Digging up Hosta roots (but trying not to)

Mar 20, 2011 4 Replies

I have an area with Several Hostas that are dormant now and a zillion daylillies coming up in the same area.



I dug a little and because the lillies are very small right now, seems the bulbs were pretty easy to dig up.



I'd like to dig up the entire area but fear I may run into my Hostas



-- if I do do you thinks they will be alright if I replant them? Are Hosta roots pretty obvious when you see them? The lilly bulbs come out easy -- but I want to keep the hostas in place.



Just occured to me, maybe I should wait till I see the tips of the Hostas peeking through the soil?

By then though, the daylillies may be tougher to get out.

The hostas will be root clumps. Easy enough to recognize. Seeing the tips will help identify where each plant is though.

Hostas will come up as one big, shallow rooted clump any time of the year. Now is a good time. If you want to divide them to increase the number, cut thru the root mass from top with a big, thick butcher knife or, a sharp spade. Otherwise just plunk the hostas down in shallow hole and throw dirt over them and they will come up just fine. Hostas are pretty well cast iron when it comes to transplanting.

Ingrid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

the root mass

just plunk the

ote:

Agree with Inlaid...Hosts are very sturdy and will benefit from some division at this time of year. Just dig/hack away you can't harm them.

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