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[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following information is presented as an exclusive online supplement to the Nursery Market Report, LOW LIGHT SOLUTIONS: Hooked On Hosta department describing hosta site requirements and designs from the September 2001 issue of Lawn & Landscape magazine. The link for this department will soon be available here.] |
CLEVELAND - Well-known as shade lovers, hostas demand little attention from landscape contractors once they are planted. With proper planting and care, hostas will thrive.
Here are some tips from the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, Lincoln, Neb., on how to grow the plants.
Plant, transplant and divide hostas in spring or late summer. Although dividing hostas is not absolutely necessary, doing so increases plant numbers. Divide hostas either in spring or toward the end of summer, after the end of bloom and summer heat. Dividing hostas may be done in two ways, using clean, sharp tools:
- Cut into the plant to slice away a section of a clump, being sure to include roots; or
- Lift the whole hosta, including the roots, from the ground and divide the clump into separate plants.
Keep the hosta and its roots moist. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and one and a half times as wide. Place the hosta into the hole with the crown at soil level and add soil as needed. Do not bury the crown.
After summer transplanting, at least one growing season must pass before active aboveground growth will resume.
Because most hostas are native to habitats with 50 inches or more of rain per year, supplemental irrigation is necessary. However, avoid wetting the foliage to reduce foliar disease problems and to maintain the color intensity of blue-foliaged cultivars.
Also, avoid applying excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizer - no more than one-eighth of a pound of actual nitrogen is needed for a 125-square-foot bed of hostas. High nitrogen applications result in soft foliage that readily wilts and is subject to foliar diseases. In addition, high nitrogen diminishes the intensity of the variegated pattern. If fertilizer is needed, apply a slow-release fertilizer just as growth begins in spring.
In early summer, apply a loose, 1-inch deep layer of noncompacting mulch to inhibit weed growth, reduce water loss and lessen soil compaction. A thicker layer of mulch is likely to promote slug populations. Water in the morning so the mulch surface dries before evening and occasionally rake the mulch to improve air movement.
In the winter, mulch protects the site from repeated freezing and thawing. A winter mulch also protects newly planted hostas. Before spring’s new growth, remove the winter mulch along with leaf debris.
The author is Contributing Editor to Lawn & Landscape magazine.