Re: Question on over wintering hosta in pots
- Subject: Re: Question on over wintering hosta in pots
- From: butch ragland w*@yahoo.com
- Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 01:35:54 -0800 (PST)
George, all of your information is excellent. Tell me
more about Vermont Flower Farm, what do you grow,
where when how.
--- George Africa <bizplanr@together.net> wrote:
> Hello Phil;
>
> There are some on the various lists who live in zone
> 3 as opposed to the
> fringe where I live. Temperature fluctuations here
> sometimes take us to
> around 35 below for a few days but recent years have
> not gotten close.
> We still have some experience with cold
> temperatures.
>
> If your hostas have been in pots 1-3 years then you
> know that they have
> some good root systems. Typically the roots will
> have moved to the sides
> of the pots and down to the bottom. Fast growers
> often have a larger
> root mass at the bottom of the pot, sometimes
> twisted into a mass if
> they haven't succeeded in exiting through a drainage
> hole.
>
> If you are going from Zone 5 to 3 in one year in
> pots, I would err on
> the side of caution and move the pots off the bench
> onto the ground. As
> you mention, waterproofing is the most important
> care but my concern
> would be the possibility of freeze/thaw if left on a
> bench. Leaving pots
> on a bench allows for greater temperature change.
> Here in Vermont we
> almost always have a thaw in January and that few
> days in the 40s or
> slightly higher followed by a certain below zero
> period kills many of
> the roots.
>
> As a reminder, the difference between zones 5 and 3
> also is evident in
> the presence of rodents and what they can do to your
> prized plants. I
> always use a spun fiber insulating blanket and then
> 6 mil construction
> poly over the top. Before I cover things up I lay
> 15" pieces of 2 inch
> diameter pvc pipe between the rows. I put a couple
> ounces of DCon in
> each piece. The pipe protects the poison from
> domestic animals and makes
> spring clean up easy. Bait bars are effective but
> rodents tend to carry
> pieces around and this can be an obvious concern.
>
> Best wishes in zone 3. It is different!
>
> George Africa
> Vermont Flower Farm
> 256 Peacham Pond Road
> Marshfield VT 05658-8099
> http://vermontflowerfarm.com
> Tel. 802-426-3505
> FAX 802-426-3706
> Zone 4
>
>
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Butch
Conflict is as addictive as
cocaine, alcohol, cigarettes,etc
I'm sorry to report that
cooperation is not
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