Again a question about FL wins

[Minnow]

Has anyone heard from the donor of their wins at the First Look auction? It has been almost 2 months now. I know that my payment was received, becuase after last year, I made sure that Barbara Jones called me to tell me she had my check in here hands! It is a long story! I do know that she had surgery, so that is not the issue. I want something new to plant!

[LucyGoose]

Hi Beth!!

Well, yes I have heard from mine....It's George.....

[whitewater176]

have heard from mine, but we donated a plant and don't know who it is supposed to go to , and has anyone had; their check cashed yet?

[wzbt03]

I donated plants but still waiting to hear what to do.
Since I already contacted the winner (they know who they are) just email me your address and I will send the plants.

I am sure FL will not mind but I still will wait a couple of weeks to pick out the best plants.

[Bill Meyer]

Hi Everybody,

It's still a little early here in the Northeast and we're really running late. Here in a fairly warm part of NJ that is effectively zone 7 the hostas only started unfurling over the last few days. A lot of donors normally wait until they see the plants before contacting the winning bidders. There isn't much point in "I don't know yet" posts.

I recommend dividing plants after they have fully leafed out and colored up. At this time the leaf material is maximized and the roots are just starting to grow. If divided plants are kept in less sun after this, the roots will grow to match the tops. Dividing earlier causes the plant to freeze up in response to the injury and stop expanding the leaves. If the leaves are smaller, there is less impetus for roots to grow. The plant normally will try to produce enough roots to supply the tops, and once it has done this may start new divisions rather than continue producing roots beyond what the top needs.

Don't give divided plants too much sun, though, because the injured root system will not be able to support the leaves and the plant will end up shedding some. There is an old myth about the roots being what's important and this is only true at certain times. From leafing out through the summer, the tops are more important, so don't remove or damage leaves more than necessary. If you doubt this, try this experiment ---

Take a full-size single division that has just completely built its leaves up to maximum size. Break off the top with a little rhizome and no or very few roots. Pot both it and the rhizome/roots separately and keep the top carefully shaded. I think you'll find that in most cases the top part will make the bigger plant next year.

........Bill Meyer

ps. Whitewater, you'll hear soon.

[Minnow]

Thanks Bill for the info. Here in Western North Carolina I have hosta, including my FL donation that are all working on the second flush of leaves. That is because we had those 5 days & nights at Easter with the temps down below freezing. Some were just up to far to protect for that long. The lucky hosta are the late ones! They are going to be beuatiful!

[thy]

The part of getting divided parts too much sun could explain some of my lost ones.. trying to give new little.. often divided .ones the best start I have been plantin them in full sun, in the intention to speed them up with the sunlight...but have lost quiet a few.... will have my eyes on that for the future..
Thanks

Pia

[Bill Meyer]

Hi Pia,

When the root system is damaged the plant loses some ability to get water out of the ground and to the leaves. Normally, it can supply just enough and not a lot more. If you disrupt the roots, it can only supply a part of the water the leaves can lose to evaporation from the sun. The sun pulls a lot of water from the leaves just like sheets drying on a clothesline in the sun.

If the plant loses more water than the roots can supply, it responds the same way as if it were intact and in a drought. It tries to survive by getting smaller - shedding leaves to reduce the amount of water it is losing. Pretty much the last thing we want is for the plant to get smaller, so less sun is the way to go after dividing.

The same goes for moving plants from pots to ground. Plant roots that were formed in potting soil are adapted to it and don't work as well in garden soil. There isn't any real difference between roots that are intact and only function at 50% because they are badly adapted and roots that have been damaged 50% by dividing and replacing in the same soil.

Hostas are tough and will usually survive being handled in ways that are not optimal, but if you want maximum growth avoid too much sun the first year after transplanting or dividing.

..........Bill Meyer

[thy]

Hej Bill

Please correct me, but what I read is.. all my new ones, who have been growing in a Dutch greenhouse in perfect loose solil, have to be in the shade for the first year.. but in what sort of soil ? My heavy clay..- after 10 years, starting to be a bit better, or in their potting soil ?

Have got them as bare roots before, but this year they were all in their pots

Hardlý anybody here grow them like Hallsons, - in the real soil.

Do you know, how long it takes for a hosta to change the roots from the fine potting soil type, to heavy garden soil roots ?

So many of my Danish Garden Stereotypes have been changed from being on US sites, but I still have a lot of questions and would like us all to do a research in our gardens.

Thanks for your research and reply

Pia

[Bill Meyer]

Hi Pia,

If you want to keep them in the same sort of potting soil they were growing in, they can take about the same amount of sun they were getting with no setback. Over here they are normally grown in nurseries under a meshlike shade cloth that can be over 50% shade. If they leafed out before you bought them, they should be kept out of direct sun except for early morning or late evening if the shade cloth was fairly dark. The plant is adapted to that amount of light already and more could slow it down.

If you want to move them to garden soil, they should get a bit less sun than if you are keeping them in potting soil. Once the leaves are fully expanded and hardened off the new roots begin to grow. This is the best time to transplant as long as you keep the evaporation down to a level they can handle without setback. The new roots will adapt themselves to whatever they find themselves in, and will take half or more of the growing season to to start to match the top growth.

I can't say for sure exactly how much sun is too much because it will differ from variety to variety and climate to climate. Your climate should make it fairly easy to avoid much setback compared to hot dry summer climates. The thing to focus on is evaporation - the more there is, the more you need to protect maladapted or injured hostas. All that leaf surface makes water critical. They are tough, but they respond to lack of enough water to the leaves by getting smaller.

By Fall you can move them to sunnier spots if you want and next year they will adapt to those. The adaptation is a one-way street --- once it is done they can't change back.

I work with seedlings and sports and when there is only one plant, often a cut-off sport or a young seedling, you need to be careful not to overstress it too much. This advice is less critical for larger plants, but still will give better results.

.........Bill Meyer

[thy]

Never thought of shade cloth, but they might use it.. here it is for tomatoes in mid summer I will ask them.

Yes I have to take good care of the wind and the combination of new greenhouse grown hostas and wind and sun is dangerous specially for the ones with soft tender leafs.. one of this years got some burn marks, a bit sad. But they need protection in the firs week or so. I have been surprised by how fast the adjust to the wind, their leaves are massive, I can place them shaded and on a calm location.. but our spring winds jump like crazys.

You are right sports are very tender, you have to cut around an eye exposing it more than it like, but my seedlings are tuff, they swim, freze, bake but may grow a bit slower than others.

Thanks
Pia

[MikeWI]

Well the dividing info is great... still haven't been advised of whom i'm supposed to send my donation to. I'll have to check my other email from home this evening to see if things have been updated.

I have heard from the person expectng the plant.... So I know who to send it to... But I guess an official notification would be swell as well.

To the person... expecting the plant.... I've got plent to divide... eyes are pokin thru and are about an inch or so above the soil.... I'll be waiting for it to unfurl before I divide... plus I still have to wait a bit for the diggin and liftin' for post surgery recovery... but couple more weeks I'll be good as new.