Pip Pip Hooray! I know you have been waiting a looooooong time.

I am still curious as to when we started calling them pips rather than shoots, or elongated eyes. Pieter told me the sheath (the outer covering) around the eye when it comes out of dormancy is called "cataphyll", I went looking at the AHS dictionary of terms and "pips" ain't there.

I've been playing with hostas since the 90's and "pips" only began showing up in the jargon in the last year or so.

I sometimes refer to their "noses" poking up, so I don't really care what anyone calls them, but I would like to know the proper term for those "thingys" that come up in Spring...just because.

-Babka

I think buds is the horticulturally correct term. I was kidding Babka; please review my post. Sorry, no hosta buds yet.

Lol, Jon! But I recognized the daffys n tulips, lol!

Babka, you don't want to know what I used to call the emerging shoots but I'll give you a hint....a female's anatomy...., but "noses" I also used and that was the nicer term...I think I adopted "pips" too, from this forum...I find I use "eye" or "shoots" more now - and that IS in the hosta dictionary. Same for peonies...eyes they are. When referencing how many sets of leaves are in a hosta, I use"divisions". It's hard to keep the jargon straight but like you, I think it is good to know, and to use proper terminology...just because.

Jo

Jo- Good one! Keeping that in mind, some of my larger, yet unfurled shoots could be thought of a part of the male anatomy. Hmmmm. Could perk up the discussions on the forum?????

Jon- Sorry I didn't read more carefully. I was so surprised to see the "things" poking up in such profusion, rather than clumps of shoots. Those shoots looked to me like hostas at a glance, and I never grew tulips.

-Babka

Did you know that the break away pieces of a Hershey's chocolate bar are called pips?

Lol, I was wondering how you could possibly have pips already with the winter you have had. I have pips coming up all over the place. I also have tulips and daffodils blooming! I am so excited to see how much bigger my hosta will be this year. Sorry you have to wait a bit longer :(

The 'eyes' have it … or used to, before the 4 ***squeaks ...

In my area not only humans look out for pips, but also rabbits. My first hosta with pips usually is a big h. 'Elisabeth' which some spring gets all pips eaten off. Snow is slowly melting away, so I have to patrol with 'Liquid Fence' spray soon.

Sagae popped 2 inches today in 75 heat, then a warm thunderstorm rolled thru this evening which will shove them a bit more. This Sat morn is forecast for snow so hopefully the don't get too greedy with growth.

I just checked for pips all around today, as I said I would. Not a single hosta pip. I finally checked under the plastic bowls topping my 2 ceramic pots and there is...no sign of pips. I'll wait.

Jo.....I'll never look at a "pip" the same way again. hehe

Sigh...I had to stop using it because my daughters were saying it too for lack of the proper term...we had our laughs alright! ... just like here, hehehe

Although Pips does not have it's own entry in the AHS dictionary, pips is used in the definition for Cataphylls. "CATAPHYLLS – the often purplish short leaf-like coverings over the pips when they first emerge"

I just did a search of pips on Gardenweb and did find the term in use at least back to 2010 on the forum. It does seem to really have caught on in the last couple of years though, with many of us using it.

DD, I would be very surprised if you couldn't find some pips for bigger species if you gently dug in that mulch a little. I keep feeling I will see something soon....but nothing. I am a zone colder though.

SAGAE started coming up,about a week ago and is about to leaf out. Our weather here in the Denver area has been very warm . Nearly 80"today . Lots of other hostas coming up

Ground seems to be softening up but we still have flurries here and dip into freezing at night. It is supposed to get into the 50's soon, so there should be some here soon. It has been one tough winter. The worst in my lifetime. They were saying there were only a few places in Alaska that had more snow than around here.

Jon, I'm sure you are so sick of seeing snow in any form. When it finally stops and all melts away, I bet your garden takes off like crazy. Bulbs coming up is always a hopeful sign that spring weather is on the way.

sunnywood, your Denver Sagae looks good. Fingers crossed we don't get hit with arctic temps out this way now that so many of our hostas have started.

DD, that looks pretty good to me. So neatly mulched and ready for your hostas to pop up any time now. I'd be out there staring at it every day to see who will come up first.

Some signs of Spring here. Deer wandering around the yard at 1 AM. Tracks all over in the patches of snow left. The sounds of geese heading over to the pond which is still not accessible with one large puddle blocking the path on one side and the other way completely flooded all along. Anxious to see the pond and feeder stream as I think they must be overflowing their banks. No need for thermals anymore as it gets just under freezing in the AM. Rabbits and squirrels all over and birds migrating back....but zero sign of any pips.

Sandy, I'm sure that things will explode when we get into the fifties and stop freezing each night.

Jon

All my hosta pips have popped in the past few days . Some much higher then others. I have a lot that seemed to have lifted this year and I yesterday sprinkled soil over all the roots that are sticking out, Not sure if this is from a mild winter and little snow or what would cause this on established hosta.Should I have dug them up and replanter? Great to see the trees popping and the grass getting greener. Loving our spring

You did the right thing. Digging them up when they are just emerging will set them back. I have noticed this here as well, but we have had a brutal cold winter and I don't see any roots unearthed this year. Probably because the unfrozen soil erodes more. Seems logical.

They sometimes do that in pots too, w/o weather (cold or rain) here. I figure if they want to put roots on the surface, fine with me. They are seeking their own level and it is fine with me.

-Babka

While we're on the subject. Here is my Guacamole emerging in its second year of being transplanted. As you can see, the roots are heaving. Cover with soil or leave alone?

DD

Lots of hostas coming up here, as it has been so warm. Snow and hard-freeze temps coming on Thursday and Friday, as it's only just April. EDIT: Weather reports for the area now have lows for Thu Fri at the high 20s to low 30s as opposed to 21-25 degrees previously reported. Every degree counts. Fingers crossed.

No trace of hostas in my yard in the Twin Cities. Not even Choo Choo Train, which is always the first up. Probably soon though as today reached the low 80s.