Saturday, October 3, 2009

What to do with hosta at end of season #4

Who knew there was so much to know about hosta care in fall? The last thing I want to discuss is fertilizing and slugs. Unlike other plants in your garden that can benefit from a fall fertilization, hostas do not need to be fertilized. Hosta are dormant in the winter, so fertilizing them now does not help produce better plants for spring. The best thing you can do for your hosta in fall is to keep watering them.

Fall is a great time to control slugs. Slugs are both female and male, so they "mate" with themselves and then lay eggs. Now is the time to be looking under foliage and destroy slugs you find. You can also put a 10% ammonia or vinegar solution in a sprayer, and spray the crowns of the hosta. You could also spread diatomaceous earth around the base of the hosta. There are also slug products you can buy at most garden stores, such as Sluggo.

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