How to make self watering grow bags from landscape cloth and a glue gun and grow vegetables easily and for low cost on your balcony.
To see how to make a Free self watering grow bag watch my earlier video.
Make free DIY self watering grow bag for vegetable gardening Larry Hall inspired
Larry halls channel is great and has a lot of grow bag and gardening videos.
https://www.youtube.com/user/larrylhall/feed?filter=2
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This is an experiment. I will be posting updates to this video as time passes.
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part 2 sweet potato leaves for food on the balcony experiment -algae & plant growth
Hester Martz tightwad potting plants method
Balcony vegetable gardening with grow bags made from landscape cloth and glue gun
Make free DIY self watering grow bag for vegetable gardening Larry Hall inspired.
26 Comments
I was thinking about doing the same thing, but was not sure if the glue would hold. Thank you so much. Now I know I can buy the stuff and would not be wasting money!
Good luck CB, I recommend the low temp glue and the small glue gun as you don't need too much and it is easy to melt it and make holes.If you press the glue down in the cloth all the tiny hoses fill up with glue and hold it very well. the landscape cloth and the Scotts topsoil i used is wicking the water very well as it has peat moss in it. I don't think dirt without peat moss will wick very well. This is just an experiment, will see how it goes. let me know how yours does once they are growing
Thank you for the advise! I appreciate it! I will let you know how they do. I am not starting my seeds until next week, so it will probably be a month and a half or longer before I make up the grow bags and plant them. Thanks again!!
Excellent video! Thanks for the great tip on using the glue gun!
thanks mrs cntrshot
couldn't you just use staples on the bootom of the bag? thanks for sharing. tc
hello marlie,
I think staples would work too, I just preferred the twisted wires as I had them available.
thanks .
I've seen a video where a fellow used an iron to seal mylar bags instead of a vacuum sealer. I wonder if a laundry iron might not work on the landscape fabric.
Hello Robert,
I think an iron would certainly melt the cloth and might work . I have welded certain plastic parts heating a butter knife on a stove . The small glue gun I used is in dollar stores.
Back when I used to take a bus and two trains to NYC from Brooklyn and the same tense commute home every day, gardening would be my after work therapy.
that sounds like a rough commute-
it is amazing, after i planted just 2 sweet potatoes on the balcony this year I felt different.
The first job out of high school was in a plant nursery, nobody but me and the old lady owner, it was the most relaxing low stress job i ever had, worked there 2 years before going into the merchant marine. Later i worked a dozen jobs and one day told my boss' "all the best jobs I ever had were ones where i could go barefoot" should have seen the looks I got.LOL
Really excellent idea!!
Thanks Getme.
Hey, Great idea. Most lawn mat is polypropylene so it should melt relatively easily. no reason to spend 2 to 5 dollars on a bag when you can buy a roll of this stuff and make your own quite easily.
Thanks Cheez
Not a lot of help for me. Couldn't understand everything he was saying and would have liked to see him actually make a bag.
I am sorry if you did not understand what I was saying, bit i thought the video showed me making a bag,it was sort of the whole point of the video.
I would be concerned with the use of the glue wouldn't it be toxic just saying ?
I think glue from a hot glue gun is very inert. I doubt it lends any more toxicity than the plastic cloth I used for the grow bag, but good to be concerned.
@ green smith- it can be but once cured it such a minimal amount i don't think it could possibly do any damage 🙂
I can say that self watering grow bags from landscape cloth and glue gun is such a brilliant experiment and really makes a good sense. This video however helps to grow bags economically.
when I use landscape cloth the thin material kind of worries me i am afraid that it will break with to much weight?
I made some like products like this before I got 3 dogs. I really like making dirt holding bags from just about anything, I like what you've created here. For your followers that have large or even small dog food bags, put some of that landscape cloth in the bottom, slit some holes fill with dirt, bingo bango! And if you use seedling starter, which is lighter, and add your own compost, dark earth etc, you've done yourself a great service.
Thanks! I am going to make "weed guard" grow bags & try sealing the edges closed with an iron on low heat since the fabric is polyethylene which is plastic. It should melt & seal together with a little heat.
Rob I used a sewing machine
Nice was thinking I’d have to learn to sew. Bought iron on seams? Hope lasts
Think you need the stronger mesh for bags, or double it up at least. Pro grow bags are sturdy.