Do you have problems with tree roots versus Hosta roots competition that occurs
under maple trees? Do your plants get less vigorous every year despite lots of
water? The problem occurs because the tree roots are growing into the Hosta root
space to use the organic soil and extra fertilizer and water we give our hostas. We
have solved this problem in our gardens by planting all of our hostas in black plastic nursery pots. That way we are able to keep the Hosta roots separated.
Advantages
With all the Hosta roots in the pot, we can help our hostas grow better from our
special soil mix that we have developed to encourage rapid growth. The hostas
are planted in a normal fashion with the crowns less than ½" from the surface of the soil and the surface of the soil ½" below
the top of the pot.
The hostas in pots are planted anywhere we like under the trees, while trying to
avoid cutting any roots that are larger than 2" diameter. The pots are then buried
to ground level so they are hidden from view.
Watering is less since the pots are buried and the moisture stays longer in the
pot than if the hostas were growing in the soil.
Another advantage is that the hostas can be considered portable so they can be
moved easily if we don't like the way they look in the garden or they aren't doing well in their location. When we are doing breeding it is easy to move the two plants close together to allow easier pollinating.
The pot rim discourages voles and slugs.
If you have a pest problem, you may have to leave the rim of the pot above the soil line an inch.
Disadvantages
The
disadvantage of the hostas in pots concept is that the pots have to be lifted or the pots twisted in the ground once a year
to prevent the surrounding tree roots from getting into the pots through the drainage holes.
We lift our hostas in the late summer to early fall every year. We first
remove any tree roots on the outside of the pot, then check inside the pot to be sure the hostas still have lots of root space. If need be, we repot the plant in a larger size pot.
If the plant needs dividing, we do that at the same time.
It doesn't really take that much time either.
Our annual inspection / repotting / division process takes one person 5 to 30 minutes per plant depending on how much
work the plant requires.
Pot Source
Lots of people want to know where to find black nursery pots. We have heard that many people contact local landscape contractors who have used pots in abundance and
will often deliver them for free if they know you have a use for them. Others
have told us that they get used pots from the local municipal recycling center. We
also have a couple of local customers who insist on purchasing new pots from us. We
just add their needs with our order. You could check with your local grower to
see if you can work with them if you prefer new pots.
