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Repotting hostas
Ann Ennis2
Posts: 50
in Plants
I have a number of hostas which have grown happily in pots for several years. I know that now is a good time to split and replant clumps of hostas in the ground, so now that they are putting their noses up again would it be a good idea to re-pot them? Even if I put them back into their original pots with fresh compost - if so, what compost is recommended? Or do they actually prefer to be pot bound? I don;t put them in the ground as space is limited by tree roots.
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Hostas appreciate being divided ever three years or so. If you're into peat, I would recommend something with plenty of it for good moisture retention. Something like a John Innes 3. Otherwise add some coconut coir or leaf mould to something peat free. What size pots do you have? What type of hostas? That will determine if you need to move them to separate pots. Now is a good time for it, as you say.
Thanks for the tips. No idea of the type of hostas as I inherited them. Pot sizes are on average 10" or 11" and each contains a different type of hosta. I know they have gone longer than three years so maybe I'll give it a go, and I've got some John Innes no 3 left over from potting a hydrangea. Also I have plenty of leaf mould - shall I add some of that to the John Innes anyway?
Take them out of their pots and us an old bread knife to saw them into 4 even sized chunks then repot using JI no 3 compost. Keep them watered as usual and they'll grow away quite happily. Give them a top dressing of slow release food every spring until it's time to divide and pot again.
I've just done this with one huge 60cm wide potted Sum and Substance that ended up giving me 10 new plants and another one whose label I have lost that gave me 8 plants. About to do another 40cm pot now that it is showing its noses and will get at least 4 from that.
If you haven't room for all the plants produced, swap them with neighbours or friends. I swap mine with friends and also sell some at a charity plant fair I help organise every May.
18th May, Is it too late to repot a hosta? It's been in there for two years and is just putting up shoots.
Ok, will have a go. Thanks
Right - I will leave it until autumn or spring. I was just wondering about the quality of the compost.
The best time to divide hostas and re-pot or re-plan this as they push their new shoots up in spring. If, like Verdun, you garden in the south west and barely know what frost is, then autumn is OK if you know what you're doing and can look after them. Otherwise they can sulk and even die.
I suggest you do yours now using the best John Innes compost you can find, mixed with some leaf mould if you have it, and make sure you keep them regularly watered through the rest of spring and summer. If not, best to do it next spring unless you live in balmy Devon or Cornwall.
If you're worried about the compost the plants are in at the moment, you can remove the top couple of inches of that soil and replace it with some soil mixed with a slow release food. That's what I do to mine when I'm not dividing. I think late winter or very early spring is best as well.