Always use potting soil. You never want to use top soil or garden soil because it's too heavy and won't drain properly. Some people will mix their own potting soils but I just use any good quality store bought soils.

This is a contentious topic. I've had people on this forum tell me that I didn't know what I was doing. They were very angry.

I think the "soil" should be good draining. I've been told by someone I trust that peat moss and perlite is what should be used. The important thing is to use inorganic fertilizers. So very different than growing roses in the ground. I haven't tried it yet, though.

Carol

I used to use straight/plain potting soil, but I noticed that the soil compacts after a year and the plants struggle after that. I now mix in a lot of perlite and vermiculite to help keep the soil from compacting and let air get through.

Rosecanadian, why is it important to use inorganic fertilizers? I was planning to top dress my potted plants with compost manure, since the soil level is going down. But is there a draw back to using organic fertilizer in pots?

I like regular miracle grow potting soil ( we are too rainy for the moisture control kind here) or promix potting mix . If you buy a bale of that , it expands like crazy and goes far. That's what my local nursery uses and they use holly tone in their pots as well. I haven't tried but their roses look great all season in pots .

I use the Lowes Jungle Growth mixed w Miracle Grow potting soil. Then I mix in some compost and some extra perlite. Make sure your drainage holes are big enough. Good drainage and keeping them watered enough (but not soaking in it) is the key to successfully growing roses in pots.

MAD - I think it's something about roses in containers not being able to absorb nutrients from organic matter. Alaskan Fish Fertilizer and Plant Tones are supposed to be good though. Keep in mind that I've had good results using my worm compost too. I'm still learning. :)

Carol

rosecanadian is correct. It doesn't matter what you are growing in a container - tree, shrub, rose, indoor citrus or houseplants - they ALL need a dedicated potting soil......not topsoil, not garden soil, not compost. The reasons for this are due to the rather specialized conditions containerized plants are subjected to, primary being a restricted root run and limited drainage conditions, requiring the need for a fast draining media and good aeration.

Potting or container soils are also referred to as soil-less mixes......there is no actual 'dirt' involved......and the ingredients tend to be pretty inert and with no appreciable organic matter. Organic matter will continue to breakdown and decompose and become smaller and smaller in particle size. Small particle size is what impedes good drainage and negatively impacts aeration. Lack of organic matter and actual soil in these mixes are also what limits the effectiveness of using organic fertilizers. Organic ferts are not water soluble - they require the activities of soil microorganisms to break them down and convert them into plant usable forms. These are just not present in potting soil in anywhere near the populations necessary to accomplish this efficiently and most organic fertilizers, certainly all the dry or granular types like Plant Tone or Rose Tone, are a wasted effort in a container situation. Synthetic fertilizers are a much better solution for anything grown in a container.

It is also important to understand that a container planting has a limited timespan that it can be left without additional attention. Even the best quality potting soil will eventually break down and start to collapse and compress and will need to be replaced. And the plant in the container will need to be removed and root pruned and the potting soil replaced. How often this will need to be attended to will depend on the quality of the soil mix used, the size of the container and the vigor of the plant(s) contained. This pertains just as much to roses as it does any other type of plant grown in a container!!

If you have more questions about growing roses in containers, I would suggest you visit the Container Gardening forum and read some of the long running threads on soil mixes, fertilization techniques and repotting and root pruning. There is a lot of excellent information there :-)

I read somewhere that any fertilizer should be liquid - that granular food can burn tender roots. I have used Miracle-Gro and wind up with root rot, so I thought I might mix my own.

Am wondering why Holly Tone rather than Rose Tone would be used? I use a mix of bank fines, sand, mushroom compost mixed with a bit of perlite - the mix is from Bailey's, a big soil company that has mountains of different types of soils. I get a big pile delivered and pot from that. Have also added Cotton Burr Compost, mixed in Miracle Gro regular and rose soil and anything else I have on hand that looks good.

Judith

I have tons of container plants for years. Tropical fruit trees, roses, plumeria, brugmansia (very heavy feeders), etc etc. I feed vermicompost, composted manures (pile on top every spring) and this year have tried different 'tones' and they all respond very well to them. I've also used milorganite in the past. I get lots of blooms and fruit and the leaves are healthy. As long as they aren't root bound or the holes plugged, and get enough water, they do very well. I have had a few roses that didn't like pot culture but a very few and I don't believe it had anything to do w fertilizers because 90% of the other roses were fine.

