Hosta - care in the fall and preparation for winter: pruning and shelter (mulching). Transplant hosts. Several rules for a correct transplant Is it possible to transplant to the host

Host (function) - perennial, which has earned the love of flower growers for its large decorative leaves. She does not require too much attention when leaving, but her transplant has a number of nuances. It is important to know how and when you can transfer the host to another location.

Transplant reasons

In one place the plant can be from 15 to 20 years. During the growing period, the flower forms a large shrub with a powerful root system. The host is transplanted for several reasons:

plant propagation;
too thick bush;
a measure of protection against diseases;
redevelopment of the garden;
poorly chosen landing site.

Regardless of the reason for the transplant, you need to know exactly when you can transplant the host from one place to another.

Transplant timing

When is it simply necessary to transfer a host to a new location? In order to avoid strong overgrowth of the bush, it is recommended to transplant it 1 time in 5 or 6 years. Younger plants go through a long period of adaptation, they can stop development for two years.

in spring - in the last days of April, until the first half of May.
in autumn - in the last days of August, until mid-September.

Spring transplanting is not suitable for all plants. The Tokudama, Siebolda variety and their hybrids can be transplanted only in the fall, since their roots do not grow in the spring.

Dug bush

Different varieties of hosts have their own characteristics, as well as the climate of the regions. Even in a separate Moscow region, different areas differ in climatic conditions. When to seat a host in the Moscow region? For central Russia, replanting in the autumn is recommended.

Correct transplant timing different varieties you can recognize empirically... For Siberia and the Urals optimal time transplants occur at the end of May.

Is it possible to transplant a flowering host

Summer transplant hosts, when is the best time to start? If you have experience, you can replant all summer, but it is recommended in the second half of July. For an earlier transplant, you will need planting material with a clod of earth. Before transplanting, the mother plant is well watered.

Need to water

It is recommended to leave only part of the leaves on the seedlings. This will avoid increased evaporation of moisture and will contribute to a more active growth of the root system. Further transplanting algorithm in summer is the same as in spring. It is necessary to monitor the moisture content of the soil and, at first, shade the young hosts with a shield.

How to transplant to host

Transplanting hosts begins with the selection of a place. Since in wildlife the plant lives in river floodplains and wet meadows, then for her better fit shaded place. The sun's rays in the first half of the day are quite enough for her. Although new hybrid varieties grow well in bright sunlight.

The correct lighting can be chosen according to the appearance of the plant:

hosta with green, blue leaves will flower better in partial shade;
The hosta with yellow, golden, white leaves and variegated color prefers the morning and evening light of the sun.

Hosta with green and white leaves prefers sunlight

The plant grows well in humus loamy soil... Transplanting into sandy soil will result in shrinking and shedding of foliage due to a lack of moisture and nutrients. Clay soil retains moisture and provokes hosta root rot. It is recommended to structure the soil by adding sand, peat, rotten sawdust.

Spring transplant

When can hosta be planted in spring? The spring period (late April-early May) is considered the most favorable for replanting hosts. At this time, the leaf cones protrude, the root system grows. Transplanting in spring is good because the plant has enough time to grow stronger before the onset of cold weather. They choose a cloudy day and start the transplant process.

Wells are prepared with a slightly larger diameter than the hosta roots. This is also due to the horizontal orientation of its roots. The depth of the hole is 40 cm. The bottom of the hole must be covered with a layer of drainage (crushed stone, broken brick), and humus should be sprinkled on top. Depending on the size of the plants, the distance between adjacent holes is determined:

for dwarfs - 0.2 m;
for medium - 0.5 m;
for large - 1 m.

Note! When replanting a whole bush to a new place, you need to dig it up so that the root system is completely covered with earth.

To do this, you need to dig a little ground around the bush. Garden forks are the least root-damaging, they are used as leverage and lift the mother plant along with a large lump of soil. Digging up a powerful bush sometimes requires the help of a second person.

When replanting hosts by dividing the main bush, you need to clear its roots from the ground, inspect for the presence of slugs, and rinse. Then you should remove dry, damaged areas of the roots, prune them with pruning shears to rejuvenate the hosts. It is recommended to keep the plant in a solution of potassium permanganate.

