Help Save the Hostas

14 years ago

I have 30-40 hosta plants in 1 quart containers at a retail

sales shop.

I have never grown plants before, so I am not familiar with

any of this.

These Hostas were bought in April, early May. They have been kept in a place that gets morning sun and afternoon shade.

The soil is pretty wet at all times, but the leaves are turning yellow. First around the outer edge and then the whole leaf. Each and every plant is doing this. Very few have flowered.

What am I doing wrong?

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Comments (5)

nolightson
Original Author
14 years ago
And I forgot to ask,...what can I do to save them?
ptilda
14 years ago
Would you be able to post photos? It helps us to see the issue.

But it sounds to me like sunburn, or stress. Chances are, if you water them and leave them alone, they will come back just fine next year. A lot of times these plants are not hardened to the outdoor weather (they are kept in greenhouses), so when placed into the sun and the outdoor elements, they get sunburned since they haven't gotten adjusted to the weather. When they put up new leaves, check to see if the new leaves have the same issue.

Also, I'm wondering about the container size. 1 Quart size is pretty small for any hosta to make it's home in, and they might just be getting dry.
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Hi, Personally I would lift them, make sure the soil is good and add or topdress with compost if needed, then keeping the soil light and fluffy replant the hostas so that the roots are covered by about 1/2 to 1" of good soil. I go around in the spring and often find some pants that have heaved and this is what I do, and surprisingly they tend to regrow fairly good. Sometimes they send out new dormant buds from around the crown and other times the eyes that were trying to form perk up a bit. Will still be set back for now, but as long as you can get some new growth out of them they'll be better next year. You are right that it is important to cover the roots. New root growth emerges form the crowns ABOVE the previous year's growth. If that part is exposed then new roots can't form as easily and the hostas can struggle until the entire crown grows itself deeper. People who instruct others to keep the roots showing upon transplanting and then also say that this sets them back for a few years and causes them to shrink because of the move are actually experiences shrinkage due to planting too high. Also, it is possible that your fall planted hostas simply didn't get a chance to root out before winter and then heaved from repeated freezes and thaws in late winter. Mulching the garden can help to keep the soil evenly frozen over winter and can prevent a lot of the freeze/thaw/heave cycle. Hope that helps. Chris
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Icenovm...... You need some help, and it isn't simply about the grass clippings. You are in a whole new world with your hosta in Texas, than you were in ILLINOIS. Fortunately for you, we have someone on the forum who lives in Texas in zone 8.with years of experience growing hosta IN TEXAS. Take the clippings off. Your problem is something called southern blight, which can occur because of heat and humidity and poor air circulation around your roots. What I've done when it happens, and I was able to save my first hosta when I caught it on time, was to spray it down with 10% ammonia mixed with water. I also changed out the potting mix. Gave it a new pot. Might not be required, but I sometimes over react. I've lost several hosta to that blight--but it is not simply HOSTA affected by it. It can happen to lots of other plants. You know your plant has it when the stems/petioles simply decide to fall over dead, and the plant was fine the day before. Tell tale little orange balls like Osmocote can be seen around the base of the hosta. It scared me so bad after I saw my first favorite plant dead of southern blight, that I stopped using Osmocote...every time I saw one of those little balls in a plant, I immediately had heart failure--oh gee, another one with southern blight! After you salvage your hosta, and they stabilize, be sure to read the forum for growing hosta in zone 8 and higher. I'm in zone 9a. Your hosta need a lot more water, no afternoon sun unless it is fairly LATE afternoon. If they are in the ground, good drainage. If they are in containers, good drainage. (Which is true for hosta elsewhere too, I know.) But also keep the roots cool, don't let the sun shine on the pot unless it is WHITE. Hope you come back to tell the end of this story. Welcome to the forum.
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Hi, I just came in from checking my plants and thought I would check this forum to see what damage others are seeing. I was surprised not to see more posts on the subject! I have several kinds of hostas and the leaves are definately damaged after last night's cold. I think that after the cold passes, they will continue to put up new leaves and be just fine. Hosta and Daylillies both are very tolerant of these late freezes. I have never lost any to late cold, regardless of leaf damage. I hope yours pull thru and return to good health. They are amazingly hardy plants so there is every reason to think they will! If you don't have too many, you can cover with leaves, mulch up high around them or even put cardboard boxes over them. This won't protect against actual freeze, it's used more to protect against frost, but it should help some. Also go out and water them well if you can. A well-watered plant is less likely to suffer damage than a dehydrated one. ~Christine
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
yellowing around the edges.. moving toward the center..

starting on the oldest leaves.. the first out in spring

is classic signs of insufficient water.. period ...

i know some nurseries.. that water 3 times a day ...

a picture would confirm such

no clue where you are ... so all the above is speculation... hotter the zone.. the more the issue become lack of water ...

the hosta is basically sacrificing the oldest leaves. in an attempt to retain as much water as it can.. to protect the plant itself...

if all the leaves yellow and brown.. you will have achieved what is called summer dormancy.. which is caused by.. LACK OF WATER ...

the biggest problem is that now is the time that hosta are growing new roots.. and storing energy for next spring.. and instead yours are shutting down ... they will not be much bigger next year.. if the issue isnt solved..

ken
poberbeck
14 years ago
If you can't repot them, then I suggest you find a shallow pan or plant tray. Set the pots in the tray and keep it filled with water. The plants will soak up the water as it is needed. It is really interesting how fast the water gets used up!

Another suggestion would be to dig a shallow ditch and set the pots into that. There is a local garden center that keeps their hosta like that all year, even in the winter.
ptilda
14 years ago
nolightson, in addition to what poberbeck said, you can get rectangular plastic/rubber containers and set the pots in there and fill it an inch or two with water. See how much they lap up the first day (or first few hours), and you'll know how much they need.

Help Save the Hostas

Comments (5)

nolightson
Original Author

ptilda

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Help Save the Hostas

Comments (5)

nolightsonOriginal Author

ptilda

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nolightson
Original Author