Just wondering how everyone's organic containers are doing? This was my first year having really delved into why containers are different from soil. For a few years after leaving a home with 3 acres and a large garden, and moving into a high rise condo, I was determined to grow containers as I did my garden. I kept failing. I had poor yields and plants that never were healthy. My soil turned to mush and was much too wet. So, this year, lots of reading. I WANT organic to work in containers. Even if it's harder for me to do. But, so far, I'm not having a lot of luck. This year I kept two sets of containers. Both were with a traditional peat, vermiculite, perlite mix, though I threw in about 5% compost. It wasn't enough to really offer any nutrition, I am afraid, so I won't do it again. Per the ferts, I've used all organic ferts in four of the containers. I used BioTone Starter Plus as a starter for the tomatoes and lettuce; this was amazing in terms of helping the roots systems get established. I've never seen such healthy root systems at transplant. In two tomato containers, I used Tomato Tone. My plants are doing better than they have in the past, but are still not as large or happy as they used to be when I planted in the ground. It could also be the strange weather we've had. While this fert is in the ground (these are covered EarthBoxes), I have been top feeding some Silica Blast and EarthJuice Catalyst to keep the soil alive with what it needs to turn the ferts into what the plant can use. In the Chinese greens container, I used a combo of Maxicrop fish and kelp ferts that got me close to a 3:1:2 ratio. I didn't have a non-OG container to compare it to. They grew OK and tasted fine. I hadn't grown them before so I don't know how to compare. They seemed to grow more slowly than I expected based on the packet dates. In the OG lettuce and chard container, I used PureBlend PRO Grow, a 3-2-4 fert. It was the closest I could get to a 3:1:2 ratio in OG. I also used the EJ Catalyst. The lettuce was excellent. It compared favorably to the lettuce grown with the chemical fert. But, the chard has not. It's stayed small and the edge leaves keep turning yellow. I do think that part of the problem is watering. I do not have a place for a rainbarrel and must use city water. It has HIGH chlorine. It kills all the good critters I have in the soil. Initially, when the water need was low, I could put water in pails and let it sit for a couple of days before using it to let the chlorine dissapate. As the need for water grew, I couldn't keep up and had to water with chlorinated water. By then, I was probably killing all the good stuff. On the other hand, the chard in the chem fert container is huge. No question, my chard prefers this. I am using Dyna-Gro Poliage Pro and Pro-tekt. One tomato is fertilized with the same as above. It has had an odd history. It was an extra and the only place I could put it is hanging. So, in a TopsyTurvy it went. About a month after transplant, I realized that the stem was breaking where the foam insert rubbed against it; it was literally held together by a few strands. I cut it off, rooted it in water, then replanted. So, it's about a month behind the other tomatoes. It looks great at this point, but I can't as yet compare yields or even size, since it is so far behind. The okra and beans are using the chem fert, also. Both are doing well, but no comparison to an OG version. Next year, if I try a comparison again, I'll try to grow same type of plants, even same varieties, in each, so that I can better compare. I honestly think that I'm screwed unless I can come up with a relatively easy solution for the chlorinated water. I do not have much space and the condo board will not allow me to tap into the water spouts to add a rain barrel. It was much too much work to fill gallon containers with water (you should have seen my bathroom...) and then try to get that water into the reservoirs of my SWCs. No question, non-OG is easier. I am making OG work, however, in most situations. If I didn't have the water issue, I'd be able to give it a better comparison, I think. Next year I will try some version of the 5:1:1 mix in my SWC. I haven't a clue what I'll do about the OG vs non-OG fert issue then. I am hoping someone has tackled this and found a way to make it work without too much added work.

