Grassroots Fabric Pots AutoPot XXL with Handles – Living Soil Fabric Pot

The Grassroots Fabric Pots AutoPot XXL with Handles is a purpose-built living soil fabric pot designed specifically for AutoPot XXL systems. Combining breathable geotextile fabric with an integrated lower moisture-retention liner, this specialised container is designed to work with bottom-fed AutoPot irrigation while maintaining the root-zone conditions that living soil growers look for.

Unlike a conventional fabric grow bag, the Grassroots AutoPot XXL pot features an internal bottom seam, an 8-inch living soil liner and two sturdy carrying handles. The lower liner helps reduce excessive moisture loss through the sides of the container, while the breathable upper fabric maintains airflow and gas exchange around the root zone.

With its large soil volume and AutoPot-specific design, this pot is particularly well suited to living soil, organic cultivation, no-till-style growing and biologically active soil systems.

Key Features

• Designed specifically for AutoPot XXL systems
• Purpose-built Grassroots living soil fabric pot
• Large-capacity container
• 17-inch diameter
• 18-inch height
• Integrated 8-inch living soil liner
• Internal bottom seam
• Two sturdy fabric handles
• Breathable upper fabric construction
• Bottom-fed irrigation compatible
• Designed to maintain capillary contact with the AutoPot XXL system
• Supports improved root-zone aeration
• Helps reduce excessive sidewall moisture loss
• Suitable for living soil cultivation
• Suitable for organic growing
• Excellent for biologically active growing media
• Durable geotextile fabric construction
• Reusable design
• Made specifically to complement AutoPot automated irrigation

Designed Specifically for AutoPot XXL

The Grassroots AutoPot XXL isn't simply a standard fabric pot placed inside an AutoPot tray.

Its dimensions and construction have been developed specifically around the AutoPot XXL growing system.

This is important because bottom-fed irrigation depends on reliable contact between the container and the capillary surface beneath it.

The specialised bottom construction allows moisture to wick upward into the growing medium while the sidewall design helps retain moisture within the main soil mass.

Purpose-Built Bottom-Watering Design

When used as part of a correctly configured AutoPot XXL system, water is supplied from below.

The growing medium draws moisture upward through capillary action, allowing the plant and soil to access water as required.

This creates a highly effective combination:

AutoPot Bottom Irrigation

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Capillary Moisture Movement

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Grassroots Fabric Container

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Living Soil

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Active Root Zone

For growers using larger volumes of living soil, this can significantly reduce the workload associated with maintaining consistent moisture manually.

Integrated 8-Inch Living Soil Liner

One of the most important features of this specialised Grassroots pot is the 8-inch internal living soil liner around the lower section.

Traditional fabric pots are breathable around almost their entire circumference. While this provides excellent aeration, it can also allow growing media to dry more rapidly around the outside of the container.

Living soil performs best when moisture conditions remain reasonably consistent.

The integrated liner helps reduce excessive moisture loss through the lower sidewalls while still allowing the upper section of the container to remain breathable.

Why This Matters for Living Soil

A biologically active soil contains a complex ecosystem of:

• Beneficial bacteria
• Beneficial fungi
• Organic matter
• Decomposers
• Nutrient-cycling microorganisms
• Roots and associated microorganisms

Allowing sections of the soil mass to repeatedly become excessively dry can negatively affect the consistency of this biological environment.

The partially lined Grassroots design aims to provide a balance between moisture retention and fabric-pot aeration.

Breathable Upper Fabric

Above the moisture-retention liner, the pot maintains the breathable characteristics associated with Grassroots fabric containers.

This allows gas exchange around the upper soil profile while providing an alternative to completely sealed plastic containers.

Fabric Pot Benefits

Breathable fabric containers can help promote:

• Root-zone oxygen exchange
• Natural root pruning
• Reduced root circling
• More fibrous root development
• Improved soil aeration
• Healthy root-zone conditions

When roots encounter the breathable outer area of a fabric container, exposure to air can encourage natural root pruning rather than allowing roots to continuously circle around a rigid plastic wall.

Built for Living Soil

The Grassroots AutoPot XXL with Handles is particularly well suited to living soil cultivation.

Large-volume living soil systems depend on maintaining sufficient soil mass to support biological nutrient cycling.

A larger container provides greater room for:

• Root development
• Soil microorganisms
• Organic amendments
• Moisture buffering
• Nutrient cycling
• Mulch layers
• Top dressing
• Worm activity where appropriate

The AutoPot-compatible design adds automated bottom watering to this growing approach.

