I start in 2L plastic pots with organic seed mix because they’re easy to pick up with one hand to check water weight and easy to release for up-potting. Once larger I’ll have to go with fabric especially for sensitive plants like some sativas due to the forgiving nature when overwatering which I believe is where most new growers have problems. So I would definitely suggest fabric for new growers. Pull your root ball apart after every grow to see how the root health was and whether you had root die-off at the bottom of your big plastic pots due to lack of oxygen. Your watering system and the grow medium will also help determine which system is best for you 
my2c
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Ya I live in BFE and we don’t even have shops around here so all my sourcing is online and plastic were higher priced when I was purchasing. Sizes I use are 1 gal, 3 gallon, and 10 gallon for my indoor to greenhouse projects and autos, and my outdoor gets 30 gallon. Pretty tough to find 10-30 gallon in others than fabric and not pay a lot for em. I think my 30 gallon were 4 bucks each 🤷 The Rubbermaid wasn’t a bad idea someone posted just prefer my roots to breath as much as possible since hit summers require a lot of watering and don’t wanna have to worry about stagnant issues
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This is great guys some really valid points and helpful points of view for discussion.
I’m definitely checking out some of this garden Velcro what a great idea! Thanks @ReikoX for that tip!
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I like both for different reasons… Fabric pots are airpruni g to some extent, and can make plant size more manageable
But they often mean more frequent watering due to the breathable fabric allowing for evaporation from the soil…and more leakage while watering…
Plastic allows for adding posts and trellises, is sturdier, and doesn’t lose as much moisture…but can get boggy if there’s not adequate drainage, and gets root bound easier…so it’s kind of a toss up for me.
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I use plastic i’m a landscaper and get for free but I find unglazed terracotta big pots to be the best for roots but they break easy and you have to water more.
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I have a bunch of those bags left, hate them myself. They do not decompose, in my garden, outdoors, after recycling my spent medium back there.
My 4" and 1 g pots are being reused for years on end.
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This seems to be a common issue with beginners who don’t understand that nutrients become less available as soil dries out and consistently underwater their plants for fear of over watering.
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Definitely man I’ve seen many people do just that and starve their plants slowly from fear of overwatering, but that’s just as bad in a different way I’d say.
For me, I like to keep my plants a fairly consistent level of moisture most of the time, except on watering days, they are a bit more moist, but I am in organic soil, very much based on Subcool’s mix, but with some no-till approaches thrown in especially for plants that need more gas.
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I always try to make the fabric or Air-pot, the last stop. Transplanting FROM a fabric bag or the Air-Pot, is a Pain.
Some Black Tuna Roots at 8 Weeks last May 25
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Which is amplified when they ask for help online with a single pic of a discoloured leaf/plant, no context about the grow/watering or feeding schedules and then they have a chorus of other new/newish growers throwing suggestions at them (often contradictory) which are rarely relevant if the issue is chronic underwatering leading to dry peat which is hydrophobic and repels water. I’ve lost track of the number of people who’ve told me their plants aren’t under watered because they’re getting 20-30% run off without realising their soil is barely absorbing water but just running out of their pots (especially bad with fabric pots). This is why I focus on understanding the basics like how plants absorb nutrients as it makes it clear that growing is about balancing everything in your grow more then following instructions.
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I always try to make the fabric or Air-pot, the last stop. Transplanting FROM a fabric bag or the Air-Pot, is a Bit of a Pain.
Some Roots at 8 weeks, May 25th
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How so with the AP’s? I find them to be easiest of any pot to transplant from.
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Twice I have now tried to Un-pack an Air-Pot (CoCo / HP) and it just disintegrated… probably faults at my end, but I proceeded as per norm… carefully
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I use coco/perlite with no problems. I don’t know what HP is though.
I let the smaller pot fill with roots, and get a little dry, before I peel off the pot.
Never had a disintegration, but now I’m gonna worry about it, dang!
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LOL bro no harm meant 
I probably just had too little material in there. Coco, I like using because it shows Moisture levels better than other mediums
Have a great weekend !
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They aren’t decomposable-- they’re supposed to be washed and reused…
Throw em in the washer after hosing them off…and use only borax to wash them…
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I agree… though NOT a beginner…LOL… just have different merits and drawbacks…
Hey bro, did a side by side grow 19L fabric v 20L plastic pot and the fabric pot plant grew better and the root system was way bigger. If you want to use twisty tie wire for lst you can use safety pins around the rim.
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Another great idea bro thanks I’ll do that, I’ve got some pins laying around somewhere so I’ll give it a shot.
Pretty cool you did a comparison grow, I think next round I’m going to try something similar,
I’m going to do some coco/p fabric bags versus organic living soil fabric bags. Or possibly airpots. I’d be really interested to see the outcomes.
I have a mate that’s an oldschool dwc guy and he’s doing a comparison Atm between his dwc current culture system versus airpots/organic living soil and he was telling me how blown away he Is that the soil is keeping up with the dwc and his main takeaway is the health and vibrancy of the soil plants. So I’m definitely keen to try it out next
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Living soil kick ass ! I love it personally, but I know some of y’all love your coco, pro mix, even dwc, dtw, or other hydro methods, plus soil with nutes all have their place too, but to me if you grow weed you like to smoke and is better than what’s around you, then props to you, no matter what method you prefer!
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