I have not used anything like those in years but when i did i just used gallon milk jugs with a small hole drilled into the bottom

had to be careful when it was windy and they ran low

i heard 5 gal pails even work better

If your hostas are already established, they will survive whether you give them extra water or not. We have had a lot of rain this year in Indy and I have yet to water my hostas (or any other plants) one time this season. Just a thought so you can slow your frenzied pace. :)

I've been using a Ross Root Feeder that attaches to the hose. It gets water below the crown and no wet leaves, no water wasted in the mulch, less evaporation. It works especially great in sun baked corners where an oscillating sprinkler would overlap sidewalks and non-garden. Every 10 minutes or so, I move it over 10 feet. Found 2 of them at a garage sale, I love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ross Root Feeder

All, thanks, I like that root waterer/feeder for my trees and roses except the huge one where roots extend all over the back yard. Anyhoo, my trees are partly responsible for sucking water and nutrients from my beds plus hot sun so they dry out fast, so that could be a real help to me. I don't see how you can deliver nutrients with it, better look at that again, yes I do, don't want to have to spend more on theirs, will skip their fertilizer. Another useful gadget to budget for lol. Let's see, need a spreader, grub control, other lawn control (big bags), it does add up so I try to spread out out the costs.

Yes, we've had a terrific rain last Mon, it's all dried up now except and even where mulched. Been supposed to rain last 3 nights, I decided phooey, I'm watering, so just got in from that, have a lot to water, did the front last night, I have to water when it's cooler. No rain yet heh.

I have used the milk jugs, but they won't be practical at all on that slope, that's why I was happy to see those spikes, if not there can sure use them beaucoup places. I may have to give those particular hostas a boost now and then when they get going, specially in the dog days of Aug & Sep, also the ones I planted last year I do water now and then (easy), seem to appreciate it, but haven't had time to water once the ones behind the garage, have to haul all the water back there, they are still ok, it's a mess there and soil not so good. Another chore demanding covering just a few plants and roundup. Plus right now I'm saving my jugs for winter sowing and takes me awhile to go through a gal of milk. But when I get more than I need or pick the neighbors' trash which I'm not above doing, I could use those in another bed and cut off the tops more so I can fill faster with the hose, I'm constantly filling too many containers & sprinkling cans. I need a longer hose but am making do for now, and would love to get a good hose reel. There is one xtra 50-footer in the basement but lugging hoses is even hard on me at times when I'm tired, fed up the the one in front but so thankful I finally had the faucet fixed there.

5 gal buckets, yes, that would really ooze a lot of water, but I AM sick of looking at the ugly things especially since my yard is starting to shape up and on the corner so visible from the streets and sidewalks. I have a serious drainage problem where I need every 5 gal bucket which I trash picked now until I can afford/get to getting that fixed right.

Plus I need a nice composter where I don't have to turn it by hand, never ends. A lot of that awful grass has gone to seed, I've got a lot of it pulled, but don't want it in my compost that I'm doing a crude way for now.

But I sure appreciate the ideas, wonder if there's another fertilizer I could get somewhere locally for that hose attachment. Saw some tree spikes at HD but held off on those because it looks to me like it would take awhile to leach down deep...

Anyway, to the point. I found some irrigation spikes and ordered two sets of 6, leaving me 4 for other things. I wanted the kind that screw on but these should be fine.

We've been using these for watering our baskets for a number of years -my wife calls them 'water witches'- and they work great with any size pop bottle. Sorry to say however that Lee Valley's price is rather lower than Harriet's, but, you just might want to try and see what they'll do about matching prices.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Aqua Spikes @ Lee Valley Tools

Egg on face time! Didn't read the silly details on Harriet's site, they're priced in packs of 6 as well and in fact are the cheaper of the 2 sources.... duhhhhh....

Am I reading this right? LV says set of 6 for $9.50. I got 2 sets and see I wrote the check for $18.46 (set of 6 @ $6.50). Usually I just toss that thing in the recycle bag, but they had aqua globes on front, so decided just to look and found these which are better for my purposes. Didn't know they were called water witches lol.

Anyway, if I'd seen them at LV first, yes, I probably would have ordered from them. That would have been $19 w/o shipping. Still kind of hated even paying what I did for plastic carrots w/holes at the ends :-), filling out the dern form, and trying to stuff it into that dinky envelope, plus the check. Then they want your email address blah blah, and trade your name, I wrote on the order form I didn't mind their catalog but didn't want any more adv stuff thru them. They'll ignore it I'll bet.

Some email alerts I don't mind, but one mail or online order and I start getting a bunch of emails, catalogs, sure they get a deduction for cost of doing bus but it's a waste of paper and makes the mm's job even harder. Oh well, the po probably likes the revenue from postage. /end griping.

Egg on face time here too...didn't pay attention to the words "NEW HOSTA". LOL

Not to worry, I have to wash egg off my face on a regular basis, don't read critical details carefully enough myself.

At least I've learned a little more about hostas, not even scratched the surface, and great we have a resource where others are able and willing to help.