You can also foliar feed your container plants. I do that every once in a while. I haven't done it this past year because it was time consuming but I should start again. They really love it.

I'll be the voice of contrast here and admit that I make my own soil. I've used them all, the cheap to the expensive and they all will perform much the same for me, but that's in large part due to my making sure that my containers have adequate drainage. If I see a pot get water locked, I'll move it to an elevated table to keep an eye on it and try to see what's really going on. My "recipe" for potting soil is simple: two bags top soil, one bag compost/manure, and a good helping of perlite. I stopped adding granular fertilizers to the mix two years ago when I noticed that when I didn't include it the roses did better.

Caveat: not all potting mixes, top soils, or composts are created equally across all areas, so experiment if at all possible.

-Adrian.

Rebecca, I believe root rot means the soil is too wet or not enough air is getting to the roots. I had the same problem with plain miracle grow in large pots. That’s why now I mix in around 1 part perlite to 1.5-2 parts potting soil (depending on potting soil consistency, varies brand to brand). I add a good helping of vermiculite to help retain nutrients since I like to add so much perlite.

The smaller pots dry out faster, so the soil being too wet is not a problem for me, the problem is keeping them moist enough at all times so they don’t shrink and become hydrophobic.

There are a few misconceptions going on here - good drainage has nothing to do with the container itself (unless it is bottomless) and everything to do with the media it contains. And plants take up very few nutrients via their leaves so foliar feeding is rather ineffective.....nutrients are almost exclusively taken up by plant roots.

I am happy to explain further but folks here seem bent on remaining with whatever soil mix or fertilizer regime they have always used despite that accepted horticultural practices may suggest otherwise and to the exclusion of what is best for the plants.

Yes, I figured my root-rot problem was water-related, but then I read that thing about granular fertilizers and I thought maybe .... I have a terrible time keeping container plants properly hydrated. I tend to over-water. I live in north central Arkansas in the Ozarks. It can get so horribly hot here in the summer and plants seem to wilt no matter what. I respond by giving more water - probably too much. gardengal48, I really like the scientific info and can always use more.

I think there is more than one way of doing stuff. Everyone's climate is different. People have to find out what works for them and what they grow. If I had no drainage holes or even small ones, when the rainy season starts they would all die. The only containers I use with no drainage is for my lotus,waterlilies and even some herbs grow good that way.

I grow most of my roses in containers and I do what MAD does - add additional perlite to the potting soil along with vermiculite because I'm in a very dry climate. I also mulch very heavily to prevent the containers from drying out.

I thought what Gardengirl said is very informative and interesting. I have absolutely witnessed this change in soil condition in containers, and I have re-potted roses because I started to see a decline in overall health and performance. These few roses responded beautifully. I think it was also due to not adding the additional perlite and vermiculite that the soil/medium became so dense that the roots couldn't grow properly.

I'm now wondering about using Milorganite or Rose Tone if organic material can't be broken down effectively. Although, I do top dress (right or wrong) my containers in the Spring with about 1-2 inches of aged compost consisting of manure, browns and kitchen scraps. Gardengirl, I wonder if this aids in helping the organic fertilizers along?

Last year, I also switched to Osmocote. The roses seemed to respond well to it. It appears to be an inorganic fertilizer.

There's always more to learn!

Rebecca, I get 90-110F degree dry summers here, and that’s horribly hot for me : ) I’ve noticed that when potted plants don’t have enough aeration (either due to compaction or too much moisture) in the middle, the roots will all grow only on the sides of the pot and none in the middle or they rot in the middle. When the pots get heated in the summer, all those roots on the sides can get cooked...and now the plant can’t take up water properly no matter how much you water because it has no roots, or the roots keep drying out too fast on the sides but the crown stays too wet when we compensate. My potted roses do really well in the summer with twice a week watering (I’m talking about big 22-24” pots here, smaller pots need more watering) since I started focusing on soil aeration. Also, if you’re not already doing so, try to use light colored pots to reflect heat away during the summer.

