How fast do hosta plants grow

When growing hostas in pots, ensure there are plenty of drainage holes as a waterlogged soil will kill the plant. Avoid metal containers as hosta roots need to be kept cool in summer. Grow hostas in large pots so the compost dries out less frequently. You can plant hostas all year round, but spring and autumn are preferable.

Mid-winter is also a bad time to plant hostas, as the ground is cold and often frozen. Improve the soil by digging in well-rotted organic matter. Use a small garden spade to dig a hole the size of the root ball. Remove the plant from its pot and put the plant into the hole.

Back fill with soil and firm in place. Water in well. Use the same method to plant a hosta in a pot, ensuring you water the compost thoroughly and allow to drain.

Hostas will pretty much look after themselves once established, if growing in the right growing environment.

Boost fertility by applying a slow-release fertiliser each spring. You may need to protect plants from slugs and snails — placing copper rings around the plants can help deter molluscs. Cut back flower spikes when they have gone over and cut back hard in autumn. Mulching annually with well-rotted manure, compost or leaf mould will boost soil fertility and therefore plant health. Richard Proctor of Sue Proctor Plants gives his three golden rules when growing hostas, in this video guide:.

Hostas will bulk up quickly, if given the right growing conditions. To increase your stock of plants, simply lift the plant carefully in autumn or spring with a garden fork, taking care not to damage the growing points. Place the plant on a potting bench and use a sharp knife to cut the plant into two. Very large plants can be divided further but do ensure you have about two healthy shoots on each division. An adapatable plant, hostas grow successfully in U. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 3—9, as long as they have the shade required for growth.

Determine your zone before choosing your hosta variety, which may be a complicated task since there are over 8, cultivars. Also, the actual rate of growth is determined after the plant has reached maturity, after five or six years. The growth rate is determined, not by the number of leaves that it adds each year, but the number of flowers produced within the clump.

As a woodland plant, hostas like shade and moist humus-rich soil. Dry, thin soil means death to all hostas. They need constant moist soil, and water should be added underneath the clump. Clean up around the plants and remove brown leaves. However, if you run out of time, you could also wait to cut them back until spring. Transplanting and dividing is best done in early spring when the leaves just begin to emerge.

Transplanting or Dividing Hostas Hostas do not usually need dividing for their health. See video:. Look for shiny slime trails on the leaves or on the ground around the plants. To discourage deer, use fencing or motion-sensitive sprinklers. Speak to your local garden center about odor-based sprays and deer repellents; the deer will taste the distasteful repellent first.

Rabbits : If you see clean-cut chew marks on young hosta stems and leaves you may have rabbits in your garden. Look for dropped leaves and rabbit droppings on the ground and around the plants. Here are just a few: H. It makes for a nice edging plant.

In mid-summer it blooms with mauve-blue flowers. For sunnier spots, select plants from the Hosta plantaginea group. These plants also tend to have fragrant flowers in late summer. Young hosta leaves are edible. The flavor is similar to lettuce and asparagus. If you wish to remove your hostas, cut off the leaves to the ground and then dig out the crown located just below ground level.

Pour vinegar or boiling water over the plant. If you have a larger area of hostas that you want to remove, cut the leaves off, remove the crowns and then cover the area with black plastic for the rest of the growing season. Vegetable Gardener's Handbook. What do you want to read next? Planting Fall Bulbs for Spring Easy Perennial Flowers for The Best Fall Flowers for Your Growing Allium: The Ornamental Rose of Sharon Varieties for Fall How to Design a Moon Garden.

How to Choose a Flowering Tree or Growing Hellebores: The Christmas Lift them, shake them out, and replant like new entries. See additional guidance above. Do hostas go dormant and look dead? Hi, Teena, For a long time the advice on growing hosta from seed had borne two caveats: 1 it can take a long time 2 to 3 years, according to some—but not all—reports and 2 seed propagation does not produce a plant identical to the parent. Fair trade for eggs, no?

A soil test may be in order. I planted two hostas plants last summer, See above for your answer, Coyne. Growing Hostas Botanical Name Hosta spp.

Sign up for our email newsletter by entering your email address. Foliage Plant. Slightly Acidic to Neutral. Blue , Pink , Purple , White. Sometimes this happens when you live in the woods. Mine started sprouting at the end of March, but it will depend on the area you live and and the weather that year. It will sprout earlier and grow faster if it's a warm spring. I hope you've enjoyed your visit and have learned something, too.

Question: Warm weather came early this spring, then a hard freeze bit off my hosta sprouts. Will the hosta sprouts come back? Answer: I think if you remove the dead buds, new buds will probably shoot up. I guess you will just have to wait and see. Question: I have had 4 hostas in large planters for several years, each year coming back beautifully, except this year, one has only sprouted a few leaves and doesn't seem to be sprouting any more, as it's been over a couple weeks now.

The others are growing normally. Any ideas? Answer: Are the 4 hostas in the same location? If the one that's not doing well is in a shady area, it may not grow as quickly as one in a sunny area. That's the only thing I can think of. I would continue to keep an eye on it and see how it does.

One started sprouting two to three weeks ago. However, the other has not started to sprout. Answer: I am in no way an expert on Hosta. However, if one has sprouted, I think the other won't be far behind.

How about the location? If it's in a more shady area, it might take longer to sprout. I would wait another couple of weeks, just to be sure. Question: My hostas are not coming up yet. It is the first week of April in Chicago, IL-where are you located? Answer: I'm located in Virginia, so it is probably warmer here.

Your hostas will probably be up soon, after the weather is warmer. Question: Can you plant the Hosta plant's blooms or should you just get rid of them? Answer: No, don't plant the blooms. After they die, just pick them off You can transplant the plant itself. There is a video on my page showing how to do this. Question: Any recommendations on what size pot to use for a hosta plant? I'm trying to take into consideration what their full width will be to pick the right pot.

Any suggestions? Question: Have you ever seen a hosta flower only in the middle with a very big stalk and coming out to resemble a daisy or mum in growing pattern? Answer: When the hosta blooms, it has many long stalks growing up, and each stalk has many bell-like flowers. The flowers can be different colors, depending on the type of hosta it is. Question: If Hosta plants are kept at a constant temperature do they keep going rather than dying back? Answer: Hosta plants need the cooler fall temperatures to go into dormancy.

If they don't go into dormancy they will not be able to regenerate. It is their natural way, and will die out otherwise. Hosta is an outside plant. Question: We live in Florida where it does not freeze. Will a Hosta plant still go dormant? Answer: I'm not an expert on this, but I have read that in warm climates, Hosta plants will still go dormant, but for a shorter period.

Also, some Hosta plants will thrive better in warm climates than others. I recommend doing a search on the Hosta that are best suited for your area. Question: My Hostas came up and are beautiful but now it looks like some kind of insect is eating them. It may be slugs. What can I do to prevent that from happening?

Answer: Slugs are a common problem for hostas. There are several ways to prevent them, including sprinkling the ground around your hosta with coffee grounds or Epsom salt. Another is putting a circle of stones around the plant to "re-direct" the slug. Also, there are slug deterrent products you can purchase. For other methods, try doing a search online for "preventing slugs on hosta plants". You are sure to find an answer that works for you.

Thanks for any suggestions. I bought some hostas a year ago, but never planted because we were going to be moving. The short of it is, they have dried out and did not bloom this year once planted. Are they gone for good? What a gorgeous plant - you're clearly a bit of a green thumb! I hadn't heard of josta before but I think I might get one. We do and we love them as they are blooming right now, great lens and great information thanks for sharing this information with us.

I'm glad I could help you with the spacing of your hostas.