A few years back I bought a hosta like that. Planted it and it was back to normal the next year. Don't even remember which one it was. Then my Mount Tom did the same thing, even though it looked normal when I bought it. Now it is growing like crazy and beautiful. I say do not cut your plant, let it do its own thing and, let it die back in the fall, and I bet in the spring you will have a normal looking plant. (But who wants normal) We are all looking for that something different, so enjoy your plant this year and treat it as an experiment, nature will take care of the rest. Betty

I say pot them up a size, and in regular potting soil, Bonnie. Bet itÂll give them a boost. And carefully remove the seed leaves and bury them all the way up to the first set of true leaves. And keep watering them with a dilute water soluble fertilizer. I also recommend putting them out all day any time itÂs up around or above 60, and even a little bit lower if the sunÂs out. The wind and sun will be good for them, and theyÂre gonna be out there on their own before too long anyway. You might keep them in or put them out in filtered sun or bright shade for a couple days right after you pot them up. Most of mine have or are just getting their second set of true leaves, so I really donÂt think youÂre that far behindÂif at all. And one other point! Last year I was looking for a couple more varieties than I had started, so I bought one in a gallon pot, and one in a small pot. Both of the store bought ones were bigger than the ones I started, and it almost looked like my tiny little plants werenÂt worth putting in the ground, but once they were planted, it wasnÂt long at all before they were ALL the same size, and without a scorecard, I really couldnÂt tell which had been which. In my experience, they love getting out into the ground and really take off once they do. And, Ian, all that for you too! I sowed my seed on March 31st, and I just potted them up from the 2' pots they were started in to 3½" pots. I mostly potted them up a size so I could bury them deeper to help establish a bigger root system before they go out into my clay! If you think yours look a little too pale, I recommend you start watering with a water soluble fertilizer too. I use 20/20/20Âfor EVERYTHING! For seedlings I usually use it half strength, and if they seem to like that, I make it a little bit stronger. IÂve never used Miracle Grow soilÂor Miracle Grow anything else, but if itÂs forming a crust on top when it drys, get something else. IÂve never used it either, but the Black Gold everybodyÂs talking about sounds good. I use Sunshine mix, since I can get it in bales, but itÂs available in smaller size bags too. ItÂs what everything was planted in at PaulinoÂs, and it always worked well. I use it for starting seeds, rooting cuttings, and everything else. But Digit and David both grow a LOT of stuff, and if they think Black Gold is good, thatÂs good enough for me. Ball mix is a good quality too, but I donÂt think you can usually find it in anything smaller than a bale. Just think, for a minute, about all those YUMMY home grown tomatoes! Skybird

I just noticed I was replying to a very, very old post, but figured I'd leave it in case anyone is still reading. I had a bad experience with this zinsser oil based interior/exterior cover stain as well. I did not tint but it is tintable. I used it right after buying from depot and having it shaken for 5 min at the counter. I applied on an outside beam that was partially prepped with a wood hardener after removing dry rot, but the majority was just the previous paint that was in good shape. 2 days after painting, it's still slightly tacky. I called zinsser support and they said the only thing they could think of is if I had been applied on too hot of a day, saying it needs to be under 80F. It was topped out at just under 70 the day I painted, but the sun here does get hot in the South Bay below San Francisco, so maybe the surface was hotter?? I'll check today compared to air temp. If temperature wasn't the cause, then my experience seems similar to yours. In my case it would be a huge job to remove the product from the large outdoor beam so I'm looking for other solutions. I still need to add an epoxy pc woodie filler where I had removed and cleaned out dry rot before applying the cover stain (just used to make sure the pc woodie epoxy would stick and add an extra layer of protection against the weather to the entire beam...which I now wish I had skipped!) My current plan is to wait it out a week or 2 and hopefully dries (next week is supposed to be low 70's but the rest of this week is 80's. In the upper 80's the 2nd layer is even forming a few bubbles, so I've just been popping those to make sure it dries out beneath. It's only slightly tacky, but looking for no tackiness before I take the next step. If anyone has any tips or any idea if waiting longer will help, let me know please. Thanks! And for the next time, a better product to use than this zinsser oil based primer which was highly recommended by depot.

Well all I can relate to is my own personal experience, I was also trained with and volunteered for our local Master Gardeners, and have been gardening for over 30 years now just as point of reference, but I make absolutely no claims on being an expert, (I don’t know if anyone can) and can only know what I know. Which is why I said there are many variables when it comes to plant care. if you are concerned the plant is not draining, sure, checking right at the bottom makes sense, (you can do that by turning the pot sideways too and looking at the drain holes, maybe give the soil a sniff) but some plants would be very dry indeed, if you routinely waited until the soil was absolutely without mousture. Then you might encounter another issue, and that is (as you may have personally experienced) that peat becomes water repellant once it loses all moisture and will have to be reactivated with a good soak. Cactus soils sure, they dry out all the time, but other plants in more peaty soils well it varies but generally they are retaining some moisture.