I don't know anything about spin-out bags, but I hope all your hard work will pay off.

That's interesting to see that graph of the water pattern and really interesting to see how the roots of your Komodo Dragon grew in response to the drip irrigation it received. It makes me appreciate my slope more. I think the water migrates a bit better in my sand instead of settling straight down.

I'm curious how long do you leave your drippers on for?

I have several hosta in spin out bags for the last few years. I have never had hosta roots grow through the spin out bag. More aggressive tree roots will eventually make their way into the spin out bag. Also as the bag ages, it can more easily be prone to root invasion. When that happens, the hosta does not continue to grow, and the tree roots circle around the hosta roots.

Good luck with the bags and the stainless steel netting!

I think I ran them two hours every other day. I got these fabulous Italian timers that have made it through two seasons now. (The one I bought at Home Depot lasted about three weeks.) I have four zones and water two each day.

The whole set up:

You can laugh, but it worked.

I've never had hosta roots go through the bag, but they do stick to it. Getting them out once they need to be moved is a bit difficult, and the roots get a little damaged.

I can't decide if I love or hate spin out bags. They're too deep and not wide enough, the plant roots stick, and tree roots get through the seams. On the other hand, some of mine barely grow in the ground, but thrive in a bag.

Good luck with your project. If you have the time, dig the bags up every 3-4 years and check for tree roots. Eventually they will invade, but it's easy enough to cut them off and back a foot or two.

Guess I’ll stop complaining about my clay soil.

Newhostalady, when the bags age and become more susceptible to root invasion, is that always through the seams? Have you ever tried to reinforce the seams before use? I was thinking about hot glue or Flat felling the seams. I also bought a big piece of spin out fabric to either line a bed or make some bags that were a better shape for hostas.

Someone lined a raised bed with spin out fabric a few years ago. Does anyone remember how that went?

The two bags add about $35 to the cost of each Hosta. I want to get this right before I dig up the whole garden and invest that much.

Next lifetime I’m collecting arrowheads.

We never used spinout bags until last year. A member of our group is very experienced with the bags and showed us how to use large pots inserted in the bags to help with some of the issues. We purchased large black plastic pots and spinout bags and have tried one to see how that works for us. We have a large maple tree in the front lawn and the roots are now quite invasive in our front bed. The plant goes in the pot which goes into the bag and into the large hole. A lot of work but it's the only thing that will work in that bed. The hosta will never grow as large as it would if it didn't have to compete with the maple roots and if it weren't confined by the pot but the root development should be better than just putting the hosta in a bag.

in my pure sand.. i ran my zones for 4 to 6 hours depending on season .... and rain..etc ..

i learned how long a duration i needed ... by digging holes between hosta ... and learning how water actually moved thru my particular soil ...

im not buying those graphs.. water does not get down 4 feet in one hour in sand ... in my experience ...

im wondering what drip hose you are using.. why cant i see it in your bed pic???

ken

I agree with everything Madplanter said.

"when the bags age and become more susceptible to root invasion, is that always through the seams?" I'm afraid not. For the most part it is at the seams and sometimes at the seams plus a random part of the bag. I have not tried reinforcing the seams or gluing. I think with your sandy soil, you could easily lift the bag up after a year or so and have a look. Last year we got so much rain in the spring. I had to pull out the bags because they were drowning!

A question I have had is: does one plant a hosta that grows large in a large spin out bag or put it in a smaller bag to start. If the bags don't last, then I am thinking it is no point to plant a rather small hosta into a large bag.

Nice pic of your water setup. I've got hoses running off a four-way splitter and another three-way in the back. Good to know about the timers. I've been thinking about adding one. I also water (with soaker hoses) about two hours for each station every second or third day depending on how hot it is and if I remember. :-)

What a great wealth of knowledge this forum is! Thank you all for you contribution!

Miles, what is the point of the pot inside the bag?

ken, I will dig between hostas this year to see where the water goes. You don’t see the drip lines because I heeled the hostas from the Dragon bed into one of the bathtubs in my new retaining wall.

D’Teager, if you post on Hallsons as Tigger it was your story I remembered. Using smooth pots to deter voles and control tree roots and keep the water around a little longer would be WAY cheaper than two expensive bags per plant.

newhostalady, I have multiple bags right now that I thought were too small but that is a good point about the bags longevity. It boggles my mind to think that with all the terrain I have available I’ll end up with all my hostas in containers and have to deal with up potting and the like.

sandyslopes, do you have sprinklers or drip on your seven different outlets? Where do you hook up the soaker hoses?

The overhead sprinkler system is separate. On the seven outlets I have two regular garden hoses for filling bird baths, etc., and five soaker hoses that stretch to the far reaches of the yard.

One goes to the vegetable garden, three others are supplementing where the sprinkler water is sparser, and one under my deck where my giant Empress Wu and friends are relying on only the soaker hose water.

This is what I do on my sandy half acre. I know you have a lot more land to cover. I don't know how much you're trying to cultivate, but it always looks like a big space in your photos.

DTeager, when putting hostas in pots to go in the ground, what kind of soil do you use in the pots? Also, do you use pots that are a close fit to the hosta you're planting, or a fairly large pot? I know the rule of thumb for growing plants in pots but I've never put a potted plant in the ground, so I'm wondering if that makes a difference. I have clay soil by the way. Clay soil tends to hold nutrients and water fairly well, and generally speaking my plants don't usually take off until I plant them in the ground. So I'm wondering how well hostas planted in pots would do in my yard. The trees in my hosta gardens are oaks, so at least I'm not battling super invasive roots like maple or elm.

Deanna

For the pots I put in the ground, I go as big as I think the plant will need in a few years (that is, bigger than I would if potting it for display). And I use a mix of good garden soil with some soil conditioner added (pine bark fines and a bit of commercial potting mix).

So I have been using them for about 4 years. I took 3 bags to make 2, which makes a very large bag. I stopped doing that because I notices that hosta where getting quite large in my pots which were smaller than the bags - so why bother. I also fold over the top an inch or so and staple I haven't had tree roots invade them yet, that I know of, but I'm sure they will. Here is a picture of this years bag experience. You can see the folded portion out of the ground. Folding over the black portion like this supposedly keeps the roots from going over the top. It also makes the bag disappear.