'Established' hostas and water/fertilizer needs

14 years ago

Can't seem to find much on these subjects either. Sorry for the barage of posts - it's a big gardening day for me and I'm eating lunch and learning whatever I can.

I am wondering if/when hostas become established are they OK with minimal amounts of water in Summer? The climate I live in(Pacific Northwest) is spectacularly dry between about mid-June and October. I plan on watering heavily a couple times a week as is but now I am wondering if I am going to be watering bi-weekly for the rest of my life every Summer.

Also, will Hosta suffer from lack of fertilizer over time or will their growth rates be slower if I don't fertilize? I have largely designed my gardens with laziness in mind(honest!), as I don't plan on watering/fertilizing much at all in a couple years and when I am older, I'd like to sit in my hammock or on a bench and enjoy the gardens - not tend to it all the time.

I'm crossing my fingers a bit on this as I've already invested in a lot of hostas and should have asked this question beforehand just in case.

Crossing my fingers, and thanks in advance!

-Will

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Comments (12)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
unlike conifers ... wait..

more posts.. more better.. so quit apologizing ... knock your self out with the posts ...

unlike trees... you will try to drown a hosta .. more is better ... but being in the PNW .... i doubt you will have the heat that sets them back in summer ....

the worst that happens without enough water.. is some leaf scorch .. and you will have to learn the lower end of watering needs ....

but the peeps i know from the PNW who do hosta... cant beat them back with sticks..

YA KNOW WILL .... they will grow on the driveway with little or no soil.. so whatever you do ... will just be a plus ....

one of the biggest reasons i have hosta.. is that they are so relatively carefree ...

there are some .. don has a list.. of well known duds... just try to stay away from them .. and you should be all set ...

i dont think they need all that much fertilizer.. given any kind of decent soil.. so i do very minimum fert on my sand...

ken

PS: the real big issue out your way are the foot sized slugs ... you have them... ???? it puts our midwest slugs to shame...
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firefightergardener
Original Author
14 years ago
Lots of slugs Ken. We get all kinds, small ones, fat brown ones, huge banana slugs with spots on them, tiny little ones, etc.

Fortunately I've found a good source for cheap organic sluggo. I've applied it generously around my new baby hostas. I've certainly had my fair share of hostas 'munched to the ground' in 24 hours here.

My hostas should be soaked to death for the first couple of years as I establish the JM's and conifers around them. After a few years, I plan on only watering a few times a Summer, during really hot stretches.

Thanks Ken!

-Will
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I had a bar mitzvah to attend at a synagogue 1.3 miles from my home today. Not allowed to carry an umbrella or drive on the Sabbath, so I had to hoof it. Whew. I was wearing my North Face winter boots as part of my prep for the anticipated weather, a 700 down parka, and bringing a plastic rain poncho against the predicted sleet and freezing rain. Guess what? It proved NECESSARY! By the time I walked home, it was pouring freezing rain. Icicles actually formed on the edge of my parka hood! It was very slick to walk on iced sidewalks. But, walking home, I figured "At least my hostas on the balcony got of bit of water today!" See? I'm walking in terrible weather conditions, and what do I think about? My hostas! So, my hostas got a bit of watering today, right? WRONG. They are behind the railing, which is set back about 12" from the edge. I didn't see the wooden floor of the balcony the slightest bit wet. I will have to go out on the balcony tomorrow (fortunately, no precipitation predicted) and give a bit of water to all my potted hostas. Aw, the things we go through for our hostababies.
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jakkig
14 years ago
Will! You can't just say you've "found a good source for cheap organic sluggo" without posting a link!! That just ain't fair! You may have world-beating slugs out there in the PNW, but over here in the NE we have little slugs, with HUGE teeth and GIGANTIC appetites - it all evens out and we all need help!!!

Jakki
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firefightergardener
Original Author
14 years ago
LOL Jakki... OK link attached. We pay about $18 for a big gallon+ jug of the stuff. I'd guess it's about 3-4 lbs though I didn't check.

I must say it's remarkably effective. I've used it for a couple weeks now and the damage literally stopped overnight. On one hand I feel bad that I am killing organisms that are probably part of the ecosystem, but on the other, I'm sure there are a LOT of slugs out there and not endangered yet!!

-Will

Here is a link that might be useful: Costco sluggo(not available online)
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User
14 years ago
You might consider installing a drip irrigation system that is fed from a hose or outdoor faucet. It is very water-efficient, and your labor after installation would mainly be hooking up the hose and turning on the faucet. You can even get a kit with a battery-operated programmable timer, reducing your labor to one hook-up and changing the batteries.
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jakkig
14 years ago
Thanks Will! Now I'll have to find a Costco member near me - or join! We hostaholics will do ANYTHING to battle the slug - when you see some of the weapons we use, for instance, creeping around in the middle of the night, flash lights attached to our foreheads, bottles of ammonia and other noxious concoctions in each hand, spritzing away with manic concentration - you will either run screaming from this forum, or you will jump in with both feet and join a wonderful group of sharing, caring people!
Hope you jump and that your hosta beds fill quickly with these beautiful plants!
Jakki
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hosta_freak
14 years ago
I don't water,or fertilize the hostas. We get enough rain every year to supply the needs. The soil here gets amended by falling leaves,and decomposing mulch and we have tons of earthworms. I don't have much of a slug problem,and I just use ammonia/water spray,when I see one. Phil
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sandykk
14 years ago
Can you tell us the name of the product you are finding at Costco for the slugs. I've never seen anything at any of our Costcos, and I have a few around to visit.
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shade_tolerant
14 years ago
I don't give my hostas any extra water unless they are in their first year with me. If we have a drought I will try to give them some water but usually watering is restricted than anyway.
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koidom
14 years ago
I live in the Pacific Northwest and it gets dry dry dry in the summer... I have to water like mad or everything is a gonner.

It's insane how dry things get, guess thats why we have such touble with fires.
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firefightergardener
Original Author
14 years ago
""I live in the Pacific Northwest and it gets dry dry dry in the summer... I have to water like mad or everything is a gonner.
It's insane how dry things get, guess thats why we have such touble with fires.""

No Kidding Koidome, I don't think people from anywhere but the West coast can appreciate how dry it is here from June to October. In most of the rest of the country they get 4-5 inches of rain a month while we average about an inch.

""Can you tell us the name of the product you are finding at Costco for the slugs. I've never seen anything at any of our Costcos, and I have a few around to visit.""

Sandykk:

It's Sluggo 'organic', at Costco. Some stores carry different things, you might ask for it at the customer service desk if your local Costco doesn't carry it.
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Babka NorCal 9b
14 years ago
Yup, I certainly do appreciate just how dry it gets out here on the West Coast. Down here near San Jose, we get Zero rain during those months...generally from May to November. This year is weird, as we've had some tenths of an inch of rain here in May.

I think your hostas are going to need some man made irrigation.

-Babka
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'Established' hostas and water/fertilizer needs

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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'Established' hostas and water/fertilizer needs

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