Before/after freeze...Viewer discretion is advised!

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 10, 2007 11:01 am

Well, I am glad I took some pics before I covered everything...I have only been growing hostas for about 4 years now, and haven't had this experience yet. Hope I don't get to have it too many times.

I really thought covering might help, and I think it did on some. I will say there is a bright side to this story as the minis that I covered with pots all week, then covered with blankets for the 2 really cold nights (below 20), are looking pretty good.

Here are some before and after pics of two of my hostas. I'll only show two as they are quite graphic in nature! (besides it could get really boring!

)

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 10, 2007 11:03 am

...and the second ones...

madmama · Post by **madmama** » Apr 10, 2007 11:31 am

I know your pain. Mine look just like that. Even the ones that were just starting to come up are soft to the touch. I have no idea what to expect now. This is a first for me.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 10, 2007 12:14 pm

Unfortunately that looks real familiar to me, Charla.

Sorry it happened to you & Madmama.

greenguy · Post by **greenguy** » Apr 10, 2007 12:27 pm

ouch! sorry

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Apr 10, 2007 12:39 pm

How sad.

Linda P

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 10, 2007 1:46 pm

Oh, gosh, Charla...that is so very sad! I had the same thing happen a few years ago...when I was also at the “4th yr. with hosta” stage. I was just crushed - they were just starting to put on some size at that stage!

I have found the most important thing when covering hosta is NOT to let what you are covering them with touch the hosta at all (except maybe those frost blankets Chris talks about). I also learned this the hard way. When you cover them, you want lots of air space between the hosta and the cover...this traps the warmer air around the hosta, which is what protects the hosta...not the cover itself. When I know it is going to get REALLY cold (below 20 degrees), I cover in early/mid afternoon, to trap as much warm air as I can. Pots with drainage holes don’t work so well when upended over hosta...warm air rises and goes right out the drainage holes. This is what drove me to using the hoops and plastic I use now. Here in northern lower Michigan our last average frost date is May 31...and by then, most all hosta are fully leafed out. So much easier and far, far cheaper to just stick in the hoops and drape plastic over them all than to buy enough huge (5’+) pots without drainage holes...and then spend the time covering/uncovering each individually. The hoops extend well beyond the edges of the beds and stand about 1-2’ over the top of the tallest hosta - trapping lots of warm air and not touching the hosta at all, which would directly transfer the cold. I get the feeling many here think I am a total nut to cover them all, but darn it, I really want to see some mature hosta SOON!

We are into our second week of record low nighttime temps in the single digits/low teens and daytime highs in the low 20s...haven’t had such a long stretch of such low temps at this time of year since I got hosta, so really don’t know what to expect. Hoping for the best...luckily got a few inches of snow last week to insulate them, and are expecting 3-8” more snow tomorrow along with a worse snowstorm this weekend...oh, boy (sigh).

If you can, try to protect those poor sad hosta from any further cold!

wanda (good luck!)

thy · Post by **thy** » Apr 10, 2007 4:14 pm

So sorry...Reldon knows what to do....

Wanda.. Please add a pic of your tunnels for the new to this forum ones, a pic is worth a thousand words

They may not tuch the buckets or pots

Brittish people use flece plaids, but did not expect them to work with the temp. drop you all got, but have used them directly on plants with a few degreec C under minus

Glad your minies did fine

Echo.. they will not die, but do get a set back

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 10, 2007 4:52 pm

Thanks, everyone. I am very sorry for all of you in this same boat with me. Yes, Wanda, I would like to see pics of your covers if you have some...and darn it, I'd like to see some mature hostas myself!

I am sorry you are dealing with so much snow! You could move down here with me.

I have been thinking of Rachael in Colorado...we lived there for a year in 2000. Our first snow was Sept. 24 and out last snow that next spring was May 24. Not my kind of place! Here in Kansas we had the 3rd warmest March on record and so far the 1st coldest April on record. What up! But, I guess once we get thru this year, we'll have lots more experience about saving/growing hosta.

