Seasonal Hosta Care

• Spring:

  At HostasDirect we do not water in the early spring because we like the foliage to stay in the ground until the threat of frost subsides.
  
  H. May
  By keeping the leaves in the ground as long as possible, we can also clean up any leaves and sticks without worrying about stepping on new hosta pips coming out of the ground. Late spring frosts seem to affect plantaginea and lancifolia the most. The plants usually recover, though the clump size will be reduced. When the pips are still in the ground, you can apply 10-10-10 fertilizer without burning the hosta leaves.

• Summer:

  As a part of your routine seasonal hosta care, it is important to keep the roots of your hostas moist. This especially applies to the plants in direct sunlight. Your hostas should receive about one inch of moisture per week. Fertilizing hostas

   

  can be done throughout the season with special hosta care. Do not fertilize after August 1. In Minnesota, we have divided plants in October and replanted successfully. Many gardeners advise not transplanting after 6 weeks before the first frost.

• Fall:

  Since you do not know the amount of winter
  
  H. Stained Glass
  snowcover and moisture your hostas will receive the following winter, it is a good idea to water your gardens thoroughly in the fall. If your gardens are dried out during the winter due to lack of snow cover, severe wind, or an exposed slope, you may have stunted hostas the following year. We cut our hostas right to the ground with h2 bread knives (disinfecting our knives in 10 to 20% bleach solution after every cutting) each fall and remove the leaves from the nursery to reduce the risk of spreading diseases and providing a place for slugs to hide and multiply. Slugs also produce many eggs in the fall, so it is also a good time to put out your slug killer.

• Winter:

  Most hostas are winter hardy to U.S.D.A. Growing Zone

   

  3. (See Growing Zones.) Hostas that are newly planted may benefit from a fall covering of leaves or straw, The additional soil protection will allow roots to grow even longer in the winter. Removing dead hosta leaves and surrounding the root sytems with plant matter in the fall will help reduce the multiplication of slugs and plant diseases. Unfortunately, your garden will not benefit from the normal decay of plant matter.

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