leaf size in potted hosta

10 years ago

I received two gallon pots of dormant NOID hosta in a plant swap in March that were supposed to be Joe-pye weed. Since I love hosta I was pleasantly surprised when the pips showed and small blue leaves emerged. I've kept up with watering, so the plants are healthy & recently bloomed lavender.

I've anxiously watched these new plants and the leaves have not increased in size. I seem to recall that pots dwarf the plants due to limited root room & moisture, but I'm not sure about the leaves.

I've lightly fertilized with my version of lazy gardener compost tea (handful of mostly composted manures in a watering can for a few days). The pots are top dressed with leaf mold.

Though I'm not usually into the minis these have got me curious and I'm thinking how to design a new space for them along with old stumps, ferns, & other Northwest natives.

Could the small leaf size be retained because of the small pot?

Corrine

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Comments (8)

User
10 years ago
Hi Corrine. If you have pictures of the two NOIDS, that is the first thing folks here need to see. You are able to post one picture per post using the GardenWeb uploader which is always present above the "Post a Follow-Up" box. If you have a photo service like Flickr or Photobucket, then you insert the HTML code into your posts, and can upload a LOT of pictures per post.

Glad you stopped in.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
Could the small leaf size be retained because of the small pot?

==>>> perhaps after a decade or so ... by which time most of its roots have grown out the bottom.. and the plastic pot is half exploded ....

but i would suspect a small or mini hosta.. before i would suspect dwarfism due to pot...

need that pic

and may as well tip it out of the pot.. and look at the root system... then shove it back in ... why guess????

ken
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bkay2000
10 years ago
Actually, the leaves don't get as large in pots as in the ground, but we're talking about 10X8 vs 12X9.

Just a wild stab in the dark, but your description of small blue leaves and lavender blooms, I would suggest you look at the hosta library at Blue Mouse Ears. It's old enough and fast growing, so it might well be in a plant swap.

bk

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Library B's
oliveoyl3
Original Author
10 years ago
Here are photos of them.
From plants
From plants
User
10 years ago
I am puzzling over the color of green in those plants. Is that a filter effect, or the real color? I like it, sort of a dulled gray green. Unique to my way of thinking.

I have no idea about the plant ID. Sorry.
oliveoyl3
Original Author
10 years ago
Leaves were blue, but my watering with a hose wand & morning sunshine have changed the appearance. I don't need to know the name of the hosta, just if it is a mini or small, so I can plan the location in the new garden.
paul_in_mn
10 years ago
I'm guessing these are possibly Blue Cadet, the leaf size is about right. Blue Cadet is a good grower. If keeping them in pots, check if they are potted in garden soil vs potting soil - garden soil will be too heavy to drain well and roots will not getting enough air.

Paul
Babka NorCal 9b
10 years ago
It all depends on the size of the pot. My Olive Bailey Langdon gets about 2/3 the leaf size in a 3 gallon pot. That would be dinner-plate size. I will have to divide her next Spring as she has no soil showing! Now if you you get a 75 gal pot....

-Babka

leaf size in potted hosta

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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leaf size in potted hosta

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