This is the brand they had on sale at the store:

@seasiderooftop Haven't used it myself, but have used lava rock and also Hydroton clay pellets for my indoor succulents and desert plants. It helps keep air in their pots and from staying too wet. Might be similar to Akadama but I'm not sure I would use that for roses myself since it's a warm climate here.

It's probably more helpful than using perlite to lighten potting soil/mixes since it's a type of rock with minerals.....but not sure. Trying to figure out myself what to buy for all the bare roots I'll be potting in a few months. I've been told Miracle Grow Moisture Control might be good for our warm zones, do you have that there?

The one rose I did grow years ago in a pot was just in cheap potting soil from my hardware store (peat moss and other stuff) and then I added crushed aluminum seltzer cans from my recycle bin because I ran out of perlite and didn't want to use heavy rocks to break up the soil density. It must have liked the crushed cans/peat moss potting soil mix because it grew really well and survived winter outside in it's pot. I liked that the cans wouldn't break down either with all the watering/rain that the rose needed too.

Hi @Bc _zone10b

Yes akadama is a clay, but the pellet size on these is smaller than the usual clay balls I find locally for drainage, so I thought they might be better.

I tried the MG moisture control potting soil but for me it's too much. I ended up using it for my lemongrass since they are bog plants that love really damp soil, but even then I mixed it with other things so the water doesn't just sit there. Otherwise it just never dries. Personally I wouldn't put my roses in that stuff, and honestly I will never buy another bag of it. But perhaps in a permanently dry desert climate it would be great?

It's a tough balance because in our Mediterranean climates, the summers are so dry while the winters are so wet! I have used bagged potting mixes that were wonderful for the summer but rotted the roots in the winter rains. So increasingly I am learning to try for better drainage, even if it means more frequent watering in summer.

Haha I love that you recycled the cans that way! I'm glad it worked for you!

Absolutely. Akadama is a rich volcanic clay that has and retains nutrients and holds water without becoming a soggy mess. It has a bit of a short lifespan though. You'll have to repot every 2-3 years. IMHO, Akadama is the best soil additive there is.

Thanks for your reply @mblan13

I'm glad to hear Akadama has a good reputation! I ended up getting a bag of it over the black Friday weekend.

I am a little worried about using it though.

When the pellets are dry, they seem hard. Tried crushing one between my fingers and couldn't. That was good.

But then I took that pellet and let it sit in a cup of water for about two or three hours. When I removed the pellet from the water I was easily able to crush it between my thumb and index finger.

So this worries me.

You mentioned that it would degrade over a few years, which would be fine.

But if after just a couple of rainy days, the sheer weight of the wet soil + plant in a 25 liter pot is enough to turn the pellets into a powder, then I might as well be adding powdered clay.

The average max pressure between thumb and index finger is less than 8kg. The weight of wet soil in these pots will be much more, so I don't see how they could hold up under that when wet.

As I understand, a lot of bonsai gardening is done in shallow pots. So there's a lot less weight on the pellets than in a rose bush container, which has to be deep.

I am really hesitant about adding this to the mix.

My roses arrive this week so I still have a few days to decide.