After the freeze treatment advice needed

flowerchild59 · Post by **flowerchild59** » Apr 11, 2007 3:27 am

In the last 15 years of growing hostas I never experienced the hard freeze like we had recently. Many of my hostas are completely "melted" on the ground.

I assume I just cut off to "good" tissue. Of course I will dip my tools in bleach water between whack jobs.
Anything else I should be doing????

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 11, 2007 8:47 am

When that happened to mine a few years ago, I did my very best to make sure they were not stressed by anything else which would slow their recovery. Protected them well from further cold snaps (this is when I started using the hoops & plastic) and made sure they had extra water regularly, abundant nutrients and extra shade if they needed it during the hottest, dryest days. You don’t want them to be forced into early dormancy because they will need every growing day they can get to restock the crown with food stores before winter. Don’t transplant them or divide them until they are fully recovered. And try extra hard to keep bugs and slugs away. Anything you can do to prevent further stress while they are regenerating is bound to help.

I am really, really sorry this happened to your hosta - I hope it wasn’t a massacre!

wanda

Pieter · Post by **Pieter** » Apr 11, 2007 9:21 am

Cheryl, I'm sorry for you and all the other folk on here than have gone through this late freeze, but, there MAY be a silver lining to this all. While the foliage produced to this point has been lost, the plant will start to produce new shoots from apical buds, resulting in a plant that will be larger in circumference than what you started the year out with. The leaves may not be quite as big as they would have been otherwise, but that should correct itself next year. Think of it as Mother Nature's 'Hosta Stomp'

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 11, 2007 3:45 pm

'Hosta Stomp'??? I don't know if I can get used to that!

Cheryl, thanks for reminding to disinfect tools as we clean up freeze damage....I had forgotten. It was really bad news for me to hear that HVX transmits thru seeds, as I bought a lot of seeds on ebay this year. The sellers all rated high, but I wonder if they know the difference....