I was reading a thread regarding containers type and in which Al touched upon using grow bags (which I believe are some coarse cloth based container). As I understood from his comments that since grow bags can remain in touch with the floor, the earth acts as a giant wick and drags out all excess water from the soil (even heavier soil other wise not usable in containers) and may be beneficial as the soil will never get over watered . Now I dont have those grow bags available over here but does this mean that if I am able to wick out all extra water (by whatever means) can I be assured that I will never over water my plants? Even with a heavy peat based potting soil as that seems to be the only option available over here (though I will now mix perlite whenever I use it).

Did I get that correctly?

I will produce below the question asked and the reply of Al

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Posted by uscgardener 9 Azusa, CA (My Page) on
Mon, Jul 23, 12 at 18:28

Hi everyone, I'm delurking to ask, do the fabric pots really work? From what I've been reading, people have mixed results. Is this due in part to the mixture they are using in the fabric pots? If using the 5:1:1 mix, would that dry out too quickly?

Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on
Mon, Jul 23, 12 at 19:38

How well they work depends in part on how you use them. If you set them on the ground, you can treat them the same as you would a raised bed, so heavier mixes that might not be the best choice in a container might be quite usable in a smart pot - with the earth as a wick to remove excess water. If you set them on a nonabsorbent surface, like a deck or concrete, they'll behave essentially like a container.

So YES, they work, and can be made to work quite well with a little experimenting on your part. Welcome in from the shadows. ;-)

Al

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This link to the discussion is provided below

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant friendly pots