I am planning to sew my own fabric pots for growing blueberries. (each 7 gallons)
I am looking for an ideal fabric material to make pots in high quantities.
There are a couple of videos on the internet. For example in one them UV-stabilized greenhouse ground cloth is used. In another one, weed-shield landscape fabric.
What are your suggestions? Any brandname? A special recommended thickness?.
I would like to transplant the bushes in 5 years time.
I made some out of the landscaping fabric sold at Sam’s (don’t recall the name or details but can look when I get home tonight). I made them in the winter of 2016 and potted newly grafted pears and apples in them. There were a few that did not get planted and their pots have held up really well. I move them from time to time and none of them have even tried to rip or tear.
I am not an expert but I would think that a white fabric might be important so the rootball stays a little cooler.
and is less affected by light as white color reflects most of the light. white definitely keeps the roots cooler.
For 5 years you want to get a sturdy material, the ground cover will last that long, I’m not sure if there would be issues with sewing it or if would provide the same type of root pruning effect and intimate ground contact that fabric pots do since it is more like a punched tarp material.
The cheap weedblocks don’t last 2 years, I have been using “Dewitt Contractor Select Plus” fabric for 2 years and it has held up well so far. Dewitt premium brown/black holds up well very well in the sun but is less tear resistant.
There are also “geotextiles” that would work great, but are too thick for my sewing machine.
Rootpouches are not that expensive, the brown or black should last 5 years. Black is usually more sun resistant because of the carbon content. White reflects visible light and infrared but it absorbs UV and degrades, premium weedblocks have a clear coating for UV.