WARNING: Worlds dumbest question

12 years ago

OK, I'm going to swallow my pride and just ask all of you probably one of the dumbest questions that has ever been asked on this this forum. Here it goes...I know hosta are supposed to have 1.5 inches of water a week, right? Well, if you're standing there with a hose watering, how can you know if they are getting the right amount? I have a rain gauge that can measure the rain (unless it's a horizontal rain storm) The rain gauge can also measure the amount of water that the sprinkler gives, but is there a way to measure the amount of water that a plant gets by just watering with a hose? When I water with the hose I just stand there until the plant area won't hold anymore water and it obviously is ok, but this is a question that I've wondered about for a long time. Warned you that it was a dumb question. Is there even an answer to such a dumb question or who cares as long as the hosta are growing?

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Comments (11)

Babka NorCal 9b
12 years ago
Too many variables going on... Soil type, temp, other plants, slope, etc. I hadn't heard that 1.5" number. Hostas will tell you if they are getting enough water. I think you answered your own question in your last sentence "who cares as long as the hosta are growing". :-)

-Babka
gayle0000
12 years ago
I don't worry too much about the inches.

I water my plants with the hose, and I just water the crap out of the hostas. I watch the weather. I just keep an eye on the weather and water when necessary.

I have nice Illinois black soil. No clay. Drains well. I'm not too worried about inches of water. I figure if I've watered the crap out of them, they're good for about 1 week of average temps. I would water maybe twice a week if the weather is extreme.

I used to have clay soil at my old house. Totally different. You might want to advise on this forum what your soil is like. If you have clay, say so...disregard my crap-o-water advise and get ready for different responses.

Gayle
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lindac
12 years ago
Hostas can't have too much water.....just keep watering....
They can survive quite a while without much at all....but the more you water the faster they grow and the more beautiful they are.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
how about i give you the stupidest answer ... dig a freakin hole and find out ... jeez ...

water your hosta.. and water a clear spot to the side ...

when you think you are all done ... get the shovel.. and dig the clear spot ...

AND FIND OUT HOW THE WATER MOVED IN YOUR SOIL ...

if your 5 minutes.. gave water down to a depth sufficient for a happy hosta.. you win ...

if you come to find out.. you barely got one inch deep.. you need to apply more water ...

makes sense???

it took me 2 years with my drip iriigation.. to figure out.. that NO ONE could tell me.. on my soil.. in my yard.. how water moves thru MY soil ... in my irritation.. as i was sulking back to the house cursing.. i seem to recall hitting myself in the head with my shovel .. when it dawned on me.. and i will yell?

ONLY I CAN DIG A HOLE IN MY GARDEN AND FIND OUT WHERE THE WATER IS GOING ...

thereafter.. it was pretty simple to figure out how long to water ... to get it deep enough for the hosta to appreciate it ...

there!!!.. thats your glittering jewel of wisdom for the weekend.. lol

ken

ps: the only dumb or stupid question.. is the UNasked question.. i for one.. appreciate a quest for learning ... shows you are thinking.. and thats what keep you going ... dont you think ... now go dig a hole ...
sassy7142
Original Author
12 years ago
OK, In other words there really isn't an answer to that question as a gauge of some sort because of all the variables. So, I'll just continue to water the crap out of them and watch the weather like Gayle does. Wish I had a well and irrigation system like Ken's. With all that sandy soil that you have up there, you'd be standing at one plant for hours trying to water with a hose wouldn't you? Ken, you're wrong about one thing, there are dumb questions...I just proved that. Thanks, guys
hosta_freak
12 years ago
I never water,except when planting a new plant. My soil is red clay,but the area where I grow hostas is in the woods,so that doesn't apply. I know my soil is good,as the water percolates well down into the ground,when I plant a new one. We've had some droughts,but I have never lost a plant yet. I would have to go with what Linda said. They can't get enough water. Phil
Hostamedic
12 years ago
Here is a way to figure out about how much water would do the trick.

You can find the volume of a column by using the following equation:
Volume = pi x r squared x h

r = radius (half the diameter)

pi = 3.14 (constant)

h = depth of column (in this case, 1.5 inches)

So if you want to give a 20 inch diameter hosta 1.5 inches of water, the equation looks like this:

volume = 3.14 x 10 squared x 1.5
or
volume = 3.14 x 100 x 1.5
or
volume = 471 cubic inches

1 US Gallon = 231 cubic inches

so

Divide 471 by 231 to find volume in gallons:

volume = 2.04 Gallons

Now you know to give 2 gallons to that size of hosta. To find out how long to water with your hose, find out the gallon per minute rate of the hose by seeing how long the hose takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket. Say it takes 2.5 minutes to fill a 5 gallon bucket, then you know that your hose delivers 2 gallons per minute.

Now you know that to give a 20 inch diameter hosta 1.5 inches of water, you should water for 1 minute with your hose, which will deliver 2 gallons of water.

Thanks for making me think about this as it will serve as a guideline for myself also.

Ryan
kisher
12 years ago
OK, that last post made me chuckle!

I was a math major in college, but you calculations got my head spinning... I guess it's been too long ago!

I'm sure they are correct, but I just hose each hosta for about 20 to 30 secs along with the rest of my flower gardens when the ground starts to dry out a few days after a good rain. Somehow, the hosta survive just fine.

Ron
sassy7142
Original Author
12 years ago
Ryan, you're a genus! There really is a way to figure it out! I'm impressed!!! That is totally awesome.

I don't know anything about algebra, but you laid it all out so plain that even I can understand it.

This is a great guideline. I know that I will continue to water the crap out of them and watch them grow, but it's really nice to know that there IS a recipe for watering with a hose.

My curiosity is now satisfied on this matter. Thank you

Now I'm going to read your post to my hubby and let him know that it wasn't the world dumbest question after all. LOL
Hostamedic
12 years ago
Hey no problem. Glad you can take something from it.

Ryan
gayle0000
12 years ago
sassy said: "Now I'm going to read your post to my hubby and let him know that it wasn't the world dumbest question after all."

Priceless.

WARNING: Worlds dumbest question

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Babka NorCal 9b

gayle0000

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