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I have a question about dividing

15 years ago

Hi there...

I divided some clumps about three years ago. I wanted more clumps. Most were plants about 12 inches tall with leaves sword shaped, about 5 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. I dug the whole 2 foot wide clump out, and then divided it, dirt and all with a couple shovels, and it was a tough job. I made about 3-4 new clumps out of each. I did this in the spring when the new leaves were about 3 inches tall, and not unfurled. I never washed the roots off, just replanted. I thought that i planted all at the same depth. As time went by several of these divisions didn't look very vigirous. Even now, several have never come back to the original size. The leaves look like those of a miniature plant. Some of these are clumps I put back in the hole I started with, with more soil, to bring the soil/plant depth back to the beginning. Same shape, only half the size. I have seen this in some other Hosta too. SO...my question is what happened/ Why have the plants not come back to their true size after I divided them?

Did I damage the roots? I know I had to cut them when I divided the plant...did I do too much damage? Please give me your opinion. I have been gardening for many years, so I have seen a lot, but not this.

THANKS!!!!!

Kathy

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Comments (5)

esther_opal
15 years ago
Yes, there was a loss, without seeing it at the time I couldn't say what. Even if I saw the division it would still be a guess. Sounds like the normal new growth with the little leaves.
dbowemd
15 years ago
This is what happens when you divide certain cultivars, you cause them to revert back to an immature state.
It is severe with Elegans, Montana types. It is not much of a problem with the fast growers like Undulata.

Dave
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
they should have recovered in a 3 year span ...

i GUESS .... they rotted ... no real way to tell.. other than to dig one up ...

i SUSPECT.. you will find the rotten old dry rotted crown .. with some babes struggling to grow in the mess ...

re-dig... blast them clean with a garden hose... replant in fresh SOIL ... dirt will be what is all over you.. when you are done working in the soil .... or potting media ...

report back after you get one out... if i presume wrong... snap a couple pix .. and we can further advise ...

depth is important .... but it sounds like you took that into consideration ...

good luck

ken
upnort
15 years ago
Kathy,
This happened to me too. I divided the plant in half 3 yrs ago(was '05 a strange yr for hostas)??? and today they look like totally different plants. The divided being a smaller mound, smaller leaves and darker. I unfortunetly dont know the name of the plant.
bellasmom06
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks guys...
Ken...I'm not sure about rotting...but I'll dig one up and look this weekend. I'll try to get pictures tonight. These really look like miniature plants from the ones I divided. I'd say I ended up with 24 to 30 "clumps", and of those about 6-8 look "normal"- are the same size now that they were before division. All these are in dry soil under old oak trees, almost full shade. My Golden Tiara was divided at the same time, and it did the same thing, except that they have really not come back at all...very poor growth, not much new growth.
Some of my other hosta that were large growth habit, like Sum and Substance, never have gotten to their full potential, in 8 years...They are right next to the trunk of the oaks.
We usually have wet winters, and draught summers. These hosta have a rough time, BUT...I have some in this same bed that are very happy...
I'll get pics...THANKS!!!!

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