“Soil is the home of the flower”
What will happen if the home of your roses (soil) is not comfortable and healthy? The plant won’t thrive and bloom. Moreover, All your hard work will be in vain if the soil of roses is not good.
In contrast, If the soil is good, it holds sufficient water and nutrients that reduce the pressure on fertilizer and water. As a result, you will get a lot of long-lasting rose blooms without too much care and fertilizer. So, Without a doubt, the best soil is the first and foremost element for growing rose plants.
Now, what is the best potting soil for roses?
The best soil for roses is the loamy type of soil that has good water drained and moisture-holding facilities, capacities, perfect porosity percentage, easy re-wet capacity and contains some soil amendments such as organic matter, nutrients, worm casting, etc.
In this article, I will review 7 best potting soil for roses from the top bottom. It will definitely help you to choose the perfect potting mix for your roses.
Keep on reading-
In a Hurry? Here is the best of the best potting soil for roses that you may pick right now-
Best Potting Soil for Roses- Comparisons
| Soil | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Miracle-Gro Potting Mix | Container | |
| Miracle-Gro Garden Soil | Ground | |
| Black Gold 1302040 Organic Potting Soil | All Purpose | |
| Espoma AP8 Organic Potting Mix | Container | |
| Espoma (VFGS1) Organic Flower Soil | Ground | |
| FOXFARM FX14053 Ocean Forest Potting Soil | Container | |
| FoxFarm FX14054 Happy Frog Potting Soil | Container | |
| Burpee Natural Organic Growing Mix | All Purpose | |
| Compressed Organic Potting-Soil for Garden | All Purpose |
Note: Don’t use garden or ground soil for potted or container roses. But you may use potting soil for both in-ground and potted roses.
Best Potting Soil for Roses- Reviews
1.Miracle-Gro Potting Mix
Let’s see why it is best potting soil for roses?
You know, the roses grow well at pH below 6.5. If the pH does not remain below 6.5, the plant can’t uptake some essential nutrients. As a result, rose leaves are turning yellow.
But the good news;
The pH range of this potting soil is 4 to 6.5 which is perfect for growing and thriving roses. Moreover, this potting mix is formulated from some forest products, sphagnum peat moss, coconut coir.
Do you know what is the best part of the Miracle-Gro potting mix?
It acts as a fertilizer and contains the primary plant nutrients.
As a fertilizer, it has 0.21% nitrogen,0.11% phosphate, and 0.16% potash and you will be happy to know that it also contains a small amount of slow-release nitrogen, phosphate, and potash that dissolve slowly and feed the roses continuously up to 6 months.
Sounds Impressive, right? But there’s more-
It has a perlite and wetting agent. Perlite is a mineral that improves the soil aeration, drainage facilities, and modifies the soil structure. And the wetting agent is the surfactant compound that reduces the surface tension of water and helps to spread water particle to particle.
So, if you find the best potting soil for container roses, the Miracle-Gro potting mix will be the wise pick for you. Remember, it is only good soil for indoor and outdoor roses in pots.
But do you need the best garden soil for in-ground roses? Then you should pick Miracle-Gro All-Purpose Garden Soil for roses(view on Amazon). It is only best to use in-ground garden that has 0.09% nitrogen,0.05% phosphate, and 0.07% potash.
2.Black Gold 1302040 8-Quart All Organic Potting Soil
According to the fertilizer analysis, it contains only a small amount of nitrogen(0.05). Is this disappointing? I don’t think so. Because it has earthworm castings. Didn’t you understand? Let me explain-
Earthworm castings are the alternative to fertilizer that contains concentrated water-soluble, organic nitrates, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. Moreover, it also contains some beneficial bacteria that increase soil fertility and moisture-holding capacity.
It has some other great features that you will like. It has horticultural perlite, pumice, or cinder. All are soil conditioner and nutrient suckers that loosen the compact soil increase the airflow and holds sufficient moisture and nutrients for the growth of the plants.
You know, loamy soil is required for roses, and this Black Gold organic potting soil rich in the loamy mix that makes this soil perfect for roses. Besides, it may be a great choice for other flowers, vegetable beds, hanging baskets, raised beds, houseplants, and herbs.