I'm trying to think positive, I am just not doing very well with it!!!

That was a question I had...what happens to these babies if they put on new growth and get zapped again! We do have plenty more opportunity for cold temps, yet. There were even noses poking up last week thru the cold air that weren't there when I covered everything up the first time! I guess once the growth starts, it just keeps coming??

I think I will check Walmart's, etc. for closeout blanket sales this spring, as that worked, too! I really would like to see those pics of your tunnelss, Wanda. How does it hold up in high wind?

A couple of hosta that held up really well to my surprise, were Hanky Panky and High Society. High Society lost some size last year, over its first year I got it, and looks like it didn't gain any this year....but it didn't freeze! How do ya know????

Libby · Post by **Libby** » Apr 10, 2007 5:16 pm

Ditto for me, Wanda, I want to see photos and am ready to become a convert! It's hard enough to wait out all those months without hostas but to know they'll be set back a year or two?? just bums me out.

Charla, you're right - we could get another round, we're a long way from 'safe'. I also am seeing eyes that are newly emerged since I covered them a week ago. Today was the unveiling, several seem to be OK, that's as much as I'll venture to say but most eyes are showing damage from limp to soft to downright squishy. Squishy I know must be removed, the others I'll wait and see.

I'm trying to be optimistic. trying...

maidofshade · Post by **maidofshade** » Apr 10, 2007 5:51 pm

I feel sad for you guys who got hit with the frosts

Every since I saw the first picture of eyes coming up I have been checking around looking for signs of life. A couple of weeks ago I was so jealous of your warmer climates. I guess now I am sure glad it didn't warm up enough here yet to pop up anything but tulips and daffs! I hope that you get a second flush of leaves and nothing bad happens the next time around. Crazy weather isn't it

We are having some snow flurries today

...seems like Spring is still too far off. How bad does this set back your hostas for this year???

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Apr 10, 2007 7:28 pm

That is so heartbreaking to look at! Good thing that hostas are very hardy. I'm just hoping that my hostas won't unfurl and then we get another frost or snow. Keeping my fingers crossed here in NE Ohio. And I sure hope you people that live down south don't get hit with a late frost either!

thy · Post by **thy** » Apr 10, 2007 7:47 pm

Charla.. what's happend to your soil

Look like it all cracked up... do you have clay soil or... ?

Pia

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Apr 10, 2007 7:56 pm

Sorry to hear everyone has this much damage.. All of the ones I wanted to protect are either in a hoop house or covered with black pots and look great still.. The key to using pots is to tape up the drainage holes to hold the RISING heat in like Wanda mentioned already.. I left my Lancifolia uncovered on purpose to see how the hostas would fare if left uncovered and it looks like a virused pile of mush now.. Just hope the plants don't get so use to being covered that they stop growing when uncovered

Pia,
Not sure if it's the reason for Char, but when my soil here gets to dry it cracks like that also

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 10, 2007 9:07 pm

Ok, will have to get my sis to take some pic...but since we are expected to get 5-9” of snow tomorrow and possibly add more than that this weekend, may be a while. If there is snow on the ground, they just blend right in because I use the semi-transparent plastic sheeting.

In the meantime, if you have seen a hoop greenhouse, you have seen what I do with the hoops and plastic...just much smaller and shorter (and ever so much cheaper)! And more like a Salvador Dali vision of a hoop greenhouse since the beds are all odd-shaped because I don’t have a straight line anywhere in any of my gardens (hehe). I just stick the ends of the hoops right into the dirt or grass til they are sturdy, about 2’ apart. I use 2-3 in a line to reach across an entire bed. Make sure the hoops will hold the plastic at least a foot away from any hosta part. Once I have the hoops set up to cover an entire bed, I drape large (10-25’x10-25’) sheets of 4 mil plastic sheeting over them and anchor the edges with many rocks from the bed borders or chunks of firewood. Many of my beds are so large I have to use more than one piece of plastic and have to overlap them - so I use plastic clothespins to hold the overlapping pieces to whatever hoops are handy. Its not real pretty, but has really worked great for me...and saved me a lot of time.

