Question From: J. Brower - Coon Rapids, Iowa, United States
Q: in reading about fertilizing hostas in the fall on this website, it was mentioned that Marc Whitefield of Bloomfield Hills uses Turf Nurture. I can not find this product locally, and to order it on-line, the shipping is as much as the product. Could you tell me what other product would be as close to Turf Nurture? You mentioned that any organic granular fertillizer for lawns would do almost as well. Would Ringer All Natural Lawn Restore OR Milorganite be close? Here in Iowa we have had 2 summers of drought, and a hosta expert told me I didn't need to water, so I didn't. I lost 16 of my named varieties last year, and 6 so for this year, so after reading the article on Yardener, I started watering! I want to do the best possible thing to get them through winter and give them a boost, now that I'm watering this fall until it freezes.
A: Jan, Plant Tone by Espoma would be a good choice and is available at most garden centers. Sadly, the urban myth that Hostas don't need to be watered still persists. Mulching your hostas with shredded leaves in the fall will enrich the soil and help to hold moisture in the soil, which is very helpful if you don't get good snow cover. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy.
