Gronest Aqua Breathe 2 Liters

A 2 litre fabric pot, 12 x 12 x 14 centimetres, with the Aqua Breathe layer. This size sits exactly between the starter pot and the final one, and that is what it is for: the intermediate step where a young plant doubles its root system without standing in a container far too big for it.

Why an intermediate size earns its place

You can put a rooted cutting straight into an 11 litre pot. What happens then is that the plant uses a small part of that volume while the rest stays wet for weeks, because there are no roots drinking it down. Wet substrate with no roots in it is precisely where root rot and fungus gnat larvae get started.

Two litres is large enough to carry a plant for a few weeks and small enough to dry back within a day or two. That keeps the wet to nearly dry cycle going, and that cycle is what makes roots spread.

Knowing when to pot on

Two signals count. The first is water running through noticeably faster than it did a week earlier: more root, less air. The second is the ball itself. Roll the fabric down and tip the pot: if the ball holds its shape and you can see fine white tips on the outside, it is ready.

That is exactly where fabric pays at this step. A plant left too long in plastic comes out as a spiral of thick roots against the wall, and after repotting that spiral simply carries on going round. Out of a fabric pot comes a block of substrate held together on every side by fine roots. You move the block across and the plant is growing again the next day.

The Aqua Breathe layer

The side walls carry a geotextile layer sewn in that holds water back. Your feed therefore leaves the pot at the bottom rather than through the flanks, so more of it stays in the substrate and the outside of the pot stays cleaner than single-layer fabric does.

No handles at this size

This size has no handles. At two litres that is no loss, since a saturated pot of these dimensions weighs a couple of kilos and you pick it up one-handed by the rim. In this range handles arrive at 8 litres, where weight starts to matter.

Technical Specifications:

• Volume: 2 litres
• Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 14 cm
• Shape: square base
• Material: geotextile with Aqua Breathe side wall
• Handles: no
• Drainage: through the base
• Reusable: yes, washable

Frequently asked questions

Can I skip the intermediate step? You can, and it costs you care with the watering can early on. If you do go straight into a large pot, water only around the ball until roots have reached the rest.

How many times can I pot on? As often as you like, as long as you do it before the ball has closed up completely. Potting on costs a plant in fabric almost no time, because nothing has to be broken apart.

Will it fit under a propagator lid? At 14 centimetres tall it only fits a tall dome. For a standard propagator lid the 1 litre pot is the better choice.

Will it stay upright as the plant grows? The 12 by 12 centimetre square base is stable, but a plant much bigger than its pot makes the whole thing top-heavy. That is your cue to pot on.