You can divide the main plant into divisions with gentle rotational movements, the accreted parts are separated with a knife. The instrument must be clean and can be wiped with alcohol to rule out any infection. The rhizome is incised and divided by hand. The sections of the cuts must be sprinkled with ash, treated with a fungicide solution. Delenka should be with 1-2 rosettes of leaves, for rapid growth, you can leave 3-4 rosettes. It will be possible to get a fully blossoming bush only next year.

Khosta blossoming

Delenki begin to plant in pits so that the root collars are level with the ground. After sprinkling with soil, it is important to compact the soil well to eliminate air pockets. After all the procedures, it remains for the host to water and mulch with humus.

Advice. To activate the development of the root system, you can water the plants with "Kornevin", "Zircon". Before and after the transplantation procedure, the condition of the plants can be improved by spraying with preparations: "Epin-Extra", "Ecogel-Antistress".

Autumn transplant

Unlike spring planting, early autumn(from late August to mid-September) fertilizer does not need to be applied to the hole. This is due to the end of the flowering period. A plant that has passed into dormancy after fertilization can return to growth. The rooting period of the plant is a month. Planting material should be chosen very carefully, since the winter hardiness of young hosts depends on it.

After planting, it is recommended to cut off all the leaves so that the stalks remain, 10 to 15 cm long.This will allow the hosta to root better, accumulate nutrients in the rhizome before winter period... At the same time, you need to take care of the covering material. It must retain heat well, while allowing moisture and air to pass through. Agromaterial will do. To prevent the roots of the seedlings from freezing, mulching is carried out.

When to transplant the host if the autumn transplant time was missed? We must wait for spring. Planting material with clipped foliage can be stored in plastic bags with wet sawdust and soil in the refrigerator or cellar at a temperature of +3 to +5 degrees.

You should not transplant the host to the place where another variety has already grown. This increases the likelihood of diseases, as well as the survival time of the bush.

In order for the bush to have a neat shape and beautiful leaves, young flower arrows need to be broken out for the first few years. After all, most hosts are not grown for flowers, but for ornamental leaves. But this rule does not apply to varieties with white, double flowers (Royal Standard, Fragrant Bouquet, Aphrodite, Summer Fragrance).

Note! The decorative properties of the host can be enhanced by doing three additional fertilizing during the growing season: in May, June, August. But do not overfeed the host - this provokes a burn of the plant.

Mulching with humus or compost of miniature and dwarf plant varieties can cause the root collar of the hosta to heat up. It is better to use gravel, pebbles, but not under the sun's rays - heated stones can burn the leaves of the dwarf hosta. Pine bark and peat are also not recommended as mulch, as they make the soil acidic. Mulch can become an object of attraction for the main enemies of the hosts - slugs. You can cope with them by introducing mulch from eggshell and shell crumbs.

Important! If a plant infected with a virus is found, it will have to be destroyed by burning. The empty place must be kept in quarantine.

Hosta is so unpretentious in care that even a beginner can safely grow it in the garden. The main thing is to follow the proper care. While creating favorable conditions for growth, a picturesque plant will delight its owner with its beauty for many years.

In the common people, the host is often called "the queen of the shady garden" or "the plant for the lazy." Both are true: the hosta grows well in the shade of trees and requires little or no attention to itself. Once planting it unpretentious plant, you will admire beautiful green or variegated bushes for many years. By the way, the hosta also blooms, and although its flowers are not very decorative, they look quite beautiful where other plants do not grow at all.

It is better for the host to plant in early spring so that over the summer it can take root well and get used to it in a new place. You can buy a hosta seedling in a store, but it is better to take it from your neighbors or buy it on the market - it will be much cheaper. Grandmothers sell them to the host in the form of small “parcels” (part of a bush). If you are going to take the host from the neighbors, then wait until it rises and looks like a bunch of unopened leaves - this will happen in early May. Dig up the bush with a pitchfork to avoid damage to the roots. Shake off all the soil from the roots and carefully trim the long ends. Disassemble the stems with your hands, taking some of them to the side. Make sure that the division consists of at least two unopened leaves. In the place where the roots grow together, cut them with the usual kitchen knife... Sprinkle the cut with wood ash. Plant the plots in the ground on the same day they were purchased from the market or dug out yourself. Dig a hole large enough to fit the roots and still have room for humus. Spill the hole well with water, let it soak in and add humus (0.5-1 liter per bush). When planting the hosta, place its roots so that they do not go deep into the depths of the vertical, but, as it were, spread underground. To do this, make an earthen mound in the hole, and spread the roots on it. Then cover them with soil to ground level. Compact well, and if necessary, add more earth. Make sure that the unopened leaves are at the same level above the ground as the dug out bush. Sometimes hosts buy in garden centers- there they are sold as bare roots with dormant buds. If you bought such a plant very early, then put it in the refrigerator in a fruit container before planting. In early May, remove the roots from the refrigerator, plant them in a container with soil for seedlings and wait for the arrows of future leaves to appear above the surface. Plant the host from the pot in the garden in early June, when the threat of morning frost has passed. When buying hosta roots in May, there are usually already awakened buds on the neck. Plant such delenki immediately on the garden bed, burying the buds into the ground by 3-5 cm.

