How to Transplant Hostas

Hostas are ideal plants for the shade garden. They come in a variety of sizes and leaf shapes. They are easy to care for and they grow rapidly. The following article will discuss how to safely transplant your hostas.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Shovel
• Spade
• Water

1. Try to transplant your hosta in the spring.

2. Transplant your hosta when the shoots are an inch or two above the ground and the leaves are tightly wrapped.

3. Preserve as much of the root system as possible when digging up your hosta.

4. Keep the root ball intact if you are not going to divide your hosta.

5. Place the hosta at the same depth that it was growing at before you moved it.

6. Carefully soak your newly transplanted hosta with water. Be careful not to wash the dirt away from the roots.

Tips & Warnings

• After a hosta has grown in the same area for years, it is not unusual for it to die in the center. If this occurs, dig out the hosta, separate the healthy plants from the dead area and replant the actively growing plants.
• Hostas will grown in complete shade. However, they do tolerate up to six hours of sun.
• Bait using metaldehyde or iron phosphate will help to protect your hostas from slugs.
• Hostas are susceptible to damage from both slugs and deer. Both can destroy a hosta plant rather quickly.

Resources

• The American Hosta Society
• Overview of Hostas
• Purchasing Hostas