I would like to know what is worm casting, espoma tone and will this help in building up my soil. what are some other things I can use that really work to make the soil better
Compost compost compost. If you can get arbor clippings/wood chips (aka, āchip dropā) delivered, thatās great too.
Worm castings are just worm poo. Itās that time of year where trees start dropping leaves - if you can get those and work them into your soil, that will help also.
Feeding your soil is about feeding the microbes and critters (like earthworms) that live there. Think āorganicsā as in, something that once grew - leaves, grass clippings (untreated with chemicals), composted manures, yard debris, etc.
It takes some time, but is well worth the effort.
1 Like
Worm castings are a concentrated soil amendment, you donāt need a lot. Applying compost in the spring and fall will enrich your soil in the long term and buffer your soil pH. Espoma is a company that sells organically based fertilizers. You can use with Plant or Rose Tone to feed your roses. However, the soil must be warmer for the soil microbes to break down the fertilizer into the form your rose roots can use, then available once insolution, water is the next most important ingredient needed. Mulch should also be applied around your roses, local hardwood, mulch will break down and enrich your soil too.
The very best way to build up your soil is to add generous amounts of compost while making your beds.If buying in bags, buy the ones on sale. They all do the same thing. A soil test will help determine and correct pH if nesessary. Then keep adding at least two pounds per square ft of bed space each spring and vcover with a layer of wood much. In my experience, nothing more is necessary. But it is not an instant fix. It will take two to three years to notice considerable improvement, and the soil will keep getting better incrementally, year after year. If you are considering adding something, anything to your soil. ask these questions first. What will this contribute to my soil? Is it deficient in my soil? No reason to add something that is already in your soil according to your soil test.
2 Likes
To add to the previous posts: Start with a soil test from your local county extension office to determine what is needed. You are after a sandy loam texture with plenty of organic material. So during planting and after as a top dressing, add organic material (compost).
I learned about Espoma products several years ago and am now a big fan. They have many products for various parts of your garden. Plant-tone is the general purpose fert for your perennials. Rose-tone is very good for your granular rose fert program. Of course you still need a liquid rose fert at the appropriate times in the year. The Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plus is a root starter for all plants. It brings in the Mycorrhizae fungi for root development. All the Espoma products are organic and provide not only the macro and micro nutrients but also beneficial microbes that improve the soil. There are certainly other products and homemade recipes. I have just had good success with keeping within the Espoma product group and avoiding synthetic fertilizers. Feed the soil and soil feeds the plants. As mentioned above, this all requires a proper pH level for the plants you are growing. The pH level for your rose bed should be around 6.0 to 6.5. If you do buy Espoma products, shop around to find the best price per pound. That usually means a large bag (~50 lbs) at a Walmart type volume store.
https://www.espoma.com/product-fact-sheets-5/