Hot take: I used to think those tiny fabric pots were a total waste of money, but a surprise hail storm in Phoenix last month proved me wrong.

My three $8 fabric pots full of peppers got knocked over but drained so fast nothing drowned, while my neighbor's solid plastic planters turned into soup bowls and killed everything. Anyone else in a crazy weather spot have a container that saved their plants?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nina2mo ago

Honestly that part about the plastic planters turning into soup bowls is exactly what happened to my mom's herbs. Tbh I read a whole gardening blog last year that called fabric pots "insurance for crazy rain" because they let the air get to the roots and stop them from sitting in water. Ngl I switched over after a downpour here in Florida and my plants just handle the wet season so much better now. It's not even about the pots being fancy, it's just that they don't hold water against the roots like solid stuff does. Makes total sense they'd save plants from hail too since the water drains right out.

grantthomas2mo ago

Ever wonder if those fabric pots help with soil temperature too, @the_nina? I noticed my plants in them didn't seem to bake as much on hot days, maybe because the air moving through keeps things cooler. It's another small perk on top of the drainage.

jade321mo ago

My pepper plants survived a monsoon in Tucson last year because I had them in those cheap fabric grow bags from Amazon. My sister had her tomatoes in these heavy ceramic pots that looked all nice and fancy, but they turned into bathtubs after three days of straight rain and the roots just rotted out. She lost like six plants that week and I only lost one that was already struggling anyway. The funny thing is I bought those fabric pots because I thought they'd help with the heat, but they ended up being the difference between life and death during the rain. Now I just keep everything in fabric except my succulents, which seem to hate the airflow and dry out way too fast.