YEP me. Lost my Andrew...One I got interested in through you. My heucheras too are ailing due too much rain. Just be vigilant to keep your wonderful collection safe.

Oh, I am right there with you, Ludi! None of my plants are the stunners yours are, and they are few enough in number that I was able to move them to my covered porch until the forecast looks better. Still, they are wet through and I am worried! I need to educate myself on the signs of overwatering, rot, etc. With this steamy humidity and little sun, even the covered pots aren't going to dry out any time soon!

I repotted everything last week because I was worried about the drainage of the bagged potting mix I used. I mixed in shredded pine bark to around 50/50, and the pots feel much lighter when wet, so I know it is an improvement.

I just wish we could send some of this rain out West...my thoughts are with the families of the men killed in the Arizona wildfire.

Ohhhhhhhhhh Ira I'm so sorry :(

I remember when you bought him, he was a stud. :p

So far On Stage and Radiant Star are the only two that have shown signs of ailing, but I most certainly will keep my eye out.

I have come too far in such a short time to watch them all drown to death.

I know gardening is supposed to be challenging, but my word !

Ludi

Jadie indeed, Amen.

I'm finding comfort in knowing I'm not the only one drowning over here. I seriously can not remember ever having this much rain at one time since I moved to Philly 5 years ago. :(

Good of you to have repotted them into a lighter medium. I know the hostas don't mind the water, but it's like you said, the steamy humidity. I have landed on a delicious potting mixture that is so light and fluffy I can soak it and still it won't compact.

But I worry about the air movement around my crowns. I have elevated what I can so things are not stacked together and can 'breath', but the air is not moving. It lingers like a thick soup.

I dread the thought of walking outside to southern blight.

::faints::

In conditions such as these, do any of you use preventative foliage sprays like daconil? I know my area is heavily populated with various fungi (dogwood anthracnose, septoria, curcurbit mildew, etc), so I know I need to do some reading into fungal diseases of hosta and how to keep them at bay.

We have been getting a lot of rain but this past weekend was relatively dry. I haven't noticed anything rotting but the slugs are certianly having a field day out there.

Wishing you drier days and no fungus. We had endless rain earlier this year, but all it did to the hostas was make the mature ones even bigger. The irises, tall sedum, and lambs ear are another story, lots of rot there.

Hmm, maybe I lied. I did have a couple of new hostas that had one eye just drop off. Maybe the roots rotted. The fallen eyes still looked healthy, so I popped them back in the ground. I am not expecting them to take as they had no roots. Just a case of having nothing to lose.

ludi...Same here in NJ....and more heavy rains forecasted for rest of the week.....just started doing more containers so not sure what the downpours will do to them

From the days of stagnant air and high humidity, I found two hosta done in by the southern blight.

One was Dust Devil....not here quite a month yet. And then I discovered my lovely Totally Twisted writhing in agony, the round balls of the blight like Osmocote spread among the petioles. Twisted was right behind Honey Pie, a big new fragrant. I guess it lacked a change of atmosphere. Honey Pie is fine, but I moved it into the walking space just in case.

It was also the culprit for two of my DH's nice bell pepper plants. He thought it was eggs laid at the base of the stem, until I showed him the afflicted hosta.

It happens quickly. Fine one day. The next you see the leaves yellowing and petioles falling over. It's a goner.

I was congratulating myself on keeping things safe this year. But having a few days off to heal my leg, I did not see it in time.
I think an outdoor fan might help, since what I have here is essentially a greenhouse without confinement....I really wonder if the ones close to the wooden fence have worse air circulation.

I am Philly born but live in central NJ. I can't believe the rain. I will still take this over the many drought years though. Fungus aside the Hostas usually like more water better than less. Years ago I gave divisions of my Hostas to a friend here in NJ after he bought a new house.....which happened to be in a flood zone. The house eventually did flood and he has now moved. House is being rented since he can't sell it but the Hostas are HUGE and amazing!!

Sorry to read that you have too much rain!
But...whenever there is a lot of rain in the southern and Atlantic Ocean states, also summer storms and hurricanes, here in upstate NY we will get just enough rain. So I am very happy with the rains we are just getting. Actually I took probably 60 pictures of my best hostas before we went into a vacation thinking about the worst, but coming back after 9 days all are doing very well. So I am very happy for my garden. But I also read about towns being flooded in NY state, very bad.
Bernd

Ludi, I know you have a lot of pots, but can you do anything to help them drain, like pot feet? Or Babka's sticks? Anything that will get them up so that they can drain during the lulls should help.

bk

Ludi, do you have side drainage on your pots? Some may need pot holders to keep them off the cement. Check out Mocc's butts. I had to use Spectracide Immunity for the daylily rust so when I got a dose of anthracnose on the hostas I used that. Works great with no damage to plants. I am a chem girl gardener. It has been raining here a lot this summer and yes there is a limit on how much water a POTTED hosta can take even with the best drainage. For more air open up the ranks. Good luck. Rained so hard here last Thursday as my son put it They had to pull over in the car. Cut my leaves. Canna look like torn feathers. Hurt my hosta girls bad. Messed up my garden good. But they are still the best hostas in Florida!

Moonsoon season in Delaware! Dragging 75 feet of hose out to water the garden is just a fond (NOT) memory, now!

ILoveToGrow, we missed the big action last week, just a few mild rain showers. Some small limbs down though.

I hear what you say, when it gets too much water for the hosta, and too much even up on sticks or "butts" then you have to spread them out for better air circulation.

I looked at Totally Twisted this morning. It was the one hit hard by southern blight. A few of the petioles in the heart of the plant are still standing. I placed the pot in a spot where the morning sun catches it, on a walkway near the back steps. Perhaps with all the sun and heat, drying it out, some part of the plant might survive. I'll be looking at it more closely later today, when the sun goes over the yardarm and the spot is in shade. The humidity here is the real killer--that and the lack of air movement.

Paula, your comment about holes on the sides of the pots, I confirm that is the best location for them. I'm even getting rid of the WalMart pots with the attached saucers that had been drilled to let water drain. They still hold too much water. I believe those containers would work for house plants where you don't want water draining on your furniture or flooring. NOt with anything in need of good drainage. I'm giving away a lot of those pots to my two neighborlady gardeners, who sell their day lilies and the fruits of their fertile gardens for some extra change.

Thank you everyone for the warm responses and helpful advice.

Since I originally posted this I have moved them all farther apart to allow even more air to pass through and around.

To those that suggested Babka sticks, I have seriously thought about this but I have over 100+ potted hostas right now and that would be A LOT of 6 inch long pieces of wood at one time.

I did make sure to order nursery pots with the 4 side draining holes though and they have been wonderful in combination with my new potting medium. IâÂÂve noticed the soil is staying wet (obviously) but it is not soggy or squishy, so itâÂÂs draining through.

::sigh::

I know thereâÂÂs nothing I can do to stop the rain, and I will probably want it right back as soon as it stops and the sun bakes the rest of the summer.

But Mum always said . . . moderation . . . wish Mother Nature could take a hint.

Thanks again,
Ludi

Good to hear that you are at least "moderating." It always seems to help if you are doing something, being proactive. Hope the weather eases up soon.

You verify that the side holes are beneficial....I thought they were better than the bottom draining ones on flat surfaces. If you use pot feet, then either bottom or side draining would not matter (I think).