Hostas not thriving

[wingnut]

I havent been here in a few years, was too busy with work and dogs and Im still very busy and at a loss for whats going on in my front yard. I once had over 200 different hosta probably more than 100 just in the front. Year after year I lose Hosta. They start out nice,then they fail to thrive.They get smaller & smaller until they dont come up again the following year.I have a large oak tree in the front yard. I dont know if its the tree thats causing this. We dug up the hosta a couple of years ago and rototilled in fertilizer/compost and peat mose to loosen the clay, replanted all the hosta and still this year its no better. We also spread rabbit manure on the hosta winter and early spring. I know others plant Hosta around their trees so Im not understanding whats wrong with mine. It was alot of work to do all that 2-3 yrs ago and to see that Ive lost more hosta is frustrating to my husband and i. Its something i CAN NOT do again because i have been diagnosed with RA so the digging to that extent is out of the question. And suggestions besides a hosta sale?

[steg]

I had a couple get smaller this year compared to last. Noticeably smaller. I dug them up and am pretty sure they were planted too deep. I'm not sure if that could be a problem for you or not. I'll wait to see what others may have to say.

[Chris_W]

Hi, and sorry to hear about the troubles.

When you dug it all up did you find a lot of fine tree roots? If so, those roots are back and stealing all the moisture and you probably won't ever be able to do anything about it. Sorry If not, then it is hard to tell. These are some of the reasons: 1) poor aeration and too deep - the soil should be light and airy, not compacted at all, and then the hostas should, for the most part, be about an inch deep. Small hostas sometimes need to be closer to the surface, larger ones a little deeper, but the main thing is that the soil shouldn't be rock hard, otherwise there is a lack of oxygen at the root zone. This isn't really a depth issue but an aeration problem. Mulching the garden annually can help since it will break down over time and percolate down to help break up the clay. 2) too shallow - the roots and crowns should never be showing, otherwise no moisture can go from the roots to the leaves. If roots are showing, the hostas will always dry out and shrivel up in the summer. Its like trying to drink from a straw but the straw isn't all the way into the liquid. Roots need to always be covered. 3) simply too little moisture in summer. If that oak tree has a really thick canopy then those hostas may never get any rain water and then they suffer from drought. Hostas love water. 4) there could be a vole (field mouse) problem, but if they come up nice in spring and then suffer later I don't think this is really the cause. Voles tend to eat over the winter and the plants simply disappear (like my 15+ year old Frances Williams - there in the fall, completely gone in the spring).

Since you mention clay, and were concerned about loosening the soil, I wonder if that is the problem still. Like I mentioned, yearly mulching really helps, but you did say you spread manure around too... Do any of the suggestions above match what is going on?

[scootersbear]

You state they come they come up nice but keep getting smaller so it says to me your not watering enough or your soil isn't holding water. Most likely heres the mistake you made ((( Peat Moss)) , do a little research on it and you'll find it was a very poor choice and you did more damage than good. Peat is just decomposed spagnum moss and can actually repel water and compress not allowing water to get to the roots and adding in manure with the peat and problem gets worse. The fix.... compost compost then compost some more then do it even some more. Adding perlite or vermiculite might help but you really need to address the soil condition. Peat is for container plants and really shouldn't be used to break down clay soils. I know the arguement is coming but lets think about it first. What true advantage does peat give plants? It's already decomposed, it's not compost, get it wet and see what happens? It's a great product but it's misused in gardens for millions of dollars a year enterprise.

[Chris_W]

I was thinking the same thing as scootersbear about the peat moss. It can help a little to break up the clay in the short term but doesn't do anything in the long run to improve it.

[thy]

Water is my best guess too
Oaks have a deep root system, but do not allow much water to reach the ground.

When you dug the hostas, did you cut the roots ? If you cut the roots, the hostas will become smaller, fitting the roots it really have, not the roots it was used to have.

For heavy clay you can dg in sharp grit/ chicken grit and best with some wood clippings for airation.
Or - Get a lot of rainworms to do the job.

[scootersbear]

Instead of using wood clippings use wood ash. If you have a fireplace or can burn wood. Leave some of the ash in a little larger chuncks so it's about the size of a charcoal or a little less. The benefit is it doesn't rob the soil of nitrogin since it has been burned off as well as sulfer leaving the benifits of the wood still allowing drainage and pockets for air. Plus it does qualify as compost. As well as it repels (not kills) some insects including slugs as long as it doesn't get wet. PS don't do this with acid loving plants. The areas of my garden where I have done this are where my biggest hostas are, they love it.

[steg]

I do have one spot under a pine that doesn't get much rain to it. To help, I have attached a rain barrel to a soaker hose that runs under the tree. I leave the barrel open to the hose so that when it rains, the spots under the tree also get water.

[kaylyred]

I do have one spot under a pine that doesn't get much rain to it. To help, I have attached a rain barrel to a soaker hose that runs under the tree. I leave the barrel open to the hose so that when it rains, the spots under the tree also get water.

What a great idea, Steg. I think I'll look into giving this a try, myself.

[bkay2000]

Peat adds acid.

bkay

[wingnut]

about the peat.. I had a couple of truck loads of this brought in and used alot of it in the back yard and it actually holds water and I have issues with sinking and heaving and have lost some this year do to sinking (alot of fairy ringing), too much rain. but out front that same peat tilled in with the existing dirt and composted rabbit manure. I do think they are competing with the old oak tree because I did find the tiny roots!!! . Its very depressing to put all that work,time and hours shopping for hostas and lose them. I wish there was something I could do to save the hosta gardens out front.

Thank you for taking the time to help me with this.

[Chris_W]

Ah, so it sounds like you bought the black michigan peat, and not the canadian peat moss. Then yes, sounds like you are competing with the tree roots. Personally I've found that to be a losing battle. Maybe move some of the favorites from the front to the back so you don't lose them.