Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing the soil for planting
• Part 2 of 3: Planting the hosta
• Part 3 of 3: Keeping the hosta healthy
• Tips

Hosta is a perennial plant with large leaves, full foliage, and small flowers. The plant grows well in the shade, but there are also many varieties that need sunlight. Most gardeners buy propagated hosta from garden centers if they want to plant hosta in the garden, but you can also tear hosta or seed them.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing the soil for planting

1. Wait for the right time to plant the hosta. Hosta is not very sensitive to the cold, so you can plant the hosta in the spring as soon as the soil is warm and soft enough for cultivation. Spring and late summer are the ideal times to plant hosta as they are in their active growth phase and will root easily.
   • If you plan to plant hosta in late summer, do so at least six weeks before approximately the first frost.
2. Choose a spot with the right amount of shade. Hosta tolerate shade well and need little sun - although they don't flower very well if they don't get any sunlight at all. The ideal place is somewhere where the plant is sheltered from strong winds or hail, where there is shade between 12:00 AND 16:00, and where the sunlight is filtered slightly.
   • You can protect hosta from the sun, wind, and hail by placing them under mature trees. Just make sure you don't plant them too close to the roots or else the hosta plants and the tree will have to compete for nutrients.
   • The degree to which the hosta plant can tolerate shade depends on the species. As a rule of thumb, a hosta with yellow leaves can withstand the sun better than a hosta with green, blue or white leaves. Blue hosta needs the most sun protection of all hosta varieties.
   • Hosta also do very well close to the corners of houses where they still get some mild sunlight.
3. Work and plow the earth. Plow the soil where you plan to plant the hosta, to a depth of about 8 inches, with a shovel, rototiller or manual rotary drill. Work the soil with organic material to make the soil a bit looser, so that rodents are less likely to come to it, and which makes the acidity of the soil a bit higher.
   • Organic material suitable for hosta includes manure or compost, peat moss and mulch from leaves.
   • The ideal pH level for hosta is between 6 and 6.5.
   • Hosta does not require much space when planted. If you want to plant multiple hosta plants, the space of the hole you make will be as large as the size of the roots.

Part 2 of 3: Planting the hosta

1. Submerge the plant. Sometimes hosta is sold in bags at garden centers, with only the roots, without soil. If so, it is important to submerge the roots as this will help the plant to be better prepared for the transition of planting.
   • Choose a bucket or bowl that is slightly smaller than the hosta's foliage.
   • Fill the bucket with cold water. Let the hosta's foliage hang over the edge of the bucket so that the roots are submerged in the water below. Repeat this with each hosta.
   • Leave the plants submerged for at least an hour before planting. If you are not going to plant the hosta right away, let it soak in water right away so that the roots remain moist.
2. Untangle the roots. Just before planting the hosta, remove the hosta from the buckets and carefully untangle the roots with your hands. Gently comb the roots with your fingers so that there are no tangles, making sure all the roots are pointing in the direction they have already grown.
   • It is common for hosta roots, especially those in pots, to become tangled.The plant can strangle itself that way if you plant it with the roots tangled.
3. Dig holes in the ground and plant the hosta. For each hosta, dig a hole about 75 cm in diameter and 30 cm deep in the spot in your garden that you worked before. Place a hosta plant in each hole, taking care not to bend the roots too much or get tangled. Fill the hole around the plant loosely with soil, but do not put too much soil around the foliage. Make sure that only the roots of the plant are covered with soil, and that the foliage of the plant is well above the ground.
   • Give each plant a good splash of water after planting.
   • Keep enough distance between the plants so that they have enough space when they are fully grown. This depends on the type of hosta you have. If you are unsure, keep a distance of about 75 cm between the plants.

Part 3 of 3: Keeping the hosta healthy

1. Add a layer of mulch on top of the soil. The mulch helps to keep the soil moist, it prevents weeds from growing, and it protects the plant from rodents. After planting, add a 7 cm layer of mulch to the soil around the hosta.
   • The ideal mulch for hosta is tree bark, pine needles, or fallen leaves.
2. Make sure the plants are constantly getting enough moisture. Make sure the soil is wet after you plant the hosta. Keep the soil evenly and consistently moist as long as you have the hosta in your garden. Hosta exposed to a lot of sunlight will need even more water, otherwise the plant will dry out.
   • During the active growth phase in spring and summer, give the hosta approximately 200-300 ml of water per week.
3. Prune the dead leaves in the fall. Hosta retreats to hibernation when it is fall and winter, which means that the plant is not growing and does not require as many nutrients. When autumn comes, you can prune the hosta by removing the dead or yellow leaves.
   • Dead leaves can still draw nutrients from a plant, so you can help the hosta retain more energy for the winter by removing the dead leaves in the fall.
4. Prepare to help the hosta hibernate. Hosta is a hardy plant and will survive the winter, but will grow even better if you give the plant a helping hand in surviving the colder months. When it freezes, cover the soil around the hosta with fallen leaves, and place more leaves around the foliage of the plant.
   • Place leaves all around and cover the entire hoste with it until the last spring frost has passed.
   • Covering the plants with organic material helps the soil retain heat and moisture.

Tips

• With hosta there is no need to add fertilizer, and usually nitrogen is the only nutrient that could possibly be added extra.
• Hosta also grows well in pots. Plant the hosta in a pot that is suitable for the size of the plant: you don't need more than 5-8 cm extra around the largest roots. Place a layer of stones or grit on the bottom of the pot so that any excess water can drain away properly.