How late in yr should I water?

jobranch · Post by **jobranch** » Nov 10, 2007 11:33 am

My hostas are still up, and we have had no rain here in the last two weeks. We had two mornings where temperatures got close to freezing, but by the way the hostas look, it did not freeze here. Should I water this weekend? When do I stop watering?

Jeff

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Nov 10, 2007 11:55 am

Jeff--I would water them. There is still a lot of plant activity going on, particularly in the root systems, that requires water. I don't have a science based set of facts but I think it is good to water if the soil is dry up to the point where the ground might become frozen. I don't know how that would work out in your much warmer climate.

jobranch · Post by **jobranch** » Nov 10, 2007 12:45 pm

Hank - thanks, since it did not freeze, it should be a little longer before they go dormant. I assume that a freeze triggers hostas going dormant.

Wild Dog · Post by **Wild Dog** » Nov 10, 2007 1:20 pm

Dormant roots do not take up water so watering up to dormancy probably is ok but to much water in the winter and early spring leads rot problems (fungal/bacterial), heaving, freeze/thaw. And, the roots can't use the water anyway!

Balance is the best advice for all our gardening chores.

JoshS · Post by **JoshS** » Nov 10, 2007 5:15 pm

Water as long as the plant has living foliage.

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Nov 11, 2007 12:40 pm

I agree with Hank. If the soil is dry then you'd be best to water. Not enough moisture content in the soil will lead to dry rotting also..

Ginger · Post by **Ginger** » Nov 13, 2007 4:12 pm

Jeff,

I continue to water mine until the leaves start dying back. Here in Oklahoma we have recently had some cold snaps that had temps at freezing in the early morning. Several of my hosta had leaves that were impacted and they are dying off.

I know folks up north say not to water after the plants go dormant for fear of rot but with my climate and soil type I leave my pots open uncovered all winter and I allow nature to water and I don't worry about rot.
Matter of fact if we have freezing temps in the forecast I will water before the freeze. It actually helps keep the pots from freezing because the temp of the water warms the soil.
Just my two cents. You will find what works best for your climate in Alabama. I sure hope ya'll get some rain soon!

Ginger

Linda P · Post by **Linda P** » Nov 14, 2007 9:21 am

Jeff, It's been weeks (maybe 4 or 5) since we've had any significant rain. I planted some bulbs yesterday, and had to get about a foot down to find any moisture in the soil. Yikes. DH put the hoses away for me prematurely. I had to take them apart to untangle them. He thought I had sorted them out to put them away, so he was being a good boy and helping out. I didn't have the heart to ask him to haul them back outside. I'm really hoping we get rain soon, but there's nothing in the forecast for over a week. I usually water the hostas up until the leaves die back, and water the evergreens up until the ground freezes. I still have hostas standing here in my zone 5 garden.
Linda P