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Hello. I am new to this forum. I just ordered two 24"tree roses and I will be planting them in containers. I didn't receive them yet however I was wondering what kind of soil to put in the pot? I have a patio porch peach tree in a container for two years now and I used a mixture of topsoil and compost. Could I use that mixture for my roses? I think I am going to use a 18-20" pot. How about using fish emulson in a pot or raw fish parts. I am unclear about the directions for mixing the fish emulson. It says to use 3tbl per gallon for every 25 feet. What about mixing it for a pot? Do I just mix up a gallon at that ratio and pour the whole gallon in the pot? Can I use raw fish parts in a pot? Any help would be great. Thanks.

Does anyone have any advice? I plan to flii the containers before I get my roses cause I'm not going to receive the roses until the 18th of April.

I guess if it worked for your peach tree it might work for your rose bushes. Personally I use 2 parts potting soil, 2 parts peat moss adjusting the Ph w/ lime, 1 part composted manure and a healthy helping of water crystals.

As for using "raw fish parts in a pot" all I can say is, 'Eeeewwww!!!' [img]https://geocities.com/d_m_g_s/emoticons/dead.gif[/img]

If you want use raw fish parts why not bury them in the soil below the plant you're planting? But putting them in a pot and making an emulsion... I hope you have a strong stomach!

I was really hoping to get some more responses. I bought the containers today. They are 21". Are there any container tree rose experts out there? I will be overwintering them in an unheated room in my house. The roses will be in containers for thier life span. Any help would be great.

Hello russelln114,

Honestly speaking the kind of soil you choose, depends on your climate and the time you can devote to your rose. And of course the better the drainage the better your rose will do well. For me wise, I like to have the soil composition be a little loomy, as it prvoides a protection against drought and heat. It gives very handy when one need to be away for holiday for more than 11 weeks.

I regret I cant advise you much on fish elmusion as I use homemade liquid fertiliser from comfrey.

Amitié,
Pixi

Well I filled my pots today. first I filled the pot half full of potting mix. (We use this type at work to do our hanging baskets and they do great) Next I used equal parts organic garden soil(by miracle grow), finished leaf compost, and topsoil from my garden to top off the pot. I then dumped the pot in a bag and mixed it well. I added shale size 2b to the bottom of the pot for drainage and then filled my pot. I think I have covered everything a container rose needs. Does this sound ok?

Oh. Just one more note. Is it ok that I used potting mix and not potting soil? I think with what I have add to it I turned it into potting soil.

You can use a potting mix but, the leaf compost and other ammendments described above will increase your plants help a lot more than just the potting mix.

I always like to use some potting soil, manure, compost and some kelp meal. Works pretty good

I hope this works. I put some of this mixture in a cup with holes in it and then tested it for drainage. It held quite a bit of water(almost soupy). How can I increase the drainage.

I'm not sure that's mix of soil is loamy enough for roses, you might want to think about adding some peat moss to the mix. I don't have tree roses, but I do have about 30 rugosas, floribundas and a few HTs. I've been growing roses over 25 years. I normally add lime and a banana peel to the hole for a new planting. I use compost tea for fertilizer. I would dilute that fish emulsion do to about 1 teaspoon per gallon. I think I'd skip the fish parts, myself. That is NOT is going to smell good. whew! It is always easier to make it slightly stronger if you need to, easier to add to than take out.

Good luck, I was eyeballing a couple of lovely tree roses this weekend. DH got all fussy......grin. Heck he wouldn't have to dig a hole for those! Men, whatca gonna do. LOL

Your peach tree is producing eatable fruit and needs that kind of soil mix to make it work and keep it healthy.

Thanks for all the replies. I changed the mix formula. What I ended up using in the pots was 1/3 regular potting soil 1/3 well composted leaves and 1/3 well aged mushroom compost. I also added vermiculite to help with drainage. The one thing I forgot to add is some bone meal. Can I just add it to the top of the soil or should I just skip it.

You can add it around the top and gently work it in. As you water it will work it's way down to the root system. Good luck and please provide pictures of your pretties

Stupid old me. How much bonemeal do I add to a 21" pot?

I live in New Jersey, Zone 6a. Last year, spring of 2007 I bought 4 fragrant tree roses bareroot. Two 36â€

Isabella. Thankyou for your post. It will be very helpful to me. I might try a product called dynamite. It is a very slow release fertilizer. The product is sold by J&P and is suposto last all season long.Has anyone ever used this. Does one feeding really last all summer long? All my roses are also from J&P. As for as those pesty Japanise beetles I also deal with them. Last year was a bad year for them. I haven't found a great solution other than picking them off.

Roses are always a wonderful eyecatcher in your garden. My aunt has a whole bunch of them.