Thinking I might give it a try! Love my fabric pots for everything else I've used them in, was just about to go searching for a pot to put my new Meyer lemon tree in but maybe I'll just pull one of those out instead...

I use smart pots as well both fabric and hard plastic. I'm growing a Pluerry Tree in a 30 gallon fabric pot and its loaded with fruit. I also have several citrus growing in them as well.

What do you use to collect runoff water? I was planning to put some kind of spacer in the drip tray to prevent the pot sitting in water but I'm not sure how that would work with fabric.

I've also been curious about using smart pots indoors. Right now I use terra cotta since it is more porous than plastic, but at least for my biggest tree it is a nightmare to move it because the tree alone weighs a ton, and with the clay it is nearly impossible to lift. To move that tree I keep it on a rolling plant stand with some massive wheels. A family member of mine recently started using them outdoors for their potted fruit trees and they work great. A concern I have though, is that around kids, and without a solid frame, I just see a nightmare of a mess when the pot, inevitably, gets jostled. Plus the drainage issue indoors and keeping those out of the drip pan is a challenge. In a greenhouse or a screen I think it would be ideal.

Thanks for the tip! How do you use the flood table? I'm not familiar with them, do you just put the pot in the plastic tray or do you need this whole stand setup I'm seeing?

You don't need a stand unless you put a drain hole in it. The channels are deep enough and hold enough water that you don't need to drain it and the excess water evaporates adding a little humidity.

Ah that makes sense, I saw the drain setup abd didn't realize you'd have to cut your own hole for that. Found a nice looking one for $40, think I'll order it. Thanks!

It's been my experience that these smart pots (fabric containers) allow the soil to dry out much faster. That can be an inconvenient thing in hot dry conditions, if the plant's not being continually watered.

@socalnolympia you are 100% correct the fabric pots dry out fast compared to the plastic type air pots.

Hi Alex,

It is super tempting to make a lot of adjustments. A lot of sudden changes can lead to negative results. Your tree will be in shock from moving from the nursery to your home and will need some time to adjust. I encourage you to keep your citrus in the same pot with the same soil for a few months and see how it adjust to its new indoor growing situation.

When you change too many variables your Citrus will react negatively. If you have made a lot of changes you will not know which of those changes triggered yellowing or leaf drop.

If you were re-potting and putting outdoors making a lot of adjustments would not be so much of an issue. Glad to see you are enjoying your new hobby.

That makes sense to me, the only reason I was going to repot is that all the advice I've seen until now was basically to get it out of the nursery container ASAP. If it's safe to leave alone for a while I'm happy to give it some time to adjust.

Hi Alex, potting soil is like craft beer. There are thousands of different blends and no two are alike and no-one is the ultimate best beer. Some beers blend better with some foods like some pots and soils function better in some growing conditions.

Article mentions growing them in containers, but also under 'protective' screens. Protected from what? They didn't say, or I missed it. Protected from the Psyllid? or protected from the hot sun?

Alex, nurseries use cheap potting material that breaks down quickly as they want to maximize profits and also don't expect plants to stay in it very long. My recommendation is to repot plants from the nursery pot as soon as you can. This also gets rid of whatever pests (like fungus gnats) that were in it. I agree with LLO with not wanting to change a ton of variables right away except for repotting.

Getting a bit off-topic for this thread, but does the nursery repot the plant just before shipping it? It's a 2-3 year old tree, so I would have thought it's actually been in this container for quite some time already.

Dave, I would imagine that the screen is to protect from the psyllid and other damaging pests. Possibly also protecting from weeds. I would also be curious how the smart pots fare in warmer climates.

Alex, none of mine were ever repotted before I got them, necessity of repotting really depends on the nursery, sometimes you can wait a bit, sometimes you need to repot immediately.

Alex I took this picture for you today. Record Buck Farms is one of the top container citrus growers in the country. They are making a strong point, “Can I leave this in a container? Yes, you can.”

I use smart pots for my trees and they are doing wonderful. Minimal leaf loss this winter, healthy roots and great growth over the summer last year

What do these smart pots look like? Not the fabric right?

I hated those. Every roots would rip off when trying to re pot at that time. They would stick to the fabric.

I think technically, Smart Pots are a brand of fabric pot. Air Pots (among other brands) are the plastic ones, they look like this: https://www.htgsupply.com/product-category/garden-pots/air-pruning-pots/air-pots/

Interesting note on the roots -- from my understanding that shouldn't happen, since the main selling point of these pots is "air pruning." Supposedly plants sense the open air and naturally stop their roots before they reach the fabric.

I've used smart pots and other types of fabric pots and some types (the smart pot brand being one) the roots poke into them and sort of stick making repotting difficult. They were originally made for growing pot where you just throw the whole plant and pot away after flowering so they probably don't care much about ease of repotting.

Good to know. I might end up getting some plastic ones for more long-term plants then. The other disadvantage to the fabric is it's practically impossible to move them without disturbing the soil at least a bit.

With the ripping of the roots mike mentionned. My observations with the matter is that the roots can and will reach the soil from under the pot. The roots will air prune on the sides but latch to the bottom.