Although temperature drop and swings can theoretically increase the risk of ammonia and nitrite toxicity, they are not major variables that can't be checked by co-existing counter forces like significant leaching of high soluble nitrate ion, winter loss of nitrates, loss to volatilization, or as compared to other significant contributors of nitrite toxicity such as high temperature, soil acidity, and degrees of plant sensitivity to ammonium toxicity as a function of root sugar production, and etc. In fact, some found the presence of ammonium in the root zone is beneficial when the root temperatures are low but become detrimental at high root temperatures. If the chance that low temperatures and temperature swing induced ammonium toxicity argument is likely to occur, it would seem one more reason to limit the use of high nitrogen or 3:1:2 synthetic fertilizers (be they nitrate-, ammonium-, or urea-based) in containers. In general, nutrient absorption does not occur when media temperatures are below 40F, so there is limited use to supply fertilizers when potting mix temperatures are in that range, or when the plant is not actively growing in that range of temperatures. Know your plants by consulting specific horticulture fact sheets for your region for best winter care. The cited and excerpted reference below is not specifically for winter fertilizing of containerized clematis that you are seeking, but the cited reference or relevant excerpts from Three Requirements for Long-Lasting Clematis as prepared by Oregon State University may help other Oregonians or container gardeners growing clematis in similar USDA hardiness zones who do not adopt a regimented fertilizing program or use recommended universal fertilizers for all containers but prescribe to sustainable nursery practices: Deciduous clematis are hardy in all Oregon climates. Evergreen varieties are more sensitive to the cold and perform best in western valleys and the coast. ... Set the plant in the hole with the crown two to three inches below the soil surface. Stake the vine until it has grown enough to reach its permanent support. A new plant should be well-watered, but not overfed. Once established, it will respond well to rose or tomato food, or any fertilizer in the range of 5-10-5 or 5-10-10. You may find additional winter care information specific to your other container plants from this Oregon source. I didnÂt find many published container culture articles at this site, however. Expanded shale (rock vs clay) is widely used by organic gardeners and have been researched and field tested by other states as well as several Texas universities and counties and recommended and used at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society. The Dallas Arboretum also recomends 1:1 (shale and potting soil) mixture for use in large containers to increase drainage and reduce weight. It is widely available in bulk or custom blend from local nurseries or soil suppliers. Lava rock (also widely available) is another inorganic alternative.

I noticed that Rose-tone contains bone meal. Years ago, when I used bone meal for a fertilizer, my dogs wouldn't leave the plants alone. Since then, I try to avoid fertilizers that contain bone meal. My two favorite fertilizers that I use now are Rose Glo by Maestro-Gro and Microlife - neither lists bone meal as an ingredient and both are available locally here. My current dogs do like to eat the Rose Glo (one will eat it straight out of the bag if given a chance) when it is just sprinkled around the plants, but they will leave it alone once I have watered it in. They don't really seem interested in the Microlife. An organic fertilizer that does not contain bone meal might work with your dog, but many other ingredients can also be attractive to dogs. This is just my experience with my dogs, and your dog might have different preferences. Here is a link that might be useful: ingredients in Rose - tone

Thanks everyone. mikerno_1micha and Just Started(Sydney), I am not new to growing roses, I have large containers which are fabric pots (offering a cooler root zone and lots of aeration as well as air pruning, plants do not get root bound). This study of grow bags shows that roses grown in these containers grew much better than roses in plastic containers: https://smartpots.com/shrub-rose-responses-to-production-in-smart-pots-and-conventional-containers-using-two-contrasting-substrates/ I do have Foliage Pro which I use for my indoor plants, but did not think of using it on Roses. I will add that to the rotation. However, in my understanding roses also need a fertilizer that encourages bloom, and I am trying to follow the regime recommended by the American Rose Society, which alternates 4 types of fertilizers, but adapting it to containers - hence my interest in rotating a few kinds of fertilizers. William Cohen, great idea! Cheap and effective. I'd rather not eat Miracle Gro, but for my rose rotation it will be perfect. fungus thank you, that's what I was wondering. mblan13(S.C. PA - Zone 7a), THANK YOU! You hit it right on the head! FP for all the micros, and the (non-organic) others for the rest. I also get annoyed by websites that do not include labels, as I don't like standing in the summer heat at Lowes for hours reading labels and I often prefer to order online. About the Recharge: I don't know if it's helping or not, but the roses are EXPLODING with growth. I got 5 from Roses Unlimited which were small (compared to nursery roses), 1 year old plants, they did nothing for a month. However, after a few waterings with Recharge and a couple rounds of Peters they are going bonkers. Because I am using both, I can't isolate the effect of Recharge from the effect of Peters, but the soil looks great, water retention and drainage are perfect, and there is a weird fungus growing on the outside of some of the fabric pots that seems beneficial as the roses are thriving. Since I added some organic amendments at planting (Bone meal, Fish bone meal, Bloodmeal, etc), I can only conclude the Recharge is helping. After I planted them this way, I considered in the future switching to a more inorganic soil with inorganic only fertilizers, but seeing these results I'm quite happy. I expect some compaction in 1-2 years (although less than with normal potting soil since I did use Al's mix - but more as a 4-1-1 because of the Smart Pots study described above). At any rate, I too cringed at the cost of Recharge, but I use so little each time that I suspect the tub I got (the smallest they sell on Amazon) will last my 10 roses, Jasmine, and 5 bonsai at least a year. Thanks again, everyone! With your help and seeing how happy the roses are, this is my final plan (at least until I need to repot in 1-2 years): - diluted Recharge 1-2x a week - each watering, rotate, at 1/4 strength: Peters 20-20-20, Foliage Pro, Miracle Gro Rose, and Epsom Salts. Maybe occasionally the Alaskan fish emulsion since I'm using recharge. My Dr. Earth says on the back the ingredients are derived from organics (e.g., bone meal), so I will give that to my mother-in-law for the climbing rose I planted in the ground for her.