Right exactly the I would do it too! Compost is the bomb..Also use coffee grounds. Wow!

I feed coffee grounds to my worms. They love them. I'd a big ole worm bin that I just dismantled (it was falling apart). I fed my worm everything except meat products & dairy.

I'm hoping to get a new system built next month.

I don't fill my pots up to the rim with "soil." I find that I can water them better with room at the top for water to be absorbed. Do you have a problem with watering when you fill the pots up so much?
Thanks for the look at how you do things. I agree that vermiculture is great! Right now, my worms are in their container in the garage. They'll come out, when it's warmer.

Carol

Hiya Carol.

The I've no problem watering them for three reasons.

First, it settles relatively quickly, dropping down below the rim by at least 1cm in the first week.

Second, ramial wood chips are course and chunky. I set the hose on an easy drip and the water flows right through the mulch.

Third, Ireland rarely lacks for rain. Last summer was the first (in my 9 years living here. I'm from VA) that required me to water the pots regularly.

M.

Thanks so much for sharing your methods. I always love to learn how other rose lovers grow their beautiful roses.I will now google vermiculture! HA! lesley

Mj, been wondering where you've been. Evidently, in the garden! How was your winter?

Oh, I see - I thought you meant that you filled it to the rim with the soil settled. What you said makes a lot of sense. And I also forgot about all the rain you get there. You have a great system!!
Carol

I'm not currently growing roses in pots, but I did for years and like you, I topped them off with both compost and mulch just the way you do. It really does help with both water retention and soil fertility. Ultimately I got rid of all the potted roses, some into the ground, some discarded. In my dry climate they are far more work when they are in pots. But I enjoyed it for years. Yours look very happy.

Rosefolly

@ Susan. Hey Lady. How was your winter? I've been reading the forum but haven't had much to contribute. Now that the roses are back in serious action I need to return to my Rosy friends. My partner & BF eyes glaze when I get excited over the prospect of the first blooms. I've been a busy bee in the garden. This was my first year doing fruit trees and winter veg.

@Lesley - I think worm castings are essential for potted roses...and veg...and EVERYTHING :-) they do a world of good balancing fungal issues and have amazing microbial benefits.

@ Carol - thanks. I'm proud of my system.

@ Rosefolly - I don't own my house. All my favorite plants are in pots. I don't mind leaving my strawberry patch and other easily recreated beds. I wouldn't want to start over with my roses or fruit trees.

M

Thank you for sharing your information. It's a very interesting post and I'm about to start some new roses in pots. I worry about my others in pots because I have too many to pot up. I'll be giving away some or selling this year. :)
I have never given my potted ones organic matter but this year I'm definitely going to.

Carla

It sounds very sensible, Mirendajean. My DH and I will be in Ireland for a week this summer. He is going on a bicycle tour while I explore on my own, then we will meet at the end to go elsewhere together. He has been checking the weather in Cork every day for simply months, and so far it has been raining almost every one of those days! So hard for us to imagine.

I'm not at all surprised that you do not need to water your potted plants.

Folly

Rosefolly,

Ooooh, enjoy your trip. There's less rain down the south of the country, between Dublin & Cork. I'm in the NW. Here the climate is similar to the PNW back home. We've lovely summers but they can be cool.

My brother in laws are major cyclists. They don't bat an eye at 100+ mile cycling journeys. My partner helps organise the only Cycling Show/Expo in Ireland. Email me if your coming during that time.

M

Rosefolly,

Ooooh, enjoy your trip. There's less rain down the south of the country, between Dublin & Cork. I'm in the NW. Here the climate is similar to the PNW back home. We've lovely summers but they can be cool.

My brother in laws are major cyclists. They don't bat an eye at 100+ mile cycling journeys. My partner helps organise the only Cycling Show/Expo in Ireland. Email me if your coming during that time.

M

Great tips!

This post was edited by kansas.girl on Tue, Apr 29, 14 at 23:14

I have questions too lol

1. How often does this process need to be done?

2. Would the roses in pots still need some kind of liquid feed in between this process?

3. What type of mulch is best?

4. Can you buy worms and add them to your pots?

On the vermicompost forum they said that worms in the pots are fine. I don't think you would buy any worms just for your pot. I got my worms for vermicomposting. To buy them they come in packages of 1,000 or 500. So for you to buy some wouldn't be practical. I wouldn't worry about the worms. :)

What process are you talking about? Look at the thread Spring Flush 2016. Straw has provided a very simple program for my roses - it would be a good idea for your potted roses too. :)

For mulch for potted plants??? May a cup of compost on top?? That's all I do.

Carol

I have a bunch of roses in pots but I also have a raised bed in my backyard for vegetables, strawberries and some flowers. I kind of just wanted a general plan for everything. :D I used a potting mix that had chicken manure and bat guano in it already so I didn't know if it was necessary to add compost yet. I was asking about the process the poster mentioned about composting and mulching. :) My plants are doing well now but they always do in the spring. In the summer we have 100+ degree temperatures so I was just wanting to prepare ahead of time. :) Would straw be ok for potted tomatoes and other plants and the stuff in my raised bed? :)

Hi Carol,

To answer your questions:

1. have the worms changed all the soil in the pots into compost??

Do you mean have the worms changed the soil into vermicompost? If do, then no. There simply aren't enough worms to do that. Worms tend to maintain a healthy population for the vessel they reside in (based on food and size of vessel) Therefore, the population in a container/pot wouldn't achieve a size that could convert all the soil to compost

2. is that too high of a ratio between soil/compost??

I don't think so. The best answer to that question is the health of your roses.

3. instead of compost, should i be adding soil to balance the vermicompost?

Again, if your roses are happy then you're doing great. I probably add 3-4 cups of vermicompost post every year and haven't had any problems. I think I have been successful because i mulch with wood chippings (from the forestry service cutting down trees) and that eventually breaks down into soil (regular compost - mot vermicompost).

I hope that helps!

M

Hiya Hareball,

1. How often does this process need to be done?

I do it every spring, around this time of year.

2. Would the roses in pots still need some kind of liquid feed in between this process?

I feed my roses just when they break dormancy at winters end. I'm in Irelamd and it rains excessively in spring. I'm always concerned that what nutrients are in the soil after winters end get washed out with the spring rains. Each Jan/Feb-ish I toss a healthy dose of blood and bone meal on top of what mulch is left. Apr/May I treat the pots with well rotted manure, vermicompost, and whip chip mulch. That's all the feeding my roses get (usually - I sometimes toss a bit more blood and bone meal on during a particularly wet summer)

1. What type of mulch is best?

I like nature mulch like basal wood chips or untreated bark. I think basal wood chips provide a better assortment of nutrients as they break down they also help tremendously with moisture retention when the hot summer dries out potted plants.

4. Can you buy worms and add then to your pots?

You could, but it would be easier and more economic to source them from your garden or home compost pile. Alternatively, you can get a small portion of composting worms from a bait shop.

i hope this is helpful.

m

Sorry, I only just saw your second post about your garden. I am a big believer in mulching. It protects your soil/compost, aids water retention, and adds nutrients to your soil when it breaks down. I have used straw to provide deep mulch in my raised veggie beds but my it didn't break down well enough in my climate.

I think mulching on potted roses depends very much on your climate and your personal preference. I love the look of basal wood chips and they work for my current climate (wood chips need moisture to help facilitate thier decomposition...and Ireland is wet, wet ,wet except in the heat of our very short summer) When I lived in Illinois I mulched with natural bark because the pieces were smaller/thinner and therefore broke down quicker.

Thanks so much!

Carol

mirendajean (Ireland) Thank you so much for the information! I really appreciate it. :)