One thing no one has mentioned is the importance of removing whatever covering you use fairly early in the morning if temps are warming...otherwise you can cook your hosta! Yep, I cooked one once back when I was using black plastic pots. Reminds me of the baby turkey incident many years ago - you really don’t want to forget to turn the brooder light off on a warm day.

Oh...I had a bad yr. with Bottom Line once...it regenerated itself 3 times one year. The first 2 eyes were frozen off completely. It right came back with 4 eyes...which my big-footed puppy accidently broke off completely. It came back with 8 eyes...but they were quite small and it took it a few years to really start growing well again.

wanda

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Apr 10, 2007 9:21 pm

Wanda I have 3 of the hoop houses here

.. Mine are protecting the potted plants though cause there further along then the grounded ones. Here's a photo of the the smaller on of the 3 that I built and it's 5ft wide by 20 ft long. I used concrete bricks to hold down the edges here. I placed the plastic piping 2 feet apart so if we got some snow it would hold the weight. You'll also see in the bottom right corner is where I started using the pots to cover grounded plants and was using wood wedges to hold the pots down. The temps here haven't been above 40 at all so I haven't removed the pots during the day and when I checked on them yesterday they were unfurling more

Now I just hope the weatherman is wrong and this cold crap doesn't last another week.. Plants are going to be afraid of sun once the pots come off

LucyGoose · Post by **LucyGoose** » Apr 10, 2007 9:23 pm

I am sorry, too.....Hurts like heck, don't it.....

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 10, 2007 11:26 pm

Jamie: Thanks, now I don’t have to get a picture! Mine look basically like that except for my odd shapes...and the fact that there are big trees in all my gardens so I have to work around those, too (hehe). Most beds are around 6-8’ wide, but range from 3’-15’ wide...sometimes in the same bed. So rather than Jamie’s neat orderly row of hoops, one hoop wide...I sometimes use 2, 3 or more hoops lined up end-to-end (ends overlapping some) to reach across a bed. Sort of like 3 tunnels side-by-side, except with one large piece of plastic over all the hoops. But in my case, with the organic shapes, I might start at one end of a bed with 1 hoop, then where the bed widens use 2 hoops, then three, then back to two...whatever it takes.

And my hoops are black plastic, mainly because that is what I found laying around. But also nice because they are the same color as my soil and blend in well...since once I put up the hoops, I leave them up until there isn’t much chance of more cold (lately that has been the second week in June).

wanda

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 10, 2007 11:40 pm

thy wrote: Charla.. what's happend to your soil

Look like it all cracked up... do you have clay soil or... ?

Pia

Not to worry, Pia, it was just a little dry and I watered all the beds right after I took the protective covering off. We do have clay soil, but it is well amended...so well, it dries too quickly sometimes. We had rain last Tuesday, right before I covered everything. I don't use mulch, so my beds look like that about twice a week. Theyreally aren't as dry as they look!

I have free water from our pond, so I get to water alot.

Thanks for the pics of the tunnels, I get it now!

Question: Do the hoops come arched or do you just arch them as you stick them in the soil? I just heard it is supposed to go down to 26 again this weekend!!!

aargghh!

Thanks everyone for all the info. I pray you all come out of this cold snap okay!

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Apr 11, 2007 12:11 am

HI Charla,
The 1/2 inch pvc pipe I bought comes in 10 foot sections and is straight. To curve it I just stick on end in the ground and start bending it over. If you need bigger you can always get the adapters to put 2 of the 10 pipes together also. They also have all kinds of angles and corners that you could probably use on the odd shaped beds. I think I paid 30 dollars for all the stuff to build 2 like this, but I did buy a few pieces of water piping also to extend the irrigation piping . Make sure you DON'T get the water piping!! Get the cheapest 1/2 pvc you can

.