The small green I used was started simply to find out if coffee grounds would hold down weeds which it did really well. Coffee grounds put thick on the top of the soil will crust and cause water to run off so the only way would be to build a dam around a hosta then fill with coffee grounds inside the dam. In this bucket the water canÂt run off and it works really well holding down weeds, this year IÂve covered the surface of all my potted hosta with about ¼-1/2 inch of coffee grounds and it has worked in every pot.

Back to this pot, it was left outside without any protection except it was under an overhang and only got rain when it blew hard which of course it did but nothing else. Now I don't, I SAY DO NOT use this method and leave the plants outside because of what "I think" is freeze/thaw danger.

I now have about 20 plants planted by this method that will go in an unheated garage for the winter. IÂll tip the pot and drain as much water as I can before they go in the garage.

Just this morning I decanted H.ÂWarwick Comet to see what was going on because it just sat there since I bought it in Indy without any growth. I wanted see what was going on and it has made roots like a little weed hosta.

I grew thousands of hosta in smaller pots by this method without a problem so it is not a new method just applied in a little different way.

The other 3 plants in the last photo were purchased in Indy and potted by this method and they are growing fine.

My camera isnÂt working or I would have taken photoÂs to illustrates.

Next year IÂm going to decant this little green one to see what is going on.

Here is a photo mid summer showing no weeds in this pot that lives in the middle of a cow pasture with every weed seed blowing in with a thick coating of coffee grounds.

{{gwi:280598}}

I'm a little confused. It seems to me that the plant is growing in soil, with the water line below the root line.

I guess I was expecting a post about hostas growing ONLY in water... hydroponic hosta, if you will...

How far down do the roots of these plants actually go?

Don't expect hydroponic's, that is not not what I'm doing!

They grow into the constant water reservoir.

EO's bog post inspired me to try more water on my hostas. I have had every container sitting in several inches of water all season, and I have not had a single loss this summer. It was an exceptionally mild summer, but I do think the water made the difference. As the season is winding down, I'm not sure what I will do next. I have not been able to control the mosquito population. I have tried the dunks, the powdered kind and the spray. Nothing worked for long. It is so bad that I can't enjoy my garden. If we had a well, I would put in a watering system, but unfortunately we aren't blessed with a well. The system described here should work, but then I would have to empty all those pots at the end of the season. As it is now, I will have to drain all the catch pans I used this season. I will do that in another 3 or 4 weeks. The nice thing about the standing water was that I knew exactly how much water was there. I didn't have to water as often, but I overlooked a few other plants like my begonias that weren't in catch pans.

Right now EO's container inside the container method is looking the most likely. I had a small green and white in that system for a year, and the roots had found the inside container. Hydrotropism at work! The drawback to that system was that I couldnt see the water level. A plus was that I didn't have to worry about draining the pot. With all my bad experiences with house plants that died in too much water, I am surprised that I even had the nerve to try it. Hostas aren't houseplants, but it is pretty scary putting a container in the pot. Those mosquitoes are more scary at this point, though. What to do, what to do!
Mary

It seems like with a young hosta or small cultivar that the holes could be higher up on the bucket. Then as the hosta gets larger and the roots grow deeper, those holes could be plugged with a dab of silicone and new holes could be drilled lower on the bucket.

As far as the coffee grounds, I've also used them to mulch around my hostas. However, I'm not a coffee drinker so I don't have them available (and I don't want to get my hostas addicted to caffeine!). I think sawdust or a couple layers of newspaper may also give good results in keeping weeds out. I have a bag of cottonseed meal, which looks similar to coffee grounds. I wonder if that would keep the weeds out?

By the way, some reports say coffee grounds are an effective slug deterrant as well. (I think this has been mentioned before on this forum.) Don

Dear Butch:
Just trying to figure out what is going on...

A couple of University Profs want to help with an experiment with water - what is the subject/pupose of the experient, who are these Profs, what are their names, what is their experience with this type of research ?

which we'll report on in a year or so - who will report ?

I had told Ken about this ahead of time - who is Ken?

I really don't care to get into arguments about whether it will work or not online - the purpose of most experiments is to find out, if we know it will work, than why run an experiment ?

Is the question whether hostas will grow in water, or whether coffee grounds prevent weeds or that nothing will stop mosqitos from anoying humans ?

Manfred

Hi Butch,

Do you prefer people grow hostas in the ground or in pots?
Will it be appealing to ones eye to see 5 gallon buckets all over the yard?
Will there be scientific proof of your experiment?
What plants will you be using for research?
Do you think a 5 gallon bucket is really big enough to hold a mature plant without restricting it's mature size?
Will you be trying this in full sun and dense shade also?

"Is the question whether hostas will grow in water, or whether coffee grounds prevent weeds or that nothing will stop mosqitos from anoying humans ?"
Manfred
No, the question is to be or not to be?

