Re: Holidays! and Seeding the future

In a message dated 11/26/2000 7:58:19 PM Central Standard Time, 
ardissono@home.com writes:

<< What are the thoughts about what causes potted plants to die? >>


Potted plants die or are injured do to freezing and thawing.  Hosta can stand 
cold weather well.  If you have a warm cycle in the winter and the plants try 
to grow and them freeze-this does them much harm.  

If you have pots exposed to the sun in the winter they can heat up well above 
freezing-even on a cold day.  Then when the sun sets the temp drops very fast.
What happens is that ice crystals form and burst the cells, plants that are 
cold hardy like Hosta have some natural antifreezes and other physiological 
responses that help them cope with cold weather. But it is best for temp 
changes to occur slowly.  The ground is a great insulator which cools and 
warms up slowly.
If you have only a few Hosta that you want to over winter, I would take them 
out of their pots and put them in a hole in the ground and replant them in 
the spring-or place the pots in a trench in the ground and cover them up to 
their rims with soil.

If the above two options are not possible, then cover them with some straw or 
leaves and store them in a spot that will not receive to much sun in winter, 
its is very helpful to put a piece of used carpet or tarp over them too. You 
want to keep the pots frozen until spring.

Excess water in the pots during warming and freezing will also increase the 
likely hood of damage.

Paul

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