Ideal for Organic Growing

The container is an excellent choice for growers using organic cultivation methods including:

• Living soil
• Organic potting mixes
• Amended soil
• No-till-style cultivation
• Biologically active soil
• Compost-based mixes
• Dry organic amendments
• Top dressing
• Mulched containers
• Microbial inoculants

It can also be used with other appropriate growing media where its moisture-management characteristics suit the irrigation strategy.

Two Sturdy Handles

Large containers become considerably heavier once filled with moist growing media.

The Grassroots AutoPot XXL includes two handles, providing convenient grip points when positioning or carefully repositioning an empty or appropriately manageable container.

The handles are particularly useful during:

• Initial installation
• Pot positioning
• Grow-room setup
• Cleaning between cycles
• Empty-container handling
• System maintenance

Important Handling Note

A large fabric pot filled with wet soil can become extremely heavy.

The handles improve handling convenience but growers should still use appropriate lifting practices and avoid attempting to move a fully saturated container if its weight cannot be safely managed.

Internal Bottom Seam

The AutoPot XXL-specific Grassroots design incorporates an internal bottom seam.

This helps provide a flatter external base where the container interfaces with the AutoPot XXL watering surface.

Consistent bottom contact is particularly important in a capillary irrigation system because moisture needs to move effectively from the watering surface into the growing medium.

Moisture Management for Living Soil

Maintaining appropriate moisture is one of the most important aspects of successful living soil cultivation.

Conventional hand watering can create significant fluctuations:

Wet → Dry → Wet → Dry

AutoPot irrigation provides an alternative approach by supplying water from underneath the container.

When combined with the Grassroots living soil pot, the objective is to create a more consistent moisture gradient throughout the soil mass.

Why Consistent Moisture Matters

Stable moisture can support:

• Active soil biology
• Nutrient mineralisation
• Root activity
• Fungal development
• Microbial populations
• Decomposition of organic amendments
• More consistent nutrient cycling

The goal isn't to keep soil permanently saturated. Instead, the system is designed to maintain accessible moisture while allowing an appropriately structured growing medium to retain air space.

Suitable for Mulching

The large surface area makes this container particularly suitable for growers who maintain an organic mulch layer.

Common living-soil mulch materials may include:

• Organic straw
• Plant material
• Leaf mulch
• Purpose-made organic mulch
• Cover crop residues

Mulching can further help reduce evaporation from the exposed soil surface while providing habitat for soil biology.

Suitable for Top Dressing

Growers using dry organic fertilisers can apply amendments to the soil surface during the crop cycle.

A typical approach involves:

Apply Top Dressing

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Work Lightly into Surface if Appropriate

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Cover with Mulch

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Maintain Moisture

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Allow Soil Biology to Process Amendments

The large soil surface of the AutoPot XXL container provides plenty of working area for this style of cultivation.

Product Specifications

Capacity Clarification

You may see different gallon figures associated with Grassroots AutoPot XXL systems.

The current Grassroots manufacturer listing describes this updated pot as holding approximately 16 gallons of soil, with dimensions of 17 inches in diameter × 18 inches high.

Some AutoPot system configurations and older retailer listings refer to a 13-gallon Grassroots Living Soil Pot.

Because product generations and regional AutoPot configurations can differ, the physical dimensions are the most useful compatibility reference when matching a replacement pot to an existing XXL tray.

Using the Grassroots Pot with AutoPot XXL

Step 1 – Prepare the AutoPot XXL Module

Set up the AutoPot XXL tray, AQUAvalve and associated irrigation components according to the AutoPot system instructions.

Step 2 – Install the Capillary Components

Ensure the appropriate capillary mat and root-control components are correctly positioned.

These components are important for reliable bottom watering and root management.

Step 3 – Position the Grassroots Pot

Place the fabric pot centrally into the XXL module.

The bottom should sit evenly against the capillary surface.

Step 4 – Add Growing Medium

Fill the container with an appropriate living soil or growing medium.

Avoid excessively compacting the soil because maintaining adequate air space is important for root and microbial activity.

Step 5 – Establish the Plant

Newly transplanted plants may initially require appropriate top watering while the root system becomes established throughout the growing medium.

Follow the AutoPot recommendations for when to activate bottom-fed irrigation.