Hosts are very unpretentious in terms of fertilizers, but if you feed them when planting, then the bushes will delight you with a riot of foliage in the first year. For each well, in addition to humus, add 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 15 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium sulfate. Or buy a complex fertilizer "Kemira universal" and then put it on 60 g per plant.

A shade-loving host, at the same time, does not tolerate stagnant water. If it is very humid in the area where you are going to plant it, then dig a hole under the bush twice as deep and arrange drainage at its bottom. Use broken brick or large rubble. Water the hosta as the soil dries, but do not flood it. In a very hot ground around the bushes.

As mentioned above, the hosta loves shade and partial shade. This is especially true for varieties with pure green and blue leaves - if they are planted in the sun, they will lose their decorative effect. But motley hosts (with white and yellow stripes on the leaves) can be planted in more sunny places, but shading them a little with taller plants.

If you do not have the opportunity to plant the hostu in the spring, then this can be done in August or September. True, there will be more work, because a large bush will have to be divided. For the winter, a plant planted in autumn, be sure to cover it with straw. Hosts planted in spring do not need shelter. If you decide that the host is growing in the wrong place where you would like, then it can be transplanted even in the middle of summer. But then transplant the plant as a whole and together with an earthen clod.

When is it possible to transplant the host - in the fall? The timing of the autumn host transplant, caring for them, preparing for winter 10/11/2016 21:09 Author: Julia Krivenko The perennial host belongs to the lily family. The plant gained its popularity thanks to its large and dense leaves. In some species, they are especially decorative. In landscape design, the hosta wins over other representatives of the flora. It goes well with trees and shrubs, annuals and perennials. The hosta belongs to the unpretentious varieties, but some issues should be taken into account when planting and transplanting it. middle lane; copes with heat easily, but requires shaded areas; most species do not tolerate direct sunlight; the planting period of some varieties is too short, it is not worth delaying the work. Dates of autumn transplanting hosts Plants are rarely transplanted, this is due to difficult adaptation in a new place. Hosta loses its decorative effect, it takes a long time to build up leaf mass. The plant is transplanted only if absolutely necessary: the perennial is heavily thickened, it is required to save the plant from disease, there is a need for reproduction of this species. The transplant is planned in advance. Planting hosts in spring is optimal, but this is not suitable for all varieties. For example, the host of Siebold and Tokudama is transplanted only in the fall. This is due to the peculiarity of the root system of the plant. When to transplant the host in the fall? If there is such a need, then you need to remember the timing of planting. You need to start work at the very beginning of autumn. The timing is different in each region. In the middle lane, the hosta transplant is considered optimal from the beginning of August to the end of September. This is due to the early cold weather. It takes about 1 month for a plant to adapt. This should be borne in mind when choosing the time for transplanting hosts in the fall. How to start transplanting hosts in the fall? Work begins with the preparation of the site. Although the hosta will grow in any soil, planting in wet and damp ground should be avoided. Clay soil is especially bad for the condition of the flower. The best solution for growing hostas is a light, nutritious substrate. Soil preparation involves a number of activities to improve its structure. 1. Before planting a plant, you need to dig up the ground, select the rhizomes of all weeds. 2. If the soil on the site is sandy, then peat is brought in for digging. 3. Improving heavy soil will help river sand, which is added for digging. 4. Too poor soils are enriched with mineral fertilizers or ash. The site for planting is chosen in the shade of trees or other perennials. A few hours before the planned transplant, the flower bed is well watered. Experienced gardeners advise adding a few crystals of potassium permanganate to the water. Further, the roots must be freed from the old soil and washed. Having carefully examined root system , cut out all damaged branches. When transplanting, the plant is rejuvenated. To do this, the ends of the roots can be trimmed with a sharp pruner. Further, the mother bush is divided into plots, for convenience, a tool is used. All cuts and places of fractures must be powdered with ash or treated with fungicides. The planting pit is prepared in advance. Drainage from broken bricks, shards or rubble is laid at the bottom of the hole. Fallen leaves or humus are poured over the draining layer. The seedling is lowered into the hole and sprinkled with