Help! My hostas are starting to turn brown! Any tips for reviving them??
Question:We live in central Ontario and have very sandy soil...could this be why they aren't doing well? I have them planted in an area with morning sun (until about 11:30) and then afternoon shade. Any tips would be appreciated!!
Answers:
It sounds like you need to add humus to your sand. Hostas are waterloving plants, and the sand drains the water quickly.
Get some good peat moss and/or spagnum moss and/or potting soil with moisture pellets and replant them in this asap.
Make a nice large hole - rule of thumb is to make a $10 dollar hole for a $2 dollar plant - and mix the above humus with sand, then replant.
not enough water if brown, too much if yellow. They might be getting too much sun and burning as well as drying out. try shading them an hour a day.
what TC said and lightly trim a few of the yellow ,brown leaves if wilted water them, if they were just planted they will some time to take hold
Water is important for optimal growth. A minimum of an inch of water each week is recommended, and can come from rain, irrigation, or hand watering. Hostas that are grown in sandy soil may need even more water because of the increased drainage provided by the sandy conditions. In general, the greatest growth occurs when water exceeds the minimum recommended rate. Watering hostas on a regular basis early in the day is highly recommended. The soil should also be checked to make sure runoff is not occurring. A deep watering will ensure good root development.
Occasionally, a plant will show symptoms of inadequate water. Leaf tips will show burning. This occurs because the leaf tips are located the furthest from the roots, and the tip is showing stress from inadequate amounts of water. Drooping leaves may also be caused by inadequate moisture.
I had lots of them in Columbus, OH but they cooked in Austin, TX. I would move them to another area where there isn't as much sun or around a tree with shade especially if their leaves are solid green. Make sure they are watered often and mix soil and humus to keep their feet moist when you replant after trimming any yellow or dry brown leaves. The lighter or striped varieties take more sun.
They are normally resilient and come up for years, enough to share with your neighbors when healthy again.
You might also find some help from the Hosta Patch
http://hostapatch.com/articles.php...
I've even emailed them via their Contact Us area and received a quick and very helpful response.
Good luck!
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