I don't use any special media just regular garden soil and compost.

Even the 10 gal. bags will restrict the potential of the hostas you're going to transplant. I found 100' X 4' rolls of spin-out fabric (I'm on my second roll) much easier to use and will accommodate any size hosta. However unless you have a lot of hostas to move it may not be worth the expense. You could probably glue (fabric cement) two 10 gal. bags together for a larger planting pocket.

John

Thanks John.
I am trying to deal with root problems. I have placed some pots in the ground in this bed and those did come back better than the original hosta. All the others not in pots came back much smaller so the problem is severe.
I'm looking for all the suggestions I can get from the experienced growers on the forum.
Thanks again.

I began to put some hostas and other plants in spin out bags last year. I, too, have maple tree roots and have seen that just about anything I have put in a pot or spin out bag has grown much better than in root infested soil. It is very satisfying to see plants performing to their potential rather than just simply existing.

From previous threads, I gather that the media in the bag should closely resemble the existing soil. What would be the point to put well draining media in a bag that cannot drain because the existing soil outside of the bag is more clay like? I use existing soil and add compost just as John mentioned above.

For the size of the bag, well, you can always start with a smaller bag (5 gallon) if your plants are on the small side now. But you will have to upgrade to a bigger bag if your plants flourish and grow (which I hope they do)! I agree with John that the 10 gallon bags may not be large enough for a very large hosta. Right now, for me, the bags suffice. I'll deal with that problem when and if I come to it.

I think using spin out bags will bring you the positive results you are looking for.

Everyone is right. The bags are the wrong shape. John's idea of ordering fabric instead of bags is a good one. I think the fabric is produced in Canada but only sold in the states. That is not insurmountable for me but I have to be organized enough to order it when I'm going to be down in Seattle. Meanwhile, here's what I've done.

First, in an attempt to make some bags bigger and flatter Faye helped me by sewing them as pictured below. We cut the bags apart and cut one in half. It was sewed sideways to two others. Results were 2 large, better bags out of 3.

This worked for some but since my woods garden has been there for a while I mostly found it impossible to dig that deep and put anything in with the cedar roots. The plants I was diging up were like flying saucers with very wide, maybe 3 inches deep of roots. At that point I started digging a shallow, wide hole and puting the fabric down as a barrier. It had to come up on the sides and eventually be disguised with wood or whatever. The picture below is before I had disguised it very well.

Last year I was running out of bags and patience. I still had some bags. I decided to cut the bottoms out of pots and glue the fabric to the bottom. My theory was that the sides of the pots will keep the roots out and only a little fabric was required. I made many pots this way and have used most of them. Below is a picture before the fabric was glued on.

I have no idea how well the glue I used will hold. I guess time will tell. In the meantime I've dug up a few plants that have been in bags for several years. Here's an annoying fact. I don't know about maple roots but the cedar ones can find their way through the sewn holes of the original bags. So....I guess there's no fool proof way and plants in the woods will have to be checked periodically to see what's going on. Good luck!

The bags really are the wrong shape for hostas, and I don't think any of the ones you listed will fit in a 5 gal. bag. However, for problem non-growing plants the ones I gave up and bagged are growing much better than they did in the ground. Someday I'll have to get the roll of fabric and make my own.

One downside to the bags is that the hosta roots will stick to the inside of the bag.

I use garden soil (mine is good black soil) and mix in compost and/or manure. The 100% powdered manure our local store carried is terrific, but people balked at paying $4.50 a bag and they discontinued it. If you can find it, it will make your hostas sit up and smile!

Thanks to all those who replied.
You have been very helpful!! I know this has been posted many times before, but I was still a little confused.

In the past, at times, I thought I was doing the right thing but I wasn't....so thanks again!
McT...I like your idea with the cut out pots and will try that too.

This post was edited by mbug on Wed, May 28, 14 at 22:32