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bkay2000

How much sun for August Moon?

bkay2000
9 years ago

I bought an August Moon in May 2014. I brought it home and put it in a fairly shady place. It turned the worst color I've ever seen on a hosta. I assume from that it likes more sun (at least I hope that's what it is). So, how much sun does it like? Does it take as much as Squash Casserole?

bk

The photo is kind of fuzzy, but you can see the color, anyway

Comments (14)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    ??? is that the leaf shape of AM???

    are we sure its AM????

    i have no clue for placement..... down in your part of the world ...

    ken

  • hostahosta
    9 years ago

    Here is one of my August Moon in flower. It sits under a tree where it gets about 50% sun, but not at the hottest part of the day. Of course, I'm further north that you. I have several in my garden, the more sun, the more golden AM is.

  • evermore_gw z 4/5 NB
    9 years ago

    My August Moon gets direct sun from 10 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. In other words, lots of sun. But I'm up here on the border between zones 4 and 5 and (as Ken has pointed out) the zone you are in may make a difference. My guess is that yours needs at least some direct sun every day.

    Steve

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    No, Ken, I'm not sure it's August Moon. It turned ugly shortly after I bought it, so I didn't take very many photos. I also didn't get all my photos sorted.

    I moved it to more sun, but it was too late to make any difference. It stayed mottled greenish yellow. It didn't burn though. I'll post some photos of it when it comes up.

    bk

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    looks like you have a lot of divisions there ...

    any chance at an experiment ..

    divide it.. after settling in.. put one in all morning sun.. and the other in all afternoon sun ...

    ken

  • in ny zone5
    9 years ago

    I am in zone 5. My h.'August Moon' get only morning sun and tree branches are high. They love water as any other hosta. When mature their leaves will be corrugated and wide. They are my work horse yellow hosta.
    Bernd

  • beverlymnz4
    9 years ago

    "Mottled green" - are we sure it is healthy? My sister grew AM on the south-east side of her house in full day sun - it burned. Then she put it in part sun/shade and it glows. I'm guessing 3 hours of sun a day, certainly not more than 4.

    July 1, 2012 (I haven't taken pictures of her garden since then but they are still very nice and in the same location.

  • almosthooked zone5
    9 years ago

    My August Moon gets lots of sun and never burns but then it is in a Zone 5 . This was near end of may 2014. It was more yellow in 2012 but possibly because it was younger, if that makes a difference

  • almosthooked zone5
    9 years ago

    AM from 2012 almost the same time in May. Could yours just have had stress from replanting Bkay ?

  • brucebanyaihsta
    9 years ago

    I have seen August Moon in more direct noonday sun in the North ( Michigan,Minnesota, New York, Delaware) without burn, but would expect in the South a much more significant burn problem.

    Good August Moon stock is very hardy and colorful, as noted in earlier posts.

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I bought it locally. A local chain brings in hosta from Centerton Nursery out of New Jersey. Someone on this forum said they got their hosta starts from Walters or Q&Z, but I've never contacted them for that information. You can buy a really nice, large hosta for $16.95. They aren't the latest varieties, but since my collection is small, they are ones I don't have. Over the last three years, I've bought 10 or 12 and they have all done well.

    I found a really good depiction of the uglies on this plant. What worries me is that Key West does the same thing, but not as dark. Any ideas? Come to think of it, Key West came from them, too. Some yellows have done fine for me. Birchwood Parky's Gold has done well, as has Squash Casserole. Gold Standard has a similar look, but didn't come from them. Could it be my alkaline water?

    bk

  • peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
    9 years ago

    bk - Hostas apparently like their water to be slightly acidic at 6.0-7.0 on the ph scale, 7.0 being neutral, but, I do NOT think that is a problem for you as you have shown some of your hostas and they all look good. The 'So Sweet' you most recently posted is perfect (anyone would be thrilled to have one that look so good).
    Did you repot August Moon after purchasing it? It looks like it can't uptake enough water perhaps.
    If you did repot it, then do as Ken suggests and divide in spring. For you some morning sun would work well for it. The good news since it is in a pot you can experiment easily with placement.

  • User
    9 years ago

    BKay, I have some plants with a similar color pattern. I don't think it is a response to sun, but to some nutritional change in different eyes of the plant. Although I see a couple that have various color patterns on the same leaf, which is what I'd call "mottled." Maybe I can find a shot of such a plant, but it will take me a while to find it.

    Meanwhile, here is a June 2013 photo of my 2 August Moons planted in the same pot as 2 Midas Touch. When they arrived in 2012, I planted them as shown in the same fairly large tub. Can you spot which two (opposite one another) are August Moons?
    {{gwi:2131544}}

    and here is another picture of same plants in June 2014. In same tub, and just about in the same spot in the garden.
    {{gwi:2131545}}

    Just for the heck of it, here they are first year 2012
    {{gwi:2131546}}

    and since I have it for comparison, also in July 2014, two years later.
    {{gwi:2131547}}

    So this sort of progression in a container and in the same location for the 3 growing seasons (about same length as yours), I cannot say mine got better treatment...I am a beginner at this...but they were in the most exposed section of my garden after the hotter parts of the year arrived. That is why I had the lattice shade screen built this July, my goodness it was hard keeping them watered and cooled off.

    But now I'm learning that shade in the summer is not my problem. Plants like Squash Casserole eat it up, given enough water. And I'm thinking many of the other golds with good substance do the same. So my problem is not shade in summer--I might have too MUCH! --but my problem is shade in the winter, MUCH more than in summer....

    Oh. About August Moon.
    Speaking about how much sun during the height of the sun in the sky, mid-May to late August-- they got sun from around 8 or 9am to 3 or 4pm, then shade from a small peach tree or umbrella. The misting sprinkler was not far away, so I kept them cooled down (about 20 degrees cooler after the misting) from 2 to 3pm or so, but the effect lasts with the dripping spanish moss, the umbrella shapes of two very old camellia sasanquas, a nearby clump of Texas Star native hibiscus, and the mass of star jasmine dripping water for quite a while.

    INcidentally, I liked the effect of the two golds with different textures in the same pot. To me, it points up the differences in similar hostas, and I learn to tell how they vary

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Mocc. My second thought is always the alkaline problem. I know that hosta like acid conditions. Since we were once an ocean here, we have layer upon layer of limestone beneath our soil. Our water is alkaline, too. We generally try to avoid plants that need acid conditions, but we all succumb to some extent. Almost everyone tries Azaleas and Gardenias at least once. I know it's a problem because the Blue Angel I sent to A&M was diagnosed with iron chlorosis (sp)..

    That's it!!!!!!!! I just did a search on chlorotic hosta on Yahoo and two images came up that looked exactly like what I'm seeing.

    Thank you guys, that's my problem. I can solve that.

    bk

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