Gronest Aqua Breathe 1 Liter

A 1 litre fabric pot, 9 x 9 x 11 centimetres, with Gronest's Aqua Breathe layer. This is the smallest size in the range: the pot a rooted cutting or a pricked-out seedling spends its first weeks in before moving up.

One litre of fabric waters differently from one litre of plastic

In a plastic pot, water evaporates almost entirely from the top. In a fabric pot the wall breathes as well, and at this size that wall is large relative to what it holds: four sides of 9 by 11 centimetres, close to 400 square centimetres in total, around a single litre of substrate.

So it dries back faster than the same litre in plastic would. That is not a drawback as long as you expect it, because oxygen arrives in the same movement. It becomes one if you keep to a fixed schedule and the pot runs bone dry twice in between.

At this scale the reliable measure is weight, not colour. Lift the pot. A saturated litre feels heavy and solid, a dry one feels like almost nothing. You will recognise the difference after two waterings, and it works better than a moisture meter in this little substrate.

What the Aqua Breathe layer does

Gronest sews an extra layer of geotextile into the side walls. Water therefore does not take the short route sideways through the fabric; it sinks to the base and leaves the pot there. You notice it twice over: the substrate keeps what you give it instead of losing it at the side, and you do not leave a wet ring on your saucer or tent floor.

Why roots stop at the wall

When a root tip meets a plastic wall it turns and starts circling, and you end up with long roots carrying little branching. When the same tip reaches fabric it meets air and stops there. The plant answers by putting out new side roots behind that point.

On a cutting that is exactly what you want. This first litre is not for building long roots but a finely branched mass that fills the whole ball, and that is the ball which carries straight on in the next pot.

Moving up a size

This size has no handles; in this range they start at 8 litres. At one litre you simply lift it by the top edge. When you pot on, an air-pruned root ball does not fall apart and has not knitted itself to the wall either: roll the fabric down and lift the whole thing across. Rinse it, dry it, and the pot goes round again.

Technical Specifications:

• Volume: 1 litre
• Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 11 cm
• Shape: square base
• Material: geotextile with Aqua Breathe side wall
• Handles: no
• Drainage: through the base
• Reusable: yes, washable

Frequently asked questions

How long does a plant stay in 1 litre? Until the root ball fills the pot and water runs through noticeably faster than it did the week before. In practice that is two to three weeks, depending on how hard it is growing.

Does it need a saucer? Water leaves through the base, so stand it on a plant tray or a larger tray. Do not leave the pot sitting in what has drained out, because fabric will draw it back up.

Can I sow in it? You can, but a litre is a lot of substrate around one seed and the middle stays wet for a long time. Sowing is easier in a plug or a small cell, and this is where you prick out to.

Which substrate suits it? Soil, coco or a mix with perlite all work. With coco at this size, water little and often, because coco and a breathing wall dry back quickly together.