earth. During the transplantation of hosts in the fall, the root collar of the plant should be level with the ground. In the future, it is mulched with humus. If you plan to plant several plants, then we must not forget about the impressive size of an adult bush. Enough space is left between the seedlings for their development. The optimal gap between plants is considered to be up to 1 meter. How to prepare the host for winter After the autumn transplant, the host needs additional care. If the weather is warm, then it is necessary to water the plants, not allowing the earth to dry out. Preparing the hosts for winter deserves special attention; in regions with a warm climate, the host does not need any special procedures. Before the onset of cold weather, the flower is mulched with sawdust, peat or hay. But in the conditions of the middle and northern strip, after transplantation, the shrub may die. Therefore, you need to take measures to protect the plant. 1. The host needs to be pruned. In the fall, after transplanting, the hosts cut off the old peduncles. So the plant does not waste energy on the maturation of the seeds. 2. Shrub leaves are not cut. Drying up, they serve as natural mulch. 3. Before the onset of cold weather, the shrub is added dropwise and mulched with sawdust, peat, dry leaves. 4. Further, the plant is well watered with the preparation "Fitosporin" or sprinkled with tobacco dust. This is necessary in order to scare off snails in early spring. Hosts do not use tape or other airtight materials for cover. This leads to decay of the plant. Despite the fact that many gardeners are inclined to advise not to prune the hosta leaves for the winter, experienced summer residents advise the opposite. Do it or not - it's up to you to decide. If the flowerbed with hosts is large, then you can conduct an experiment by cutting off some of the plants. Hosta leaves are pruned in the fall, after they turn completely yellow, but before frost. However, it is difficult for a beginner gardener to find the right moment, so before pruning leaves, you need to think carefully. ... After the autumn transplant, the hosts cannot be fertilized. At this time of the year, the plant is preparing for winter, rather than actively developing. It is better to postpone all feeding of the shrub until spring. The covering material must retain heat, allow air and moisture to pass through. These qualities affect the safety of the perennial. If the plant is too weak, then it is better to postpone the transplant until spring. Hosts do not tolerate any interference, especially in autumn. Diseases and pests of hosts Perennials rarely get sick, but you still need to know about the most common diseases of hosts. Fusarium Hosta is susceptible to fungal diseases that spoil the appearance of the leaves. You can determine the lesion by the red-brown spots that appear on the surface of a healthy leaf. With the development of the disease, the lesion spreads to the entire surface of the leaf plate. At the first sign fungal disease it is necessary to remove all damaged leaves and treat the shrub with Vectra. Rotting of the root collar In case of improper autumn planting of hosts, when the root collar is too buried in the soil, its decay occurs. This is especially true when the weather is humid and it often rains. Compliance with all the rules for planting hosts will help prevent disease. If a disease occurs, the bush must be dug up and all damaged areas removed, and then disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate. Next, the plant is transplanted to a new place. Slugs Among pests, slugs "love" the host. They feed on its leaves by making holes in them. Spraying and dusting with ash will help to save the plant. Alternatively, you can transplant the shrub to another plant.

This spring, in the garden, I busied myself tightly with my flowers.
In particular, she decided to transplant, and at the same time to multiply her beautiful host.
I really liked this plant. It grows unpretentious, blooms, but not very impressive, but the hosta leaves are very decorative, for which many people love it.

It is not difficult to propagate the hosta in the spring when transplanting, this will be the most acceptable and logical option. During reproduction, you can simply divide the rhizome into separate shoots, and then transplant. But now about the host transplant.

I have identified several rules for a successful host transplant in separate stages.

A host can grow in the same place for many years, literally up to 20 years. But nevertheless, the plant must be renewed periodically, its transplantation and the division of the rhizome, since the roots thicken very much.

Since the transplant is usually done in the spring, I decided to do it, since my host has not had a transplant for a very long time, if ever. The fact is that she grew up here even at the time when I was not here, another person was busy with the garden.

But it so happened that now almost everything garden work on me. However, once it has taken, it is necessary to transplant. To begin with, I removed everything that remained after last summer from the flowering of the hosta.

