This year is weird for us up here in the tundra.
I have crispy leaves on hostas that aren't even in full sun. They're established (4 years in that bed), were well watered and happy. But this week's winds, lack of rain and the intense sunlight that comes from being near summer solstice has really wreaked havoc on them.

So, for the last week or so, I feel like our gardens are much more like those friends of ours who hare a couple zones south. Normally, I do not have crispy leaves on anything!.... at least not till August!

I'm in the same boat--the hot temps the last 2 days have left quite a few of my hostas crispy--I watered the heck out of them too--guess not enough though. I just wish the weather here in MN would make up its mind. We go from 103* to the mid 60's later in the week!!!

I know what you mean... our record breaking temps, days in the mid-upper 90's = crispy leaves and sunburned hosta.

I don't have an answer for you, except to tell you that the crispy leaves and sunburn obviously won't kill the hosta, just make them "ugly" sooner. My Sum & Substance seems to fare the worst, I guess because of the large surface area of each leaf.

Personally I am in the "waiting mode" for my replacement trees to start providing the shade I used to have before I lost my giant japanese maple. I have resigned myself to the fact that no matter how much I water, the sun is going to win (especially since I work full-time and can't do anything about mid-day sun)!

In the past I have trimmed the worst of the dead part off the leaves, so that from a distance, you don't see crispy brown and the green, functioning part of the leaves can still feed the plant.

BettyLu

recent transplants????

all the shade leaves will burn off ...

then when the new flush comes out.. they will be very much more tolerant to the sun ...

its like my freckled red head.. in early spring.. he is burnt to toast ...SP or not ...

by summer.. he does not burn..

his skin has acclimated ... as will new leaves ...

as to how much water.. as much as it takes.. you know there really isnt any answer to that ...

ken

and I have found that a heat of the day cool down with a spray from the hose really does help cool the leaves and cut down on the burning.
And ken is right....they will better learn to cope with the sun next year.
I had a faucet last year...right behind the Guardian angel. didn't know it until frost tood the hosta down....and I hav a huge icecicle.
you should see that Guardian angel this year...easily doubled from the year before.

My understanding of the water, sun, and roots deal is as follows. Hosta leaves transpire a lot of water. In direct sun this increases exponentially. If they don't replace that water the leaves scorch and eventually wilt. The plant will go into survival mode shedding leaves.

To grow hosta in full sun there are a lot of variables.

1. The intensity and duration of the direct sun.
2. The genetics of the Hosta. Hostas related to Plantaginea with white flowers will fare better. Perhaps their root systems are better adapted to absorb more water.
3. The amount of water you give it.
4. The ability of the root system to absorb that water. A young plant with an underdeveloped root system will fry no matter how much water you provide because it can't take it in.

As for how much water you need to give in your situation, you are going to have to play it by ear. If you have drip irrigation or soaker hoses that would be helpful.

Right now I'm growing a S&S and Fried Bananas in full sun from 11:00 a.m. to sundown at the 41st parallel. I was hand watering the S&S every other day, but it got a little scorching. So I've upped the frequency to daily. Today I gave that S&S about 8 gallons slowly delivered. Once it gets to the 90s, (today and tomorrow), I will probably water those two Hosta twice a day. If the root systems can absorb that much, they may be fine.
Here's the S&S today.

Basically, you've got to establish your watering schedule and adjust it as you observe your plants. I hope this helps.

Steve

I'm growing tons of hostas in full sun and don't have trouble with them burning. I have developed a watering system that seems to work.

I keep my eye on the weather. When I know we're going to have scorching days, I deep water them the day before. I have a shut-off valve between my hose and the nozzle. I turn the shut-off valve so the water has a steady but not forceful amount of water coming out. I take the nozzle and put it in the center of the hosta and soak it. Then, I pick up the leaves and soak the ground around it, all the way to the drip line. You'd be surprised when you pick up the leaves how much of the soil surrounding the hosta that didn't even get wet.

With the recent heat wave we've had, I've managed to get all of them watered like this at least twice in the last three days. Some of my smaller ones, I've soaked twice each day.

I work from home and spend a lot of time during the day waiting on the phone on hold. So, I take my phone and my laptop out to the garden, turn the speaker phone on, listen to the wonderful music, and water away. Since I don't get the leaves wet, I can do this anytime of the day.

I just learned about hose guides and have placed some of them around the garden so it makes dragging the hose easier and I don't have to worry about crushing one of my plants.

I'm thinking about putting in some sort of irrigation, but I really enjoy watering my hostas.

Gesila

Gesila.... it sounds like a good plan, if you have just a few hostas... but when you're well into the obsession you're getting a good start on, watering every hosta in that way is just not feasible.

Ideally, drip irrigation is a great solution... I tried it, but the squirrels decided it was an easy way for THEM to get water too!

My present manual irrigation does not permit heavy watering of full-sun hostas. Though I am retired, it would still be too much work for me. I have to pay for city water, over 40,000 gal per quarter the price doubles. Most of my hostas are in shade. I usually water only when needed or when 96 degrees like today, mostly once per week in summer. I got an estimate of an automatic watering system at $5600, much too much for me, a simpler one at $3800, perhaps when I am 80. Plus that might require too much maintenance. Right now I have one quarter of my lot watered with soaker hoses, but they are cracked now.

Presently I use four 50 or 75 ft garden hoses and 2 oscillating overhead sprinklers for the landscape, plus one hose and sprinkler always connected for the little vegetable garden. Since my property is a little less than 1/2 acre, and my house has two city water outlets, one in front and one in back with a 4-valves-outlet each, I do not "drag" hoses around much. That is, in 4 hours, with sprinklers moved every hour, I can water the whole lot, adding half an hour watering of missed plants. I do not water all grass.

I remember discussions about irrigation systems in this forum, but I like my present setup for its simplicity.
Bernd

Dang, what? No 1 + 2 = 3???

Putting together all the responses, sounds like I will need to:
1. expect the unexpected
2. water deeply just about every day
3. fix that connection in my soaker hose set-up

I think I'd really like to have one of those drip irrigation systems where you put the little dripper right on the plants you want. Maybe I'll set that up in the fall when (if) I can get that stuff on sale. I used to think that seemed like such a daunting task, but for some reason, nothing in the garden seems so daunting anymore.

Gesila, I work from home, as well, and also now enjoy the watering process of my hostas. (I used to be lazy about watering, but for some reason I'm suddenly a more responsible hosta mom!) I'm popping outside every hour or two to move the hose from one hosta base to another.

I am happy for the hostas, starting today, we are going to have more temperate weather for the next week or so here in the upper midwest. I'll keep watering, hopefully they will stop burning!

Mary... I tried drip irrigation a couple years back. I've found that irrigation materials NEVER go on sale.

For me, it might have been effective IF the dang squirrels hadn't chewed thru the funny pipe.

I have a spigot at the back of my property line, so I ended up putting a line of PVC across the back of my garden, putting 5 sprinklers on varying sizes of PVC risers... one is as high as 4 feet, to shoot over the hydrangeas.... one is just 6". I can set a timer on the spigot and 45 minutes of water gets me 1/2 inch of water to my gardens.

After this heat and wind, I ran the system for like 3 hours yesterday! Can you say DEEEPP soak?

That drip/drizzle irrigation thingy can bite ya if ya have invasive tree root issues such as from Maples and Red Pines . The tree roots will head for the irrigation sources. beware ;-)