Lastly, I would like to say-
This clean, all-purpose, premium garden soil may be a great addition to your soil that will take care of your roses as much as you do. As a result, you will get green roses bushes with vibrant blooms.
3.Espoma AP8 8-Quart Organic Potting Mix
You know, Maintaining soil pH is important for healthy roses. Because nutrients availability depends on it. That’s why the Espoma AP8 contains limestone to adjust soil pH.
You have already known about perlite and earthworm castings. Let me remind you, Earthworm casting is another name of vermicompost which contains some essential plant nutrients for example nitrates, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. And perlite helps the soil to improve drainage and help to loosen the compact soil.
Want to know the best parts of this potting soil?
This soil has myco tone water saving formula. What does that mean? It means the soil contains some beneficial ectomycorrhizal fungi as the active ingredients. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are symbiotic microbes that provide water and mineral nutrients such as phosphorus to the plant and in return, the plant supplies foods for surviving the fungi.
And you will be happy, phosphorus is an essential nutrient for roses that promotes bud formation and flowering.
This is only for use on indoor and outdoor container plants. But don’t worry. If you need garden soil for inground roses, Espoma (VFGS1) Organic Vegetable and Flower Soil for you.(view on amazon)
4. FOXFARM FX14053 Ocean Forest Garden Potting Soil Bag
It is a blend of some organic compounds from earth and sea. It contains earthworm castings, bat guano, sea-going fish and crab meal, sphagnum peat moss, and composted forest humus.
How do these organic compounds help your rose plant to thrive and bloom?
You know the benefits of earthworm casting. I don’t want to bore you by telling you that again. Let’s start from bat guano-
Bat guano is a triple action organic manure. That means it benefits in 3 ways. It holds some plant nutrients, increases microbial activity, and improves soil structure.
The best thing about bat guano is it holds together extra loose soil and improves the water holding capacity. But what about the drainage? That’s why it contains sandy loam soil for improving drainage, airflow, and making the soil lightweight.
Do you know what the special feature of this Ocean Forest Garden Potting Soil is?
It has sea-going fish and crab meals. Fish and crab meals are a good source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and some other micronutrients. And you know nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for rose plants to grow and bloom.
Moreover, it comes with a pH range of 6.3-6.8 and it is the optimum pH for roses.
So, add this ready-to-use the organic potting mix to your soil and get the happy and healthy rose plant.
5.FoxFarm FX14054 Happy Frog Potting Soil
But it has other great features. It contains a blend of beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi.
Beneficial soil microbes improve the soil structure and increase the soil fertility that promotes the root development of the rose plant. As a result, the plant takes sufficient nutrients for thriving.
On the other hand, the special features of this fertilizer are mycorrhizal fungi. I have already told you the benefits of it. Let me remind you again-
Mycorrhizal fungi are the symbiotic microorganisms that supply water and some primary nutrients such as phosphorus to the plant.
You know phosphorus accelerates the flowering process of plants. That’s how the mycorrhizal fungi help your rose plant to produce bigger and more blooms.
The pH of this potting soil is also perfect for roses that ensure the maximum availability of essential plant nutrients. So, It can be the best soil for indoor-outdoor containers and ground roses. But according to the users’ feedback, it is good for potted roses, knockout roses, and other plants.
6.Burpee Natural Organic Premium Growing Mix
You know, Improper watering to the roses can be the cause of root rot and chlorosis. But if the soil contains coconut coir, then you don’t need to be afraid of improper watering. The coco coir can maintain moisture depending on the weather and plants’ needs.
The most important part of this potting soil is-
It also acts as a balanced fertilizer for roses. According to the NPK ratio of this potting soil, it contains equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and the amount is 0.12%.
You will be happy to know-
It has both water-soluble and insoluble nutrients. Water-soluble nutrients dissolve quickly and feed your rose plant instantly. In contrast, the water-insoluble nutrients release slowly and feed your roses up to 3 months.
And all the nutrients and ingredients are derived from some organic compounds. That is certified by OMRI.
