I took a quick look and suspect they are polyester plus a few organic contaminants to make them sound eco-friendly. In this case, "biodegradable" would be an extremely 'relative' concept - maybe over a few hundred years. Tim > -----Original Message----- > From: pbs [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net] On Behalf Of > Jane McGary > Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2018 1:46 PM > To: pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > Subject: Re: [pbs] cloth bags > > I buy chrysanthemum starts (rooted cuttings) in nonwoven fabric "pots." > The specialist growers write that although the bags are biodegradable > and can be penetrated by roots, it is best to remove the bags when > potting the young plants on. I move the rooted cuttings into 4-inch > plastic pots as soon as they've recovered from shipping and removal from > greenhouse conditions, and grow them on until I see roots at the drain > holes. > > These bags might be useful for growing bulbs from seed, since they are > cheap and the young bulbs can be potted on when they go dormant. On the > other hand, the bags aren't reusable like plastic pots, which (though > made from petroleum) can be reused for many years. If you use them to > start annuals, I'd be sure to wait until the seedlings are well rooted > before removing the bags. Some annuals might not have roots strong > enough to penetrate the fabric. I don't know, as in my area annual seeds > are usually directly sown. Also, I'm not sure whether the bags would > allow free enough movement of water to prevent rotting of > moisture-sensitive plants such as many bulbs. > > Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA > > > > > On 10/14/2018 7:05 AM, Jane Sargent wrote: > > What is the experience with starting or growing plants from seed in > > biodegradable cloth bags? These are available really cheaply on Amazon > > and would have the theoretical advantage of preventing transplant > > shock. I have never tried using them. > > > > We woke this morning to our first frost here in Central Massachusetts > > (zone five) this morning. It's about 3 weeks late, so the zinnias have > > continued to be ebullient. > > > > Jane Sargent > > > > _______________________________________________ > > pbs mailing list > > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…