Linda, I always get a lot of dirt back splash on my hostas when it rains hard. I especially hate that on the little ones cause they are hard to clean. But, I think I live within 60 miles of you so we both got tons of rain the last few days. I say yay!!!! Now I must say, your hosta doesn’t look dirty so much as it looks healthy with some minor spots. Your hostas have been through quite a bit……. dug up and packed for the move, then to a holding area while you create beds and figure out which ones go where, then planting. Then they had to suffer through the most awful 100 degree temps while trying to re-establish. As you said previously, hostas are resilient…………I think what you see as spots are the hosta going through all this stress. I could be wrong, but I hope not, as that means they will survive well for next year. I am interested to see what others say.

debra

get rid of the weeds and add 3 inches of mulch

Ken as usual, short and sweet ………. lololo

debra

So the question about mulch.... I have access to free manure, shavings as a base. I have been using it as partly fertilizer and partly mulch albeit thin layer. Shall I use it as mulch or it will be overkill?

Debra, you are too kind! Yep we have been through a lot and I am happy hostas doing as well as they do. I am just questioning if rain water is so dirty becaus it cleans tree leaves first?

And why I did not have dirt on the leaves in my previous house with no specific mulch?

I am still to uplift and manage good number of them so might be manual weed picking for while yet.

Linda, you have had a lot going on and all you can do is what you can do. I don’t know much about manure shavings vs. mulch. That might be a good question for a new thread. I get confused about mulch, compost, manure and fertilizing as a result, I do nothing. Well Well, usually I mulch, but did not have my “man power” available this year.

debra

I live on a busy street. Mine always have dirt on them (and I grow in pots). I just hose them off when I water. That's also the reason I don't have any cupped hosta.

bkay

Does it wash off easily? Do you have trees overhead?

Mine get black gunk that doesn't wash off easily (but will rub off); I think it comes from the tulip poplar that overhangs them.

Debra, I hear you! Am trying to figure long term strategy so it looks good and saves me some work of pulling weeds.

Bkay, I love cupped hostas but sure they are pain to take pictures.

That what got me wondered too, one thing if I had dry dust... But I do not. Heavy clay.

Ben, it does not wash well at all. My trees are oaks and quite a bit overhang.

Ben, the black gunk is probably debris from aphids on the tree. Ants farm aphids for food. If you have ants on the tree, that could be the problem.

bkay

bkay, that's my guess too. But what to do about it? I doubt we can (or should) eliminate the ants.

There's a discussion of sooty mold on the AHS Facebook page. One suggestion, repeated several times, is to spray the trees above with dormant oil in early spring before they leaf out.

My trees are too big for that, though.

I also got the impression the problem can vary greatly from year to year. This is my first year with hostas under my tulip poplar.