Hostas

[Kurt Ullman]

We have some some Hostas that have gone past big into gargantuan. Can we separate these into two or more plants and then replant the second plant somewhere else? Is timing important or can I do it now.

[Eggs Zachtly]

It's a good time [1]. Fall is actually a better time, but a bit more difficult because the foilage is large. In the spring, when they're just emerging, the foilage is out of the way. If it's early enough (you don't state your location), and only the first set of leaves has hardened off (and the second set is beginning to appear, you won't have any new roots to worry about. Soaking the ground all around the plant will make the soil much more pliable and forgiving on the pulling roots.

Lift them out with a fork, rather than a shovel (starting well out from the base -- at least a foot if it's a large hosta). The roots grow from the tip, so if you damage or sever one of the long roots, it won't branch as other perennial roots do. The less damage you do, the easier on the plant, and the quicker it will recover. =)

Once you have the clump out of the ground, place it on the ground and rinse the soil off. This will make it much easier to see the natural divisions. Gently spread the roots out, and with a sharp knife cut the crown in half (or thirds), staying along the natural divisions as much as possible. Just try to cut only the crown, and not damage the roots. You may be able to cut half-way through the crown, and pry the rest apart with your hands. If you can't pull them apart, cut a little deeper and try again.

Plant them as soon as possible to prevent the roots from drying out. Plant them at their original level (or slightly higher) in the soil. Water them in, well.

The above method is more time-consuming, but will result in better looking plants /this/ season, than simply plunging a sharp spade through the center of the crown. That will work, but it may be next year before the plant looks it's best again.

[1]. This is probably more a decision based on aesthetics. At the end of the growing season, when they're already looking like crap, it doesn't matter as much if they're a bit stressed. They'll go dormant anyway. The drawback to doing it at that time is you need to be careful of the weather. The divisions will still need to be kept fairly wet, and a local drought could screw that all up. The plus to doing it about a month before your first frost is that that is the time they're putting on more rapid root growth.

So, you see, there's good and bad about dividing them, no matter the season. If you're careful, and think about what's actually happening with and around the plant, you'll probably do just fine. =)

HTH,

[Kurt Ullman]

Central Indiana. They are largely just beginning to peak through the mulch.

Thanks. We are looking to fill in some plants at our tree line with the neighboring farm field , hostas are shade tolerant and getting too big. Two birds as it were.