But when it came to the practical side, it turned out that, in addition to the transplant itself, I would also have to deal with the division of the rhizome, so that later all the plants would be planted along different places garden.

Stage one. Extracting hosts from soil

In order to extract the host correctly, you need, of course, to act with a shovel. It is worth digging around the host from all sides, in order to facilitate further actions for yourself.

The roots of the hosta are not very deep, but they grow over time very intensively and densely, so much so that the first time the whole plant is not very easy to pull out of the ground. And separating the roots from each other is even more difficult.

You can use a garden pitchfork or similar tool to pull the plant out.

Sometimes, if the hosta has grown for a very long time in one place, one person cannot cope with the digging. Then the help of a second partner may be needed.

Take a couple of such pitchforks and lift the host under the roots from different sides.
Thus, you can extract the host from the ridge or land.

My actions

In order to pull out the plant itself, I first carefully dug it with a shovel. After that, I tried to free the roots as much as possible from the side of the ground.
Since I acted for the first time, not knowing how they visually look and how they behave during various manipulations, I tried to act with the utmost care so as not to damage them.

To be honest, the lesson is quite tedious. So getting tired, I decided to use a different tactic, namely, took a garden fork and divided the parts of the root directly with it.

Since in appearance the roots had grown together very strongly, it was impossible to overcome them with bare hands. And with such a fork, I made my task much easier. Thus, it turned out that the whole plant was divided into several large parts.

Stage two. Cleansing roots from soil and separating plants

The land needs to be cleaned very carefully. The roots of the plant are quite strong, but they can be very closely intertwined with each other, and due to careless handling, they can be damaged.

My cleanup actions

I used a minimum of tools to clear the ground from the hosta roots. I took only a small garden fork to knock down the earth from below. I tried to do this again, with caution.
Above, it was mainly necessary to get rid of the roots of the dream, which entwined my hosta from above, since the density of the hosta roots did not allow them to grow deeper. How tightly they grow together!

In parallel with this procedure, she also separated the plants from each other, untangling the roots. It was quite a laborious process for me, but I hope I did a good job with it.

Stage three. Checking roots for pests and diseases

After the procedure for cleaning the plant from soil and weed roots, as well as separating it, we check it for various diseases and all kinds of problems.

It is necessary to conduct a thorough examination of the plant itself and its roots.
If roots are rotten or dry or too long, they will need to be removed or pruned. If necessary, you can disinfect with special fungicides. This will help rid the plant of many problems and diseases that the roots of the plant are exposed to.

My powerful hosta turned out to be more or less in order (in my opinion), did not find pests, the roots are alive, although they were strongly accrete and intertwined long time... There were no additional treatments.

Stage four. Preparing New Holes for Hosta Transplant

Initially, I decided for myself where I would place my hosts. I made the holes for them in such a way that when transplanting, the plant looked out a little from the ground, this is when the first shoots have already sprung. Just in the spring, by the time of transplantation, it is already visible how the hosta is waking up and the buds are ready to grow.

Just at this moment, it is worth doing a transplant, because there will be fewer plant injuries than making various manipulations with an adult plant, when there are already large grown leaves. No, the host will transfer the transfer, but big leaves will make it difficult this work with a plant.

In order for the transplant to be successful and the plant to take root in the future in a new or the same, but already modified place, it is necessary to prepare the soil for the hosts.
In order for the host to receive additional nutrition in the future, you can put a top dressing from humus, specially fertilized earth, on the bottom of the hole before planting. Indeed, in the future, as a rule, after the transplant, the host lives in one place for several years or more, and it will not be superfluous to feed it.

Stage five. Transfer to a new location

After the wells for transplanting are prepared, the nutrient medium is poured on the bottom, the host plants themselves are prepared, the roots are trimmed, the rhizome is divided into plants, we proceed to the most important stage - the transplantation stage.

We take all the plants, carefully arrange them in a free order so that they are not too crowded. To make the bush decent and lush, you can arrange several host segments side by side, in a bunch.

If you plant one root, then it will take him quite a lot of time to build up a full-fledged beautiful bush.

My actions

I decided to experiment and plant one part of the hosta undivided, that is, in a whole piece, without dividing it into individual plants. And she divided the other part and planted it in the hole in large quantities.

I did the landing so that the hosta bumps, which had already begun to break through the ground, were visible above. I carefully sprinkled the earth under the roots, pressed it down.

