I hope someone from Florida responds to this post and your other one. Unfortunately, FLA is so unique that I have no good advice, because even though we are in a similar temp zone, we have neither nematodes nor voles here, at least (knock on wood) not in my garden.

Jackie

If they are not teas, chinas, or on R. fortuniana, your best strategy might be to put them in pots. I know I am engaging in risky behavior with some of my hybrid musks since they are own root and in the ground. Also see my recent thread, "Paging Dr. Manners."

Not all nematodes are bad. Remember some are good. Manure takes care of it. But you have to mix it and them layer couple of inches.

My DA is growing really big and antiques also. I was also afraid but after talking to Jasmin. I went for it and also Pam from Angel garden help and extension office. The extension office, just read what you ask but I questions them way beyond. My reason was simple it was hydrophobic soil and with zero nutrients. So mine became very challenging and took me months.This is where Chris came in to help me. So grateful to him. He is my hero for my garden and extremely knowledgeable.

Make sure the water drain well when you hose before planting roses. Soil has to be well drain.

Once your soil is amendment then you are good to go. Also test it for pH level it is free at your local extension office. You can also get your soil content as a small fee through local extension office.

Good luck.

Jin

Lots n lots of manure to keep nermotodes at Bay. Then yearly application and coffee grounds help a lot too.

Jin

Thank you so much Jin! I have learned so much just reading all of your posts! My DH just brought home a truck full of composted horse manure, and we’re spreading it all over, so this is very timely. I can tell him that it really will make a difference.

We also do our FL version of hugelbeds, which I call hugelpits...has anyone else grown roses on these? So far, my Crepsacule seems to love it. This is her (is she a girl?) :-) planted in October on her hugelpit:

Please pardon her gangly teenager look!

Are you kidding, it looks beautiful. I see it is growing really well. You got horse manure and that is the best. Enving you with a truck full of manure :)

I can't get hold of any here. What is huglebeds ? Explain Bec I am at work and soon to work so I can't Google but I am also learning as I grow.

It's been 6 months and I still don't see any worms. So now I am ordering tons of them soon. Red wranglers. I see moles/ voles but so far they have not been in my beds but I hope they don't eat my worms either. Time will tell :)

Happy digging :)

Jin

By the way, your Crepresule ( spelling ) looks so green , luscious and healthy. I will take a few pics this weekend. Mine is almost chest level and I got it late March. Think it is the rain and sun and manure :)

Jin

We do more what is referred to as hugel “pits” here, because of the FL heat. The mounds dry out too fast in our high heat, but the pits hold the moisture. I like to place them between plants, so that they can share, and they can dip their roots in the pit whenever they’re ready. We dig down about 2-3 feet and create a soup-bowl shaped pit (think monster planting hole, with sloping sides) and fill it with organic matter. My favorites are rotting tree stumps & branches, since they act like sponges underground and encourage good fungal systems. Thanks to the hurricanes, I can still find lots of tree trunks out on the curbs in my neighborhood every week!

The biggest stuff goes in first. Then we fill the gaps with smaller organic matter, branches, pruning, etc. and I add crab meal to help with nematodes. I also throw in lots of wet cardboard, since that’s like “ringing the dinner bell for the worms” as a friend put it once. I layer the organics with the native soil. Coffee grounds, egg shells, and anything else organic we have on hand is good, too. My composting worms love those pulp paper drink holders from take-out places, so I always make a layer of those in there too.

It’s really just like building a compost pile, but underground. Or “lasagna gardening.” I have dug into the ones that are 1-2 years old, and they are full of earth & composting worms; I’m amazed at how many, because I never see the worms when I’m digging in the sand. Where did they all come from? I guess they heard that dinner bell. :-) The pits are also full of mycorrhizal webs and smell amazing, like the forest floor. (I know that sounds weird, but I love the smell of rich soil!)

Wow, very interesting! I’ll be on the lookout for those...it’s also made me start thinking about the water crystals...many thanks!

You’re very welcome! I think it might have been Roseseek (Kim Rupert) that mentioned the moisture crystals being deadly to gophers. I know it was someone highly respected here, and “in the know”. I have such terrible gopher problems, that I never forgot about that little tip.

Since we’re talking about gophers/voles, I’ll show you some pictures I took yesterday morning. This isn’t good....

Not all of them are in cages, some traps are set, but they’re empty, and no one is here to help. I’m scared to even go look at whatever happened overnight. I fear some roses might be goners. I didn’t used to have a gopher problem in that area, and many of the roses there were planted before I began caging everything. It’s bad enough that little worms are eating everything, but gophers will kill roses outright. I dread looking out there, but I know I’ll have to in the next couple of hours..... I’m keeping everything “crossed”. Lisa

Well, look at that beautiful soil! And all your gorgeous flowers. I think I’ve already read about some folks wanting to camp out in your garden—you sure it’s not any of them? :-). These are some savvy gophers!

I’d be loathe to go out and check a trap too—I’m so sorry! My biologist friend told me that the piles of dirt mean they’ve just moved in, and you can still run them off. If I see dirt piles, I always run the hose into it. Supposedly they hate soggy spots.

I think many of your established roses can bounce back if only a little digging. Crossing my fingers for you too!

Well, that is interesting about huglebeds. I love your idea but I don't think I can do that. That means you are doing this even deeper. And filling everything back and then planting roses neat or on top. Mine took months to do a 27 ft long by 7 ft wide. I don't know how deep I went. Some areas 2-3 feet and some 4 feet deep. I don't want to remember but it was horrible to dig. Keep having a huge underground network of roots. Such a back breaking job. Even ,then I don't see any worms. So, I put tons of manure. But I did put newspapers and kinda layer it.

My issues are weeds. This weekend, I am putting cardboards down around roses and layering mulch very thick. Since, I have no luck with earthworms. I am buying it. I heard it takes years like you said 2-3 years.

So, I am taking shortcuts and buying red wringlers. I check every day after work to see how dry my soil is. It is moist but so far I have never water twice. So, I think with so much of manure it holds water pretty good and mulch helps a lot.

Perma, I learned so much from you. I hope my next bed I can do hugelbeds and going to bookmark it. It is a brilliant idea.

Thanks

Jin

Lisa, I love the color of your soil. I remember sending you a pic of my Myakka soil . Weird greyish color soil..yuk! what a colour :)

Lisa, I thought all the cages were in place and all the ground work done. I remember you bought so many cages. So, I figured it was done.

I hope gophers are caught and to stay away from your beautiful roses, companion plants and strawberries.

I also bookmark your idea. Thanks :)

Jin