Dividing extra large Hostas?
16 years ago
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- 16 years ago
- 16 years ago
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Divide 5 Francee Hosta or include companions?
Comments (1)If they are very small, they won't get bigger faster by dividing them now, so unless it helps you feel better to see 10 really small hostas compared to 5 small--just wait and divide them in another year or 2. Actually, the first statement is not quite accurate--if you have a more hospitable place to grow your hostas, including containers, if your tree area is really dry or competitive, then one might want to grow divisions separately in very good soil and transplant when bigger. Depending on conditions under your tree, you could use some annuals to fill in temporarily. Or perennials that look good with hostas--typically smaller-leaved plants--ferns, lamium. The Hosta Forum can also give you suggestions....See MoreHosta website for i.d., and To divide or not to divide?
Comments (16)Regarding location of planting...I am in Wisconsin...and have hostas in the sun and shade. I think you have to consider your own habits and lifestyle. A big, beautiful hosta in full sun with a big ugly sunburn is not attractive. My S & S got sunburned last year when I was away for a long weekend, and it looked bad the rest of the year to me. Think about the hostas planted out in front of businesses in stone...they usually look decent through June, and then they are an ugly mess for the rest of the season. I am a lazy gardener when the July/August heat waves hit and I also like to travel. No one in my family but me cares about the hostas, and I can't afford to hire someone to water when I am away. For all those reasons, I don't really like to plant my hostas in full sun if I don't have to....See MoreHow do you know a hosta is large enough to divide?
Comments (11)Any time is a good time to divide hostas: at your pleasure. And any size is the right size to divide - whether it be a two-eye toddler or a 50-eye senior - your choice. I agree that washing as much of the soil off and then pulling the plant gently apart works beautifully - with some of them. Others need a little encouragement with a knife across the crown, but try to avoid the roots. Still others are stoloniferous, so their main feeder root needs to be cut from the parent plant. As long as you have a few roots attached to the above-ground part of the plant, and provide even moisture after the surgery, generally they should do very well. I routinely rescue chipmunk-dug hosta root fragments from our local arboretum (which has a hosta garden to DIE for), and none have so far expired. Mind you, I make sure they get no more than the teeniest amount of direct morning or evening sun - direct midday sun would cook them in a blink, even up here in Ottawa. Steady bright shade is the key to success. Since most hostas generally do well in saturated soils, it's a good idea to provide lots of moisture in the planting hole when you're ready to plant (dig the hole, fill it with water, push some dirt in it, plonk the plant in, water some more, fill with dirt to the top, water again)....See MorePhotos of dividing large mature hosta clumps
Comments (9)eOld 1900's greenhouse /field nursery cleanliness operating procedures required bleaching pots/tools/accessories with dilute bleach ( 10% or less solutions) to kill any pathogenic bacteria/soilborne fungi that would quickly attack plant roots. With that background our family has done this since opening the family greenhouse in the 1920's and the nursery business subsequent. My mother began bleaching hosta divisions when that was the only way to propagate them (before tc) and had very good success with overall plant disease control. I have done the same since.. After dividing, using cool water to dilute, leave roots in diluted bleach solution up to one hour or until the root tissues smell of bleach when you remove them. Remove and air dry then replant. Avoid bleach solution temps getting warm, leaving them to soak in the sun or letting them soak too long so the tissue as the root issue will get soft....See More- 16 years ago
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