Hosta or plantain lily, is a perennial with minimal maintenance, which is perfect for sprucing up your summer garden. Hosta plants thrive outside in shaded areas, and can range from 5 cm to 1 meter in height. Hostas come in a wide variety of leaves, from smooth to wrinkled, from blue to red, and from faded to glossy. If you want to learn how to grow amazing hostas in your garden, continue reading this article.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Planting Hosta
Step 1. Choose a place to plant
Hosta plants grow well in shady areas but still exposed to the sun. Therefore, choose the most suitable planting place, which is under trees or close to taller plants in your garden. Hostas need well-draining soil so that the moisture will remain evenly distributed. The type of hosta plant you choose should also determine the planting area. If your hosta plant is capable of growing tall enough, make sure you plant it in a location that will allow it to get a lot of sun as soon as it grows larger than the other plants in the vicinity.
- Since the roots of the hosta plant are able to suppress the roots of weeds, this plant is a good choice for use as a ground cover plant. If you are going to use it for this purpose, you need to make sure that the planting area is a sufficiently shady area.
- Make sure the place you choose is not too windy. Choose a location that is protected from wind gusts whose speed exceeds 56 km/hour.
Step 2. Plant the hosta in the spring
Planting hostas in early spring, after the last frost, gives the plant time to grow and take nutrients from the soil through its roots and stabilize in position, before the summer months come.
Step 3. Prepare the soil for planting
Hostas thrive in most climatic conditions and thrive in most soil types, but they do best in moderately or slightly acidic wet soil. Prepare the planting site by using a rake or hoe to loosen the soil to a depth of about 30.48 cm. Then, mix the soil using a small amount of fertilizer or compost. This will increase the fertility of the soil and help the hosta grow well in a variety of weather conditions.
Step 4. Dig a hole to plant the hosta in
The hole should be as deep as the diameter of the root ball by twice the width. Leave a spacing of about 0.3-0.9 meters, depending on the type of hosta you are planting.
Step 5. Plant the hosta
Insert the hosta seed into the hole so that the top of the root ball is in line with the soil surface. Fill the hole with soil and gently pat around the base of the plant. Water the plant with sufficient water.
Part 2 of 2: Caring for Hosta Plants
Step 1. Water the hosta plant frequently
If the soil is too dry, the hosta plant will wilt and turn brown. So, make sure you water it often to keep the soil moist. Water the hosta plant under the leaves, namely at the base of the plant, to prevent the leaves from getting sunburned.
- Watering the hosta in the morning will help hydrate the plant during the hottest time of day throughout the summer.
- You can sprinkle mulch around the base of the hosta plant to help keep the soil moist.
Step 2. Cut back the hosta plant after the first frost
Hosta plants don't turn green all winter, so after the first frost you may need to cut them back-otherwise they will appear dry and die all winter. Use long-handled or short-handled pruning shears to cut back a few centimeters. Hosta plants will return to full growth in the spring.
You can also cut hosta flowers. You are free to cut the flowers as they bloom or after they begin to wilt
Step 3. Add compost to the soil in the spring
Early in the growth period, help the hosta plant to regrow by adding compost to the soil. Also add a layer of mulch to keep out moisture. Water the area around the plant thoroughly to promote new growth.
Step 4. Separate the hosta plants after 3 or 4 years
Hosta plants can last a long time, and it's relatively easy to separate clumps of hosta to share with friends or plant them in other areas of your garden. To perform the separation, remove the hosta clump from the soil and separate part of the stalk and its roots from the main part of the plant. Plant separation is best done in early spring, when the leaves are still rolling. However, you can do this at any time during the summer, if the plant is healthy.
Separation helps maintain the overall quality of your hosta plant, and will multiply the plant population more easily
Step 5. Protect hosta plants from nuisance animals/pests
Hosta is a plant favored by deer, snails, and snails. If all three types of animals are common in your area, take precautions to protect your plants against these species.
- Keep deer away by building a fence around your yard, or keep them off the lawn by luring them with other types of deer-friendly plants.
- Many planters/planters find that placing a sunken bowl of beer around hosta plants is an effective way to repel slugs.
- Use insecticidal soap to kill black vine weevil.
- Prevent nematode infestation by removing or drying areas that are covered in foliage and are too wet. If you find a nematode resembling a roundworm eating the leaves of the hosta, take the plant that was attacked and destroy it.
Step 6. Protect the host from disease
The key to preventing disease from hostas is to provide water, mulch and maintain proper conditions. The following are some steps you can take to prevent and treat plant diseases:
- Use a fungicide spray if you find large spots with dark edges on the hosta that could be a sign of anthracnose. Treat Anthracnose by preventing the plant from getting too wet.
- If you notice brown, wilted leaves with white bumps on the plant, keep the mulch away from the hosta, as this may be a sign of sclerotium leaf blight.
- Water the plant carefully and try not to get it too wet to prevent crown rot.
Tips
- Wherever the hosta is grown, it can take about 2-4 years for the plant to reach maximum height.
- After 4 years, the hosta plants need to be separated and replanted.
