I heard that Deer LOVE Hastas

[Jeff]

So I was reading somewhere about plants not to plant if you have deer around or they will eat them. Hasta was on the top of the list, as deer will even seek them out.

I'd been thinking about this, and thought about a friend of mine that works in the nursey industry, and at the end of the season, unsold stock many times is just composted, and the pots recycled.

I thought, I have a lot of shady edges on
Trails, and edges and around the pond. They say they almost always just grow back if eaten, so it might be a cool experiment.

So, I sent him a message apparently with perfect timing.
"Do you guys ever have any hastas at the end of the year?"
"Yup. How many you want?"

Be careful what you wish for. You guys have any idea how I might efficiently plant 800 hasta plants?
HOLY HASTAS!!


 

 

[GAB]

I would recommend a skid steer with a hydraulic motor driven auger to to the digging provided the topography is skid steer friendly.
The rest would probably be emanual labor.
GAB

[doc henderson]

this fall, or in the spring?

[btulloh]

Jeff, I can absolutely confirm from personal experience that deer love hostas more than anything else in the entire plant kingdom. They wiped out a all of them I had planted. Some grew back for a while but after a while the deer got so efficient at mowing them to ground level that they are all gone. Maybe 800 will be more than they can keep up with and you'll make out ok.  Your plan sure would look nice.  Worth a try. Good luck!

[doc henderson]

they may have to call in back up which would not be all bad.  new food plot! 8)

[SwampDonkey]

They like lily as well. I don't think they eat iris though. Down at Grafton at my parent's house, there was a lot of deer and mother's lilies got devoured.

[KEC]

Woodchucks also like Hostas. And when they are in blossum, they will attract hummingbirds. Get going and create your salad bar, Jeff; and we want to hear how it works out. A good flower to plant that deer won't bother are daffodils or irises. They hit tulips when they send up shoots in the spring.

[Crusarius]

If its a food plot then you should plant them in clusters that can be fenced off so you can rotate feed areas. That will allow the mowed ones to recover when you rotate the fencing.

my deer like the tulips much more than the hastas.

[SawyerTed]

They are bulbs right?   Dormant right now. 

I believe a dibble would be the tool of choice for 800. 

[thecfarm]

The deer will eat the ones I have.

[Corley5]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/XtremepowerUS-Roto-Digger-12-in-x-3-in-Dia-Garden-Planting-Auger-Bit-81113/309678258

[Jeff]

It will be in the spring I plant them. Do you think rows or patches?

[doc henderson]

https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/hosta/

hosta plant how to store bulbs over winter - Search

[doc henderson]

either.  it depends on where you want to plant them.  If they have a plant info tag, see how big whatever variety will get. 

[Southside]

You pull into the willy wags of Michigan with 800 pots like that and you may get to see another helicopter event one morning.  :D

[thecfarm]

My vote is rows.
But saying that I planted 3 rows in an 8X16 patch and it's all hostas now.
But that was before the deer started to eat them down each year.
So rows once every couple feet and if the deer do not kill them, it will fill in.

[Walnut Beast]

Nice score! Another tool would be a garden auger for the cordless drill. There are various ones. Forget deer management! It's going to be a deer party at your place 😂

[thecfarm]

I took an old screw auger wood bit and cut the end off that went into the drill.
The wife likes to put those wrought iron hangers for plants, they stand about 6 feet tall and have 2 points that go in the ground.
My ground is rocky and hard to get both points into the ground. Now I just put that bit into a cordless drill and problem solved. May take 2-3-4 tries but I get it done. This is only about an inch bit.
The few plant augers I've seen are big. But I suppose they make small ones too.
Could you plant carrots?
I left some carrots in the ground one year and the deer ate them.
Deer are about 20 feet behind the house digging through about 4 inches of snow for red oak acorns. The only reason they are not closer is the limbs are about 20 fet from the house.  ;)

[21incher]

I bet you can divide each pot into 2 plants and have 1600 to plant  ;D.  Time for a bring your  own shovel planting party  8)

[Nebraska]

Pig roast at the cabin project??   
I'd plant them in rows strategically arranged to funnel deer by one of your blinds.

[Magicman]

They will prolly come in at night and mow them down, like they did PatD's here in our backyard.

[Jeff]

I'm planning on planting them in wooded areas

[KEC]

A few years back, I bought White Cedar seedlings and planted them on a property where I hunt with the owners' blessing, Maybe 50 trees. They survived the summer but the deer destroyed them when winter came. I bought more seedlings and planted them in 5 gallon buckets thinking to let them get some size before putting them out. Put the buckets on the edge of my yard near the garage. Yup, they came into the yard and ate them out of the buckets. I do wish you luck, Jeff.

[thecfarm]

I had a MIL that wanted some cedar broughs. I thought that would be easy.
I could not find any small cedar trees or low hanging branches. I had to get a step ladder to get some!!!!

[SwampDonkey]

Anywhere with cedar that the deer winter, you'll have some reaching. On my woodlot I have not had any winter yet. I have lots of low green branches in my cedar stand. Hairs tend to trim up small trees a little, but not as bad as deer. They can actually chew like a pruner, where as deer rip. Not as hard on them. They can sure do a number on spruce seedlings though, especially if you have red spruce. But any spruce will suit them.



These are smaller than the ones in behind, where they are fence post sized. I've not thinned this yet. If you don't wait for them low limbs to die off, all them green branches that aren't cut will shoot up a new tree and it will be 10 x as thick. :D :D