I understand that the little mosquito donuts and can be put in water then water from that water to keep the biological control going all the time. I could and should have covered the holes with polybond fibre cloth which would keep the mosquitoes out of the buckets although I donÂt know if mosquitoes are in the buckets?

The other thing IÂm doing is a pot inside a pot with a saucer to increase the water. You canÂt tell as well if they need water but IÂve found that the normal size saucers donÂt hold as much water as the hosta like to have. I just bought some pots a bit more attractive than the buckets without holes and drilled my own.

The question of small hosta, just use smaller pot then up pot in a year or so. One advantage to the setup as it works with the buckets is: the water evaporates in the bottom of the bucket then condenses in the media above so I havenÂt had any problem regardless of the plant size.

It would be interesting to know if other things like the coffee grounds would work to hold down weeds in pots. Coffee grounds are also reported to have a small nitrogen charge. I was looking at a pot today with that little slug trail running across the top of the coffee grounds, I have not seen any real scientific work to support the theory that coffee grounds deter slugs, I hope they do.

Oops, just took the dog out to pee and found 1 large slug in two different pots crawling across the coffee grounds. This doesn't rise to scientific proof but I don't think that coffee grounds deter slugs it didnÂt deter these two.

Note; I do not recommend leaving pots outside using this method, the little green plant has been out doors the 3 years it has been in the pot but the rest are going into the unheated garage.

Hey Jamie, good questions! You are always so helpful. IÂve wondered how long have you been growing hosta?

Jamie; Do you prefer people grow hostas in the ground or in pots?
Butch; I prefer hosta to many people IÂve encountered online.

Jamie; Will it be appealing to ones eye to see 5 gallon buckets all over the yard?
Butch; One must suffer the repulsive buckets in the interest of science or just simply apply the principle to containers more conductive to your taste.

Jamie; Will there be scientific proof of your experiment?
Butch; There will be data from which conclusions can be drawn, called in some circles "the scientific method".

Jamie; What plants will you be using for research?
Butch; It doesnÂt matter.

Jamie; Do you think a 5 gallon bucket is really big enough to hold a mature plant without restricting it's mature size?
Butch; It would be very difficult to find a pot large enough for that regardless of the cultivar unless you would stipulate a mature size then one could size for that cultivar based on those parameters.

Jamie; Will you be trying this in full sun and dense shade also?
Butch; Both

Jamie, would you consider participating in this research?

If I had the room to store 5 gallon bucket's/pots from Mother Nature I'd probably try 1 or 2, but things are cram packed here already. Thanks for answering. Will you be growing the exact plants in the ground next to the buckets to see if it makes a difference?

Butch, you answered most of Jamies questions, but you ignored most of my questions !
I would like to help, but we don't have a dog and also no mosquitos. Will that work ?
Manfred

Jamie, this 2nd project has little or nothing to do with the buckets that are an incidental part of the constant reservoir project and the container has no influence on any of the results. The number of times buckets were mentioned may have led someone to think otherwise, and I know that you understand fully that the buckets bear no relationship to the testing in any way.

Manfred, Thanks for you offer.
I'll get back to you when this matures and we need additional field-testing.

I'm with Manfred - I don't understand what the goal is with this project.

You can grow the hosta in those buckets with rocks as the medium and keep the reservoir full and the roots will grow down into the water. Roots are always smart enough to seek moisture.

Butch,
Your starting to confuse me also "as usual :-)". What's the difference in using a bucket with holes higher in it, and using a draining pot with a inverted pot to hold water? They will both have water reservoirs to hold water, right? I still think it's basically hydroponics and your just changing the substrate that holds the plants. JMO..

Highjack I was wondering where you were, when growing hosta in containers you are the queen. You and Jamie both get most of it.

This potting method loses less water to evaporation. Also the water that evaporates in this partially enclosed system condenses in the media above providing very clean water for the plant. Net water and fertilizer use will also be reduced.

Jamie, there is something is this of great value to you, let me know when you get it?

Manfred  "I had told Ken about this ahead of time - who is Ken?"
Teresa  I thought everyone except Sasquatch knew who Ken was  unless they just joined last week. (Just teasin you Manfred) I'll be interested in hearing how yours turn out should you decide to try the experiment.

"Do you prefer people grow hostas in the ground or in pots?
Will it be appealing to ones eye to see 5 gallon buckets all over the yard?"

Well  having met Butch at the convention, he doesnÂt stike me as the kind of guy that cares how other people grow their hostas. And the aesthetics of the buckets??? Well, it is his yard after all. From the pictures IÂve seen it looks like he has a bit of property around his house and the buckets would not be an eyesore to any neighbors.

I for one am glad he is willing to try this sort of thing for a number of reasons. One  I donÂt drink coffee so I donÂt have any grounds. Two  better his hostas than mine. lol Three  I donÂt have the room in my yard. My sister moved 150 perennials to my yard over the weekend to store for the winter. And there are more plants & shrubs coming. WeÂve taken the cram and jam method to a whole new level.

Looking forward to hearing the outcome of the experiment next year.

Teresa