So, if you want a beautiful rose blooms with less fertilizer and water, It may be a great choice for you.
7. Compressed Organic Potting-Soil for Garden & Plants
No matter where your roses are growing.Because this the best compressed organic potting soil for roses in container or in-ground.It contains coconut coir, worm castings, and beneficial microbes.
And I have told you how these impact on soil health and help the plant. So, let’s see what’s new in this potting soil.
It is compressed potting soil that means it expands 7 times its size if you add water to the soil.
How it expands size? By absorbing water. So if you don’t have enough time to water your rose bushes, add this potting soil to the existing soil. It will absorb 50% more water than other potting mixes.
Moreover, It contains well-drained sandy soil that increases the water-nutrients permeability and airflow. So, This best natural potting mix can be a great addition to your soil.
How to Choose the Best Potting Soil for Roses?
Hundreds of potting soil available today. But all are not best for roses. You must consider some different aspects before choosing the best potting mix for roses.
Properties of Soil
Drainage and water retaining are the key things of potting soil. How can you know, the soil has good drainage facilities as well as sufficient moisture-holding capacity? To understand that, you have to know about the properties of soil.
Most of the potting soil contains perlite, expanded shale, slate, pumice, cinder, coco coir for creating air pockets in the soil that improve the drainage. On the other hand, the soil must have some wetting agents and organic compact matter for holding enough water for roses.
Moreover, potting soil should contain some nutrients such as guano, earthworm castings, fish meal, kelp, rice husk, seaweed(learn more about seaweed fertilizer), sphagnum peat moss, calcined clay, and some other composted organic ingredients. Generally, all are not contained in potting soil but good soil must contain one or more of these.
If the manufacturers mention the NPK number, then consider the amount of water-soluble and insoluble nutrients and where the nutrients are derived from.
The pH of the Soil
The nutrient availability depends on it. The optimum pH for roses is below 6.5. That means most of the required nutrients are available in this ph. If the pH increases, rose can’t uptake iron that may cause of chlorosis.
So, before buying the potting soil for roses, we must consider the soil pH.
Organic vs. Inorganic Potting Soil
It can be ignored if you pick the potting soil from a reputable brand. But if you are organic gardeners, then you must consider before buying.
Can I be honest with you? Most of the potting soil is organic and others are semi-organic. So if you like the other things, don’t hesitate to pick the soil for your roses.
Location of Your Rose Plants
It is the most important thing you have to consider. Most of the gardeners make this mistake by ignoring this feature.
Some potting soil is formulated for only use in the container or potted plants and some soil is designed for garden plants.
It is not a wise idea to use garden soil in container roses. But you may use potting soil in-ground roses. You can also pick all-purpose potting soil for both potted and in-ground roses.
How to Prepare Soil for Roses?
Soil Preparation for Ground Roses-
- Dig a hole and fill 1/3 of the hole with garden soil
- Add 1-2 tbsp.of rose fertilizer.
- Place the rose plant into the hole.
- Add 1-2 inches garden soil on the top of the hole and press lightly.
Soil Preparation for Potted Roses-
- Choose a perfect container and add a layer of stone.
- Fill 1/3 of the pot with potting soil.
- Add 1-2 tbsp of rose fertilizer.
- Place the rose plant into the pot.
- Add 1-2 inches potting soil on the top of the pot and press lightly.
Note: The amount of fertilizer may vary depending on the fertilizer brands, potting mix, and size of the containers. Don’t forget to read the label of the fertilizer and potting mix.
Top 5 Best Roses for Containers
- Lady of Shalott
- Ruby Anniversary
- Summertime
- Togmeister
- Katharina Zeimet
Conclusion
Rose can easily grow and thrive both in container and ground. Just make sure that your rose is growing in the right soil. Otherwise, the roses won’t be happy and you won’t get the smiling rose bushes with colorful blooms.
I have mentioned which soil is best for the container roses and which soil is best for in-ground roses. I hope you have found the best potting soil for your planting roses and knockout roses.
Read the label of your potting soil, prepare the soil mixture, plant roses, provide organic mulch, and get healthy diseases free rose plants with lots of colorful flowers.
