Greetings,
I'm a new member and new to hostas. I have built Japanese gardens at my residence for some 25 years and used many plants. I also grow orchids. Anyway, I live in Texas and besides the forthcoming heat, I have clay soil with a PH of 7.3. I'm looking for advice on how to help both problems. I have tilled and added Black Kow compost as well as molasses. I'm using
Sluggo as a preventive for slugs/snails. Someone recommended using oyster shells in the soil for drainage for for clay soil??? Are their growers of hostas in Texas that do well with the plant? How many species of hostas are there, not counting hybrids? I've seen listed between 25-45??? Any advice would be appreciated and I look forward to learning from this forum.
Thanks,
Steve
DRAINAGE:
Moderators: ViolaAnn, redcrx, Chris_W
Re: DRAINAGE:
Welcome to Hallson's, Steve. I don't know a thing about growing hostas in Texas, or in clay soil either.
I can direct you to the Hosta Library, where there is an exhaustive study by George Schmid on hosta species.
There is a listing there of all of the species, along with the ones that have been reduced to cultivar status, etc.
http://www.hostalibrary.org/species/pdf ... _part3.pdf
Hope you find this helpful.
Linda P
I can direct you to the Hosta Library, where there is an exhaustive study by George Schmid on hosta species.
There is a listing there of all of the species, along with the ones that have been reduced to cultivar status, etc.
http://www.hostalibrary.org/species/pdf ... _part3.pdf
Hope you find this helpful.
Linda P
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten.....
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Latitude: 41° 51' 12.1572"
My Hosta List
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten.....
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Latitude: 41° 51' 12.1572"
My Hosta List
-
Tigger
- Posts: 2727
- Joined: Oct 14, 2001 8:00 pm
- USDA Zone: 6b - 7a
- Location: SE Penna Zone 6b (7a?), lat. 39°50'
- Contact:
Re: DRAINAGE:
Welcome to Hallson's, Steve.
Let's hope you're in the wetter northeastern part of zone 8 Texas. Definitely read this article about growing hostas in the South from Tony Avent: http://www.plantdelights.com/Tony/warmhosta.php. And plan on watering a lot to keep your hostas cool in the summer. (repeat after me: hostas are not shade-tolerant, they are heat-intolerant)
As to drainage, I think the problem with shells is that they would raise your already high pH. Hostas prefer an acidic soil, pH closer to 6, but are fairly tolerant to wider ranges. Not sure what would happen at pH 8, which is where the shells would take it.
Two other approaches:
Grow your hostas in pots. This will help ensure that they get the winter chill they need, after all (see the referenced article).
Plant your $10 hostas in $20 holes. The soil amendments you've already added will help. When you dig a hole for a new hosta, mix compost in right where you plant it. Hostas aren't really that picky about drainage; they'll grow in water-logged soil (although they won't thrive as well as in better soil). Keep using mulch (shredded leaves and such), which will break down and improve the soil drainage from the top down.
Happy growing!
David
Let's hope you're in the wetter northeastern part of zone 8 Texas. Definitely read this article about growing hostas in the South from Tony Avent: http://www.plantdelights.com/Tony/warmhosta.php. And plan on watering a lot to keep your hostas cool in the summer. (repeat after me: hostas are not shade-tolerant, they are heat-intolerant)
As to drainage, I think the problem with shells is that they would raise your already high pH. Hostas prefer an acidic soil, pH closer to 6, but are fairly tolerant to wider ranges. Not sure what would happen at pH 8, which is where the shells would take it.
Two other approaches:
Grow your hostas in pots. This will help ensure that they get the winter chill they need, after all (see the referenced article).
Plant your $10 hostas in $20 holes. The soil amendments you've already added will help. When you dig a hole for a new hosta, mix compost in right where you plant it. Hostas aren't really that picky about drainage; they'll grow in water-logged soil (although they won't thrive as well as in better soil). Keep using mulch (shredded leaves and such), which will break down and improve the soil drainage from the top down.
Happy growing!
David
Re: DRAINAGE:
Thanks for the info. I just spoke with a wholesale grower in east Texas that gave me a list of hostas that will do well in Texas.
I'm in the Dallas area, zone 8. This grower told me that selecting the right hostas for this area is the most important step.
Steve
I'm in the Dallas area, zone 8. This grower told me that selecting the right hostas for this area is the most important step.
Steve
Re: DRAINAGE:
clay can be difficult for hostas... and there is another concern produced by clay.
If you dig out a hole to plant in, then fill it with great soil and plant the hosta, the clay can effectively turn this into a potted plant with very poor drainage. The water can fill up the clay "pot" and sit there, tending to cause rot. The bigger the hole, the less of a problem this is...
Clay causes odd water problems. It holds water between its thin layers, so if you dig in it may seem moist - but that water is held very closely to the clay crystals and isn't easily available to the roots of a plant. And dry clay sheds water. So... it can be hard to get clay moist, then it can be hard to get it to give up water once it is moist - and neither condition is positive for a plant. Plus clay tends to hold onto nutrients chemically, making them less available to plants.
My best advice for clay is sand to improve the texture combined with organic matter - compost, ground up pine bark, whatever. Be careful about just mixing organics into clay - adobe bricks are basically clay and straw. The straw makes the bricks harder than just drying the clay.
So for gardening on clay, the best bet is either bringing in a lot of amendments and doing some serious tilling - or going with a raised bed. I've seen some nice planting on clay when the owner had some clay and organics layered a few inches deep, then tilled in... and then a dumpload of good garden soil dumped on top and formed into a freeform mound.
If you dig out a hole to plant in, then fill it with great soil and plant the hosta, the clay can effectively turn this into a potted plant with very poor drainage. The water can fill up the clay "pot" and sit there, tending to cause rot. The bigger the hole, the less of a problem this is...
Clay causes odd water problems. It holds water between its thin layers, so if you dig in it may seem moist - but that water is held very closely to the clay crystals and isn't easily available to the roots of a plant. And dry clay sheds water. So... it can be hard to get clay moist, then it can be hard to get it to give up water once it is moist - and neither condition is positive for a plant. Plus clay tends to hold onto nutrients chemically, making them less available to plants.
My best advice for clay is sand to improve the texture combined with organic matter - compost, ground up pine bark, whatever. Be careful about just mixing organics into clay - adobe bricks are basically clay and straw. The straw makes the bricks harder than just drying the clay.
So for gardening on clay, the best bet is either bringing in a lot of amendments and doing some serious tilling - or going with a raised bed. I've seen some nice planting on clay when the owner had some clay and organics layered a few inches deep, then tilled in... and then a dumpload of good garden soil dumped on top and formed into a freeform mound.
Re: DRAINAGE:
Hi Steve. I'm new to the forum and to hostas you mentioned someone in East Texas who guided you to the best choices for your area. Would you be able to direct me to that source? I'm just outside of Austin and need the same advice. Thanks!