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Moving a large fully leafed out Hosta

13 years ago

you will need a rope .. like clothes line
masking tape
shovel
pruning shears
a strong back
hose and water
water the hosta well in advance so it is in prime shape for moving ....

take the clothes line ... and get it under the hosta .. and draw it tight about halfway up the petioles .. leaf stems ... draw it as tight as you can without breaking too many leaves .... then take the masking tape and tape the petioles above and below the rope .... do not have fear ...

go dig the hole in the new place ....

proceed to dig at least half way out from where the edge of the canopy was ... with the caveat that you have to be able to lift the darn thing after its out ...

dig/cut a circle around the whole hosta .... and then 'pop' it out ... hoping there arent any tree roots to frustrate the proceedure ... i never go more than one shovel depth ... which means you will be real close on the proper depth of the new hole ...

once loose ... lift and drop the plant twice, to remove any excess soil that might fall off ... you can use the bound leaves to grab the plant to move it around ....

drag the plant to the new hole and throw it in .... water it well and backfill and water again ...

remove the rope, but leave the tape there ... it will hold the leaves up until the roots start pumping water ... the process causes a loss of turgidity ... loss of water pressure to hold up the leaves ....

keep watering well ....

the tape will fall of in a week or 2 depending on heat and rain ... or you can remove it after you are sure the leaves will not flop ......

prune off any broken leaves ...

water, water, water ....

bottom line .. they are hsota .. have no fear ... just teach them who is in charge .. and you will have a wonderful garden ...

good luck

Contributed by ken_adrian

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Exactly as the link shows, I just did two more yesterday and although its hitting in the upper 80s lately, i don't have a choice as my boys are smashing them near the basketball court. It's either move them or sacrifice them to the "ball god" as i have nicknamed it. As with any plant, the hole and quality of soil and amendments makes the difference between success and struggling plants. Thankfully the hostas can take it.
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I think September in zone 7 is probably still too hot. I'd wait till temps are down in the 70's or 60's. The heat stress will really be tough on the plant. And it's very likely that in your zone, it could still be producing its later flush of growth. Either wait till late September or October. And make sure you give her lots of water to go into the fall. She'll have had a lot of her roots cut and will need to take in lots of water.
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The hostas are happily thriving in the wooded area I've been trying (with mixed success) to clear in my backyard for two years. I tried the tape method, but you must have some SERIOUSLY strong masking tape or your hostas are not laboring under the misapprehension that they are small shrubs, like mine. I wish I had taken a pic of one of them filling the wheelbarrow, but my hands were too covered in dirt. When I tried to tie them up I kept catching leaves, and then the tape just kept ripping. So I just watered the heck out of them and crossed my fingers. They haven't seemed to notice I moved them yet. In the front, I started pillaging from around the yard to fill in the bed. Fortunately, I had two nice second year spirea that needed a sunnier home. I also got a great deal on this used fountain for $35, so I added that until the sunny perennials start to grow. I also bought a flat of annual dianthus to add some color for now. (Please ignore that the lawn right there is more weeds than lawn. I suppose someday I will get to that, but I'm guessing I expand this bed again before I fix the turf!) Thanks again all for the advice and courage! Steve, I will most likely plant some trees, but by the time they grow big enough to shade this bed, the hostas would have struggled in sun for years. Plus, this way I get a good start on my shady woods garden, too!
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Late summer is a great time to move hostas, as long as you can water at their new location. They've made most of their energy for next year, yet will have time this year to still put good roots into the soil. Most hostas (not "big blue" types) even divide well this time of year; in fact this is when Bob Solberg (see other post about Green Hill Farms) recommends dividing hostas for increase. They won't look great this fall, but will next year.
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