do not fertilize until you are past your frost free date ... the last thing you want is a new flush .. to vigorous from fert.. to be frosted down again ...

ken

If you're like me,the hostas will do better,after they get re-hydrated with water. It was very dry during the cold snap,so all hostas are depleted from water,of which they are mostly made,anyway. We are expecting some rain during the night,and tomorrow,and that will help! Phil

Mine were well hydrated which only gives you a bigger pile of mush.

cut back the mush foliage and let them start over with new leaves. Maybe not as lush as before, but certainly better than a pile of rotting mush.

in theory you should sterilize your cutting tool between each plant so as to not spread disease ....

what was decided on ... 10% ammonia ... its easier on your hands and tools than bleach ....

ken

You did mean sterilize with alcohol, didn't you, Ken?

i thought hallston chris used ammonia ... didnt rust his tools ... but hey .. the kids have killed a lot of brain cells this winter... its been way tooooo long ....

maybe it was for a different application .... where is he when you need him ....

i prefer to self medicate with alcohol ... but not when using sharp implements ... lol ...

ken

Ken, link below details Chris' preferences/recommendations and indeed he does use alcohol, as in rubbing alcohol, and I most sincerely hope and trust you do not self-medicate yourself with that stuff....:-) My personal preferred alcoholic libation comes from the Highlands, but when all said and done I can be a cheap drunk....except I refuse to drink that swill they call Budweiser....

Here is a link that might be useful: Cleaning/disinfecting tools

I like Bud?!?!LOL

Thanks for the link. It will refresh our minds to the hazards of spreading viruses while we wait for warmer weather and are able to survey the damage to our gardens and hostas from the freeze and snow.

Connie

highjack;

I got a good, and much needed laugh out of your post. I have been just sick since the freeze took most of my hosta, and I, like you have many mounds of mush. Thanks for the laugh.

Seriously, folks. Recent week-long freeze turned all my hostas (over 120 varieties) into mush. Now that weather is warmed (at least we think Spring is here for good), what do I do:

Cut off mushed sprouts at ground level and hope they'll send up brand-new shoots; or are they all goners for this entire season?

Should I leave mush alone (let it dry up on its own), or do I need to cut off mush (with tools rinsed in rubbing alcohol) so mush doesn't spread some kind of rot disease and kill entire plant down to its roots?

Expert advice please...And thanks in advance.
Jeanne

Seriously, folks. Recent week-long freeze turned all my hostas (over 120 varieties) into mush. Now that weather is warmed (at least we think Spring is here for good), what do I do:"

In Louisville KY the last frost free date is May 10 and a few years ago we had a hard freeze May 20. I was in Britol Tn visiting a customer on April 25 when it snowed 5 inches. There is no reason to think that "frost free" spring is here. I wouldn't be doing anything, especially moving mulch to see what is underneath or cutting off freeze damage yet.

I did cut off the mush, but I've got protection ready to spring into action if it happens again. My hostas that were covered last time are fine. Didn't have enough materials ready to use that time; thus the "mush." I'm ready now though.

One of the hostas that was damaged has some new leaves starting to come up already. But it's an older, hardy variety. What's freaky is that you could divide that hosta in half, and half the plant was damaged and half of it was fine. Made me think maybe the wind was coming from a particular direction and one side of the hosta protected the other side from damage. Looks rather strange!

Deanna

My guacamole made it through the freezes in fairly good shape only to be smashed and have the tips broken off at ground level my the roofers removing old shingles and dumping them on a tarp ON TOP of my guacamole. Now I'm in a wait and see mode to see how much of a plant I have this year. It was spectacular last year.

I left my mushed foliage in place until Friday and was shocked by the rotten smell on some, not all, of the plants when I cut it away. I know everything that dies rots but this smell was horrible. I hope the next few days of bright sun will let the area around the crown air out and the rotting smell is not one of the "bad" rots.

I did find a couple of plants that were already sending up the tiny dormant eyes but most were not. The pips that were up 3-4" all suffered too but those are still growing and will exhibit leaf damage. Bless the ones that were just barely up and the ones that sleep late.

I cut away the frozen mush last week. It was really rotten and the smell was getting to be too much. I cut it all off almost even with the ground. Mine were about a foot high and wide before the freeze. They're coming back nicely.

"But it's an older, hardy variety."

They are all hardy! They are not equal in many respects, such as the ones that come up early but they are all hardy.

I have alot of mush here in Indiana also. I would like to know if the mush will cause crown rot if not cut off. I covered but the long cold took its toll. So from what I am reading we should cut off the mush? Advise appreciated. Hosta_gnome

Hijack, my plantaginea and Royal Standards smelled like animals had crawled under them and given up the ghost. It was AWFUL...I know exactly what you're talking about!

Agree whole heartedly ademink - I about passed out when I found some of them stinking like that. Even worse was when you have to pick up the slimy mess and throw it out of the bed. I didn't think I would ever get the smell washed off my hands.

I am happy to report the first ones I cut back are starting to regrow and I couldn't find the smell on them. The final ones I cut back on Sunday haven't started yet and I did find some eyes that were STILL wet down into the eye. Some of the hosta look really funny - if I found a late emerging eye or two on the plant I didn't cut those off, just the yukky part. I now have some clumps with a couple of eyes up and unfurled, but little rosette looking growths on the rest of the clump. It will be a comical year on many of my plants.

I'd cut off the mush not just because of the smell, but because of concerns about the remaining plant rotting and providing a lovely setting for slugs.

I hope this turns out alright for you. Mine took a little bit of leaf-tip damage here in northern Virginia; we had a vicious late freeze, as we have had in at least three of the seven springs I've been here.

LOL...I actually threw my gloves away! After FIRST CONTACT , I used a grocery sack over my hand to gather the rest.

I need to go check them more closely to make sure nothin' nasty is going on by the crown.