1. Buy good premium quality potting mix. Usually cost about $12+ in Australia compare to cheaper ones under $5. I find the cheaper ones too heavy and few months later it turn soggy.

2. Containers need to have plenty of drainage holes. I made the holes bigger by poking it with a screwdriver so that water flow out easily. Over time, salts tend to build up around the holes and therefore blocking the drainage holes.

And if you are lucky, you could have a wonderful container garden like rose charley on Youtube (screenshots):

Thank you for the link, Tangles Long, wow! This gives me hope! Years ago, I tried gardening in our "yard". We live on top of a rocky ridge whose dirt long ago washed downhill, leaving almost nothing for gardening. Because of this, and deer, armadillo, rabbits, all manner of beetles, larvae, fungi, drought, and ice storms, I gave up and tried container gardening. I tried growing roses, along with some other things, but had trouble with roses, and gave up. For some reason, the rose bug bit me again this winter, and I've ordered Abe Darby, Zepherine Drouhin, and Sweet Chariot. These were my favorites from before when I tried to grow roses. I just love them. So - I will use Miracle-Gro (without the extended release fert?), amended with perlite and vermiculite. A 1 to 2 inch layer of gravel on the bottom, with the pot standing 1 to 2 inches above the drainage tray. Light colored pot, probably plastic (it does freeze here in winter), with many drainage holes. Does that sound about right? What ratio of perlite and vermiculite to soil? Also, would Mir-Gro food, the kind I dissolve in the watering can, be OK? Does this look like a good plan?

About the hollytone , he said it was similar in ingredients and they bought it in bulk . I haven't tried , I used to only need a small bag of rose tone to do my whole collection but now I'll need bulk . Also I never tried the tones in pots , I'm just relaying what my nursery does. They take care of their plants all season long , unlike some places where roses are shoved aside and have weeds growing with them . I'm not trying to contradict anyone :) we all have tried different things. One thing I know is stay away from the cheap potting mix at the dollar store, my mom bought it one year and it was sludge, like one step away from sewer sludge

Charley's videos are simply gorgeous!!! Any way to view these in English? I would love to know the names of some of these roses. Is it expanded shale in the bottom of the pots or a pea-gravel type material?

Judith

Rebecca - on the container growing forum on Houzz they say that adding a layer of gravel on the bottom of a pot, just raises the water table in the pot and makes the rose space smaller. So I would nix the gravel on the bottom. I've tried understanding their information there, and I find it difficult. But I'm probably going to use their 5:1:1 mix recipe.

Carol

Well, I sent a message to Austin Roses, and I asked them what soil I should use to grow their roses in pots. They probably won't answer ... but it's worth a shot. :)

Carol

Carol, if you couldn’t get an answer from DA, you can ask Michael Marriott from DA through his Instagram. Here is a screenshot of his Instagram. Helen

If you live in a hot weather area, don’t have a lot of rain, no drip system, and have to water your potted roses every day in summer, there is a helper called Plant Nanny 6053. Here is the link that I posted about it before. Helen

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4817266/plant-nanny-6053-for-your-potted-roses

Helen - good idea. I'll just wait a few days, then I'll try Michael.

Carol

That looks like a good idea...but wouldn't the water in the bottle turn hot on a hot day?

One thing I forgot to mention about growing roses in containers is that the pot gets warm up very easily on a temperature of 25 degree Celsius. A temp of 25 degrees isn't hot for us humans but for plastic pots, they heat up. When temp hits 27, I will need to use outdoor umbrella to shade those pots. Any shading cloth will work fine.

27C degree (80F degree) isn’t too bad for big light color plastic pots unless they are on a concrete floor against a wall with evening sun. I live in the Bay Area and when it’s in the 90F degree (32C degree), the water in the bottles is a little warm but not hot. You can try it and let us know if the water in the bottles gets too hot for your plants. Helen

Oh, I should mention that all my large pots are elevated on a planter caddy / roller thing, so I can easily move them around. It might also help against heat coming off a concrete floor since they will not be in direct contact. Elevating the pot also helps keep the drainage hole(s) from getting blocked with accumulated dirt.

I just emailed Michael Marriott. :)

Carol

What about worms in rose pots? Don't they also help somewhat to keep the soil from compacting? My pots are always full of earthworms. They must be really happy in there eating something.