I have my doubt they will degrade in dry climates.

That has been my experience too, Sheila. If they ever do degrade, it took several years.

Good point Sheila and mustbnuts. I have used the same type here in the past and they degrade as you water the roses, but it probably does take longer to degrade here than in Seattle ...and probabaly longer to degrade in Arizona than here.

The nurseries around here use them too. Like Regan's. Here, usually the bottom degrades in about a year, but the sides are still kind of intact. That's if you don't bury them. In the ground they seem to degrade quicker. And if you bury them they need to be completely buried ... so you may have to tear off the top a little.

I really like them. They make it super easy to transplant/move them again later without disturbing the roots (if they need to be moved again within a year or so) since the roots are contained more than usual.

I just would caution that none of the so called biodegradable pots really degrade. It takes decades for that to happen and in the mean time the rose is strangling in its own roots.

They seem rather expensive. I have so many 1 and 3 gallon black pots from roses I've bought, I just use those. I usually have no trouble getting the roses out when I want to plant, but if I do, I just cut the pot with a box cutter.

Hmmm. Maybe they degrade faster in my clay that is a little acidic? I have used them or similar biodegradable pots to plant and transplant all sorts of other things... they seem to degrade pretty much on point with the year mark here. Worms seem to really like hanging out near them in the ground. The type of soil you plant them in probably makes a difference in how they degrade?? I don't know... they do seem to degrade here without problems. But even thick cardboard degraded pretty quickly here when I did sheet mulching years ago so maybe it's just the soil composition.

Buford that's a good idea to use the pots if you have them from other purchases. I don't tend to have larger pots from plant purchases... usually get little ones or seeds. If they're bigger (like roses) they're usually already in the biodegradable pots at nurseries around here.

I thought less that $2.50 each seemed like a good deal for the 13x12 size. The 8 gallon size is a little more than $3.50 each. I bought them so I will let you all know how they do here!

Cross posted with you gardengal. Thanks for your feedback... I started to second guess myself! But yes.. my experience is exactly on point with yours. They work great. :)

I agree with gardengal... we get these over here although I don't have any. More common are very small ones for plug plants and seedlings, I think the largest pots I've seen are equiv. to US 4 gallon size... [15 litres]...

They are usually made of Coir [Coconut fibre, sometimes Peat] and supposed to last a full season above ground, and if planted [you may laugh]... about 6 weeks ...

If I lived in a drier climate I would also make slits in the sides to allow roots to escape in case of delay in decomposing..

They look a good deal, pricewise...

Yes the little ones work wonderful for rose cuttings too. Or any other cuttings that don't like their roots disturbed too much (like gardenias).

The little coco and peat ones break down after about 2 months in the ground here too. :)

Even here in a moist climate they do not degrade. I remove all biodegradable pot materials before planting. Thru the years I have added several types to the bottom of my compost pile. Many are still there. I run into them as I use the pile up during the season. One year there was a line of roses that were sold in these pots. I ended up digging them back up that fall and removing the pot. No roots had made it out into the soil.

Cori Ann, my bad, I didn't see it was for a case! In that case, yes they are a good buy.I almost bought some smaller ones in Home Depot for rose seeds I am trying to grow.

Here, they take at least a couple of years to degrade. The pots don't have to be removed, just several slices taken out.

Interesting. There must be something more to it than just moisture. I wonder if the types of bugs and worms in the soil help too. The worms here seem to really like them. They might be devouring them to help break them down in my soil faster. They really do work great for me here in my yard though. Fascinating that each person has such a different experience.

Probably different brands of pots use different ingredients too, different bonding agents and all that. I think these are the same ones I have used in the past that I noticed the worms really liked. Maybe it's the basil. I'm having a funny thought of little Italian worms enjoying their seasonings. :)

I wouldn't put them in a compost pile though... like gardengal said, they wick moisture out of the soil when exposed to air, so I would imagine they would do the same thing in a compost pile.

Hey also... that same link (Greenhouse Megastore) also has Cow Pots for a good price: a pack of 12 for $6.75 — 5" Square x 4" tall

Too small for roses of course... but maybe good for cuttings or seedlings! I haven't used Cow Pots, but I have heard and read really good things about them. http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/cow-pots/biodegradable-pots

Thank you for those links and comments. We get so much rain I'm sure it wouldn't be long before they decomposed, but I can see how slitting them up the sides would help. I had a terrible time just handling some large pots by myself for transplanting and can see how these might help. I especially like the idea of using them for temporary plantings. I have a few of those with late season bargains that just got stuck in the ground and soon will have to be carefully dug out. These would have worked really well.

For little seedling and cuttings , I'm going to try a DIY method this year using toilet and paper towel rolls. I'll report back. :)

I have used the tp roll method. Works great. Super cheap. Super easy. Really fun project with little kids. :)

I used the big Jiffy greenhouse. I hydrated the peat discs with water plus hydrogen peroxide and put one seed in each. As soon as they sprout even a little I move them out of the greenhouse to the containers. They are sitting on the table on the lanai and when it's really muggy I turn the ceiling fan on very slow. I had a few too many so I put the remaining ones in a container from a restaurant.

I ordered little 4 inch nursery pots. They'll be here tomorrow. The bigger ones will be potted up tomorrow.

Are those rose seedlings Suncoastflowers? I am so impressed with all the people on this forum growing roses from seed. It's motivating! I have a set up outdoors for propagating. It's raised wooden planters with a plexiglass top that just sets on the top of the wooden planter. I have Fortuniana cuttings and some radishes from seed in there now. I have some photos in the Rose Propagation forum. I just use flats for starting seeds usually and I have band pots for the roses this time around. It has worked really well. But I have never even tried growing roses from seed. It must be so fun!

I only had to hear "lanai" and I'm jealous. : )