Step 6 – Activate the AutoPot System

Once the plant is appropriately established, the AutoPot system can supply water from the reservoir through the AQUAvalve.

The capillary system then allows moisture to move upward into the container.

Grassroots AutoPot XXL vs Standard Fabric Pot

Living Soil Pot vs Plastic Pot

The Grassroots design also offers a different root-zone environment compared with conventional rigid plastic containers.

Plastic Pots

Rigid plastic generally limits gas exchange through the sidewalls.

Roots reaching the edge of the container can begin following the container wall, potentially creating circling root patterns.

Grassroots Fabric Pots

Breathable fabric allows greater interaction between the root zone and surrounding air.

The partially lined living soil configuration adds moisture retention to the lower sidewalls while preserving breathable fabric above.

This hybrid approach is particularly useful for growers wanting both moisture consistency and fabric-container aeration.

What Is Included?

This product is the Grassroots AutoPot XXL fabric pot with handles.

It includes the purpose-built fabric container with:

• Integrated living soil liner
• Internal bottom seam
• Two handles

AutoPot Equipment Sold Separately

Unless specifically offered as part of a complete bundle, components such as the following are not part of the fabric pot itself:

• AutoPot XXL tray
• Tray lid
• AQUAvalve
• Reservoir
• Irrigation tubing
• Fittings
• Root-control components
• Growing medium
• Nutrients or soil amendments

This makes the pot suitable as a replacement, upgrade or component for growers assembling a compatible AutoPot XXL setup.

Why Choose Grassroots AutoPot XXL with Handles?

The Grassroots Fabric Pots AutoPot XXL with Handles combines two highly complementary growing concepts: living soil and automated bottom irrigation.

Its specialised construction addresses one of the challenges associated with using conventional fabric pots for living soil—the tendency for the outside of the soil mass to dry faster than the centre.

The integrated 8-inch living soil liner helps retain moisture through the lower sidewalls, while breathable fabric above continues to provide gas exchange.

Add the AutoPot XXL-specific dimensions, internal bottom seam and two handles, and the result is a fabric container designed specifically around large-volume, bottom-fed living soil cultivation.

For growers wanting to combine the biological advantages of living soil with the convenience of an AutoPot irrigation system, this is a purpose-built alternative to a generic fabric grow bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Grassroots AutoPot XXL designed specifically for AutoPot?

Yes. This model is specifically designed for use with compatible AutoPot XXL systems.

What size is the pot?

The current Grassroots manufacturer specification is approximately 17 inches in diameter × 18 inches high, or approximately 43.2cm × 45.7cm.

How much soil does it hold?

The current Grassroots product specification states approximately 16 US gallons, equivalent to roughly 60 litres.

Why do some listings call it a 13-gallon pot?

Some AutoPot systems and retailer listings identify the Grassroots XXL container as a 13-gallon living soil pot, while the current Grassroots manufacturer page describes the updated version as holding 16 gallons. Check the physical dimensions when confirming compatibility with an existing system.

What is the 8-inch living soil liner?

The internal liner covers the lower section of the pot's sidewalls. It is designed to reduce excessive sidewall moisture loss while leaving other areas breathable.

Is the entire pot waterproof?

No. This is still a fabric growing container. The design combines a moisture-retention liner with breathable fabric and a bottom suitable for capillary irrigation.

Does it have handles?

Yes. The AutoPot XXL model includes two handles.

Can I use living soil in it?

Yes. Living soil is one of the primary applications this specialised Grassroots pot is designed around.

Can I use organic dry amendments?

Yes. The large soil volume works well with appropriately formulated organic soil systems, including top-dressed amendments.

Does the AutoPot XXL tray come with the pot?

No. When purchased as the standalone Grassroots pot, the AutoPot tray, AQUAvalve, reservoir and irrigation components are separate unless your retailer specifically bundles them together.

Does the pot replace the AQUAvalve?

No. The pot is the growing container. The AQUAvalve is part of the AutoPot irrigation system responsible for controlling water delivery to the module.

Is the pot reusable?

Yes. With appropriate cleaning, handling and maintenance, the durable fabric container can be reused across growing cycles.

Can I use it without an AutoPot system?

It can physically function as a fabric growing container, but its dimensions, bottom construction and living-soil liner have been specifically designed around the AutoPot XXL system. A standard Grassroots Living Soil Pot may be more appropriate when AutoPot compatibility isn't required.