Crown Rot and Spinout Bags?

9 years ago

I wonder if any of you using Spinout bags also had crown rot this spring.
I had 5 hostas (of 350) with crown rot this year. None died, but they came back much smaller with a lot of leaves. One hosta 'Stained Glass' was replanted last summer in a Spinout bag, center of crown rotted this spring, and I have now 5 small hostas from it with a lot of leaves each. Other hostas in Spinout bags did fine.
Will these small plants ever mature again?

I thought now to cut off a piece of the fabric which is to extend over soil surface to prevent water collecting in spring in that extended ring of fabric. Freezing / thawing of water above the crown is supposed to cause crown rot. Another ring around hostas is the extending part of a buried wire mesh basket (voles), but that has holes, which could be frozen shut.

Any suggestions? Thanks!
Bernd

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Comments (3)

coll_123
9 years ago
I lost a number of hostas this year that were left in plastic pots, and not sunken into the ground. Some survived, albeit very damaged, and some rotted. Plants in plastic pots that were sunken in the ground survived as normal. Then I had one mystery death, and that was one in a buried spinout bag. I have no idea what caused that one's demise....it was one of three lakeside Beach Captains in a group, all in spinout bags. One got invaded by voles from the surface, and is stunted this year. The middle one is smaller for unknown reasons, and then the third one just died! I have many others in spinout bags and all those did fine lt winter. Not gonna be replacing LBC.
MadPlanter1 zone 5
9 years ago
Sea Lotus Leaf had crown rot. It came up looking fine.

When the whole main crown died in late June, it put out side roots that should have saved it. Then a raccoon dug it up. The remains (two tattered leaves) are sitting in a pot, not dead but not growing, either.

It was a weird year. No snow all winter. March and April were dry, May was soggy, lots of rain in June, not a drop in July, and over 6 inches so far in August. (Could be more, it's pouring right now.) I think the rot might have had something to do with all the excess moisture in June. I actually had to treat plants for Southern blight, first time ever. So much for not being able to overwater a hosta.

Whirlwind, also in a spinout bag, came back looking like a liner this spring.

On the other hand, the hostas in bags grow twice as fast as the ones battling tree roots. I can live with a few problems in exchange for growth. I just hope all the rain we've had the last two weeks doesn't cause more rot and/or blight.

And it wasn't all the bag's fault. Un-bagged Cathedral Windows sits in a low clay-y spot and started turning yellow. I dug it up, excavated 12 inches of clay and put in more compost. The yellowed parts died, but CW recovered nicely. That's what I get for letting landscapers do the original soil amendment. Six good inches and solid clay underneath.

Wow, did I get O.T. Anyhow, I see no reason why your little Stain Glass hostas shouldn't grow back to full size as long as they have roots.
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Original Author
9 years ago
coll and madplanter, Thanks for your comments!
I also have hostas in spinout bags that are growing wonderfully.

So it is probably simply the weather after my long late winter which probably caused that rot on those plants. One 'LS Cha Cha' was already that way the year before; I thought it might be voles, put it in a wire mesh basket, but that did not help, probably has a fungus. I drenched those plants with a Bayer product which also should help on Southern Blight.

Another mystery I have is two h. 'Avocados' bought 2 years ago from different vendors and placed far apart. They produce a lot of yellow leaves, but have no petiole rot. I water them as needed, and neighbors are fine, all in the same light situation.
Bernd

Crown Rot and Spinout Bags?

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coll_123

MadPlanter1 zone 5

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coll_123

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