A simple, effective, economical way to kill slugs is spraying with an Ammonia solution. Mix 25% ammonia in water and spray your hosta concentrating on the crown where the buggers may hide during the day. Spray all around in the leaves and anywhere else they may be in the area. This will kill the slugs and as a bonus ammonia is a fertilizer. A few times a week will keep them at bay.

I think hosta in pots in zone 5 would be a pain. The problem in zone 5 is that they freeze and pretty much stay frozen. If they start to thaw on the top, the water has no place to go. It just sits there on top and rots your hosta. You can tip them on their side once they freeze and store them on the north side, where they will not get sun on them. That's not foolproof, I understand. The other option is to sink them into your veggie garden to overwinter, which I understand works very well.

I'm in zone 8, and they do fine for me. However, they never freeze solid for more than a day or two. I can leave them where they sit all winter. The downside for me is that they come up early and have to be protected from late freezes and frosts. They also don't get as big.

On the slug thing - I understand there is a method to the ammonia thing. I don't have much of a problem with that, as mine are in pots, so someone else will have to explain it. I believe there is some kind of timing that reduces the need to spray all the time.

bk

bkay, I think the need to spray would be variable depending upon the extent of the problem. Papou (???) is the expert credited with starting this treatment. As the story goes he had lush hostas while everyone else in the neighborhood had terrible problems with slugs. His secret was an ammonia spray 3 times a week (50% if my memory is correct). If that seems like too much trouble I'm sure some experimentation could show what the minimum dosage would be in a certain area. I'm also sure it could be reduced over time as slugs are better controlled.

I have had terrible problems with slugs and cutworms this year also. I was the crazy lady on the block, after 9 pm with a flashlight and tweezers. Yuck! I also did the beer thing, which helps, but I would have needed a beer truck to keep up.......hahaha. So, what other hosta growers have told me to do a 10% ammonia solution. The trick is to start in fall applying it to the hosta garden. Then do the same thing in spring just as the pips are coming up. I believe you can use a higher % if you want. I learned that once the slugs are the munching away, you have lost the battle.

Right now isn’t the best time to be buying from nurseries or big box stores. It’s the end of the season and their hostas are picked over and depending upon your growing zone, they may be getting brown in preparation for going dormant. You can order online, but most nurseries or hosta farms won’t ship until the appropriate time.

The hostas in your pictures look stressed, maybe too much sun, not enough water? You want to keep them watered so they don’t die. If you want to move them now, again keep them watered well. Hostas can look different depending on your location, amount of light and what time of the season it is. Many look a certain color In spring, but a very different color later in the summer. I would recommend doing whatever work you Intend to do now and then over the winter, take some time looking at photos of hostas you may like for your yard. Krossa Regal is a great one to start with.

On on the front page of the Hosta Library, there is space that says Rawson‘s hosta list. Click on it and it will give you many ways to search for hostas by their characteristics, such as——leaf size, hosta color, plant size. Once you find something there, check it out in the Library where you get several different views of the plant. There is also a plant comparison link where you can choose two different hostas and see them side by side. Wishing you good luck, you have quite a lot of room for hostas!

Thanks everyone! Yes they are stressed from too much sun, specifically afternoon scorchers. This has all been on my list since I retired so I am anxious to try and do everything at once! I will hold off until spring to buy as I have amendments I need to get mixed in and lawn edging put in and it may not go well around those trees. I have to try and avoid becoming obsessive which I tend to do with a new project!!

Thanks Ken! The trees are two flowering ornamental crabapples and a dogwood. The big crabapple at the far end will be the problem as it already has two huge roots exposed and I found feeder roots over 12' away when I planted something this spring. The bank drops down about 8' on the other side of the fence. The ammendments were only going to be mixed in the soil I added. Yes the 'grass' up the lawn and past the trees about 3' I am going to cover with cardboard (if I can find enough) and mulch. If I can't get close enough to the tree trunks to plant I will put pots or planters of impatients. I better learn everything quickly as the years are mostly used up - at least 70 of them already!! LOL

Relax.......you have plenty of time. I speak for myself, but many gardeners would agree, your garden is a process. It usually doesn’t happen overnight. I started back in 92 and I am still adding new hostas and perennials and thinking of new design elements. Jon’s recent post showing his arbor in the garden has inspired me to think about how I could work one in. I have always wanted one. Anyway, good luck and make sure you post your accomplishments! And check out the many features of the Library in your spare time.