down the drain---literally pouring $$$ down the drain--- i gotta work out a "grey water " thang for the run off



*Orange,* I am probably not doing my girls justice in the nute department.  I don't get any leakage.  I use measured amounts of nutes, about two gallons per pot, and it sinks where it will.  The Pots only leak when I water them super heavy, like a occasional  flush(then only at the bottom seam).  I water everyday due to high temps here Mid Summer and on.  Once it cools down in the fall, I don't water near as often.  I nute every week, sometimes every other watering.

*NC*, I usually start with new soil too, but not this year, so more nutes.  And some of those amendments.

Looking good there *BudLover*, I sure hope they work out for you.  I think I have seen those at the Wally World check out stand.  Love the little ones....


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## Mutt (Jun 12, 2011)

now that is a smart pot!!!! cheap and it works...thats smart 
in the words of my favorite actor!!!
"Shop Smart Shop S-Mart" :hubba:


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## orangesunshine (Jun 12, 2011)

Hola *TC*---my experience with them was with a rootbound plant in what was essentially recycled soil---water just seemed to flow out as quick as it was going in---roots were penetrating the bag---guess the same thing would have happened in plastic---leaking out the sides on the smartpot and not just the bottom in plastic---just wouldn't hold any water---lesson learned---thanks


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## BudLover#69 (Jun 13, 2011)

Mutt said:
			
		

> now that is a smart pot!!!! cheap and it works...thats smart
> in the words of my favorite actor!!!
> "Shop Smart Shop S-Mart" :hubba:


 
  Thanks Mutt,  Ya this dam WallyWorld close to me is one of the FEW that Force you to use these dam bags @ 25cents each.  At first it really pissed me off!!  But I am to lazy to drive the extra ten minutes to a different one.  So I was looking at these dam bags one day and laughed told my girl I should just use them as pots,,LOL and it just stuck.  Now I am going to only use these and have a bunch of my friends trying them out.  Cracks me Up becuase W-Mart is shoving them down my troat here now they think I am NUTS when I go in and Only buy 20 or 50 wallMart Bags!! LOL,,OHH Dude it is Funny and a Kid figured it out the other day he was saying I bet that works, I know what thy are for!! and I told him U can Smoke on that!


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