Hosta Help Tips

Hardiness Zones

Hostas are hardy in growing zones 3 through 10. The plants tend to grow larger and produce more intense, bluer, and greener coloration in colder climates.

What Conditions Do Hostas Need

Soils that retain both air and mosture are ideal for Hostas. You can work in organic matter such as peat moss, manure or compost with the soil before planting. A shady or partially shady location will reward you with the best results. Each variety of Hosta may have a slightly different light requirement, so you can plant them in almost any light situation. Blues prefer more shade, golds will tolerate sun better. Hostas do like water in the hot summer months.

Hosta Planting Hints

You may get Hosta plants as bare root plants that are dormant from nurseries, or in container pots while they are growing, or as crowns and roots that have been seperated from your friend's garden stock. Planting from the container pots is the easiest since you simply take the entire root mass and plant it so that the clump is level with the ground. For bare root plants, the hole is shallow and the roots are like an octopus. You spread them flat to the ground and make sure the center crown is just below the ground surface. When you have seperated some stock from your friend's garden, just dig the hole and make sure the leaves are above the ground. Water it well.

Spacing and Growing

Hostas take a number of years to mature. Young Hostas need a minimum of two years to mature and show their adult potential. Therefore if you are planting a group of Hostas, small leafed Hostas should be planted 18 to 24 inches apart. The larger leafed Hostas should be spaced 24 to 30 inches apart.

Growing Hostas from Seed

Hosta seed pods can be gathered in the fall. They will not be killed by frost. Once you have taken the seeds from the pods, mix them with a little dampened peat moss and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for three months. At the end of that time you can plant them in flats and cover the seeds with about 1/8 to 1/4 inches of soil. They germinate at about 70 degrees in a couple of weeks. You will not get Hybrid Hostas from the seed, but it is fun to grow them. Once the plants are set out it seems to take about five years for them to reach their growth height and width.

Pest Control

The pests that seem to go after the hostas are the slugs and snails. Since they feed mostly at night they usually escape your eye until you see the holes chewed in the leaves. I use a regular slug and snail bait that you just sprinkle around the base of the plant. The slugs eat this and terminate. Other people have luck with beer in caps, but it is not practical in the woods gardens. You can purchase slug and snail bait at most garden stores.

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