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Advice on Baby Hostas Please

9 years ago

First attempt at harvesting hosta seeds last October, sowed in January under grow lights, up-potted in March into regular size Styrofoam cups, and planted outside in early June in a "nursery bed", north side of the house, shady, protected. I knocked out the bottom of the Styrofoam cups but left the rest of the cups thinking it might help protect these little guys from cutworms and the like.

The dozen on the left are all from Liberty.
The 2 top right are from Independence.
The remaining 4 are from Zounds.
Not that it makes any difference, but....

Question now is what to do come the fall? Just leave them like that? Should I remove the Styrofoam? Dig them out and plant them in their "forever" spots? I'm leaning towards just leaving them until next spring, and see which survive.

What say you?

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
are they in native soil???

i would probably get rid of the cups now.. its root growing season ... and hosta roots spread.. rather than ALL go down ...

we need these babes anchored in a well as possible to avoid frost heave next spring ...

whats your plan for winter mulch..

and are vermin an issue... aka voles???

do NOT transplant small plants in fall ... no time for roots to grab hold.. see above re: heave

ken
hostanista
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Ken.
Yes they are in native soil.
I'll gently remove Styrofoam today.
Winter mulch: 8 feet of snow. Before the snow flies I will cover with a blanket of fallen leaves and pine needles.
No vole issues.
Will leave them where they are and keep my fingers crossed over winter.
You are a prince among men.
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andi_mn
9 years ago
I think it's just Amazing that you got all those beautiful plants from seeds you harvested. an accomplishment!
hostanista
Original Author
9 years ago
I'm kinda surprised myself andi_mn.....didn't really have much hope for them, but I guess seeds just know what to do! I just finished removing the Styrofoam cups from around each baby and you should see the roots already! Thick, white and fleshy - and lots of them!
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
winter is usually not the problem.. is the snow melt.. frost heave season between winter and real spring ...

add an inch or two of goo light wright mulch.. just after the ground freezes ... to keep spring sun off black soil... its the heating and cooling cycle.... that you want to avoid ....

ken
Jon 6a SE MA
9 years ago
I planted 15 liners (very tiny liners) in very sandy soil. I amended it with compost and had a tough time with the roots which were pot bound. 12 of the 15 are surviving with the 3 casualties most likely trampled by me as I put them in a very poor spot.

Hosta go dormant and I fail to see what difference it makes if you do it in a garage, cellar or in the ground as seedlings do and mature plants do. Small wild seedlings survive sub-zero winters. I don't see why some require pampering. If they are dormant it shouldn't matter and in my experience it doesn't.

I also don't see how hosta can heave out of the ground if you have them planted in the same soil as the surrounding soil (native). I can see how they would heave if planted in 'plug' that could be subject to heaving such as concrete pilings would if not 'planted' deep enough. Maybe some soils are different, but it just doesn't happen here.

In my opinion the very best place to winter hosta is in the ground.

Jon

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