Dividing OLD hostas

[Indyrose]

I'm currently re-doing an area where the hosta have been living for nearly 10 years without being disturbed. There are layer upon layers of crown before one get's to the actively growing area. I tend to carefully peel back these layers instead of hacking them with a shovel (sometimes I have to use a knife) and keeping as much of the roots together.

Will these pieces of older crown that have been buried under the new growth begin sprouting eyes again now that I've "liberated" them? -- or will they remain forever dormant? It appears that they have all that is needed to get going again, since they are no longer crowded out.

Indyrose

[Sterling]

I just divided two blue mammoths - they were so big it took about an hour each to get them out of the ground. No teasing these roots loose - I took a knife and cut and cut and cut. Abd cussed and

I did this very early this spring and they are in a new location unfolding and getting bigger leaves than they had before (I do not understand this but maybe with the extra space?). Each piece had 3-5 eyes but the new growth is showing more, so I would expect your older growth will take off also.

They say you can move then spr> I'm currently re-doing an area where the hosta have been living for

[William Wagner]

Hack em and move them about. Time to consider if the variety deserves to live. Be ruthless and give pieces friends.

Bill who wonders where is that Northern Light hosta ?

[Doug Kanter]

Seriously....do almost anything you want with them. You need nepalm to kill an ancient hosta. They might not LOOK fabulous this year, but you will not hurt them.

[sockiescat]

Indyrose I'm currently re-doing an area where the hosta have been livin

for nearly 10 years without being disturbed. There are layer upon layer of crown before one get's to the actively growing area. I tend to carefully peel back these layers instead of hacking them with a shovel (sometimes I have to use a knife) and keeping as much of the roots together.

Will these pieces of older crown that have been buried under the new growth begin sprouting eyes again now that I've "liberated" them? - or will they remain forever dormant? It appears that they have all tha is needed to get going again, since they are no longer crowded out.

Indyrose

a lot of people have different ways of dividing up hostas some us shovels, picks, knives or whatever way they can to get them apart. if u wish to keep most of your hosta for replanting dig a bit o distance away from your plant this should enable u to get pretty well all of the roo base. then take your hosta and set it in a pan of water to soak, leave i there for quite awhile overnight if need be. what u want to do is loosen the soi away from the roots. once u have the soil all off of the roots u slowly start pulling th plant apart bit by bit. this will enable u to get a lot of pieces of hosta t replant that would otherwise end up being destroyed. the crown pieces can be replanted and will develop new growth as u hav mentioned they are now liberated from all of the other growth. good luc with your hostas. cyaaaa, sockiescat

-- sockiescat