And on top, in order not to germinate the roots of weeds and other flying seeds, it is better to sprinkle with some kind of mulching mixture. So less weeds will germinate inside the plant, and thus it will be easier to take care of the plant in the future.
Of course, after planting, it is necessary to water the host for further development and anchoring its root system in a new place.

Let's draw conclusions

The host can be transplanted to oneself quite successfully, without outside help. In order to cope with this activity in full, it is necessary to correctly excavate the plant, divide (if necessary) into individual plants, check for diseases, trim the roots, prepare the soil for transplanting and planting, and mulch from above.

With proper care, timely transplantation / seating, prevention of various diseases, the host will delight beautiful leaves yearly.
In general, caring for it is simple, the plant is quite unpretentious: timely watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds. I wish you success!

P.S. (P.S):

This is how the sprouts of my transplanted host look like at the moment, some time after the transplant itself:

Liven up your garden with colorful greenery, and take a host as your assistant. It is unpretentious in planting, care and cultivation. This plant is popular in landscape design, because its leaves have different shapes and color, depending on the variety.

Description, varieties and varieties

The beauty of this plant is in the leaves, not the flowers. From green to gold and white, from long to rounded and heart-shaped - this is what the hosta is. Planting and caring for it in the open field is very simple - another reason to pay attention to this perennial.

Hosta will be a wonderful garden decoration from early spring to late autumn.

Having decided to start growing hosta, see how it looks in the photo. Choose from about 3000 varieties of your choice. By colors foliage they are combined into 5 groups:

green;
blue (with a bluish tint);
yellow;
variegated (this includes hosts motley and bordered with light color);
mediovariegata (leaves are light, with green edges).

There is a huge variety of hostas.

For those who grow hostu in the open field, the classification of varieties by size is also familiar:

dwarf (up to 10 cm);
miniature (10-15 cm);
small (16-25 cm);
medium (30-50 cm), the most numerous group;
large (55-70 cm);
giant (from 70 cm).

Among the host, there are chameleon varieties that change color during the summer season. Some species of this plant are difficult to classify because their leaves are blurred in color. And foreign breeders have bred tricolor hybrids. There are plenty to choose from!

Landing hosts

The optimal time for planting hosts in the open field is early spring or late August or early September. It is not worth postponing to a later time. Choose the material for planting carefully. The roots should be elastic, 10-12 cm long. It is best if the sprout has 2-3 buds.

Advice. If you bought a hosta, but it is too early to plant it, store the sprouts in a cool and dark place at t + 5-10 ° C. A basement, bottom shelf of a refrigerator, or an insulated balcony will do.

Hosta is traditionally considered a shade-loving perennial. But there is a pattern: the lighter the foliage, the more sun the plant needs. Dark green and blue varieties must be planted in the shade. For growing light hosts, partial shade or even a sunny place is suitable. Make sure that the plant is not in direct light, otherwise burns on the leaves cannot be avoided.

The host can be planted in the shade or partial shade

Light, well-drained, moist soil is good for planting and propagating outdoors. The holes should be made wide, about 30 cm deep. The distance between them should be from 30 to 100 cm (depending on the size of the plant).

Fill each hole about 2/3 with compost, peat, form a mound. Place the roots of the seedlings on it, but so that there are no empty spaces. Spread them out, cover them with fertile soil, compact. Finish planting with abundant watering. Mulch the roots with chopped bark or peat. This will help retain moisture. Repeat the watering procedure several more times every 3-4 days.

Advice. The buds of the plant during planting should be at ground level. If necessary, add additional soil under the root.

Plant care

Although not a demanding host, planting and caring for her requires adherence to the rules.

Weed and loosen the soil periodically.
Remove old leaves and young flower arrows. This will make the bush look neater. The exception is well-flowering varieties.
If you remove the flower arrows, the hosta bush will be more luxuriant.
The hosta loves moisture, so it needs regular watering, about 2 times a week.
This perennial is frost-resistant. But if the winter is too cold, take extra care by covering the plant with, for example, agrofibre.
In one place the host can grow up to 20 years. However, after 3-4 years, young daughter roots should be separated from the bush so that it does not grow too much.

Fertilizing and feeding hosts

How the plants look in your garden depends on the care, including the intensity of fertilization. The hosta looks more decorative, which is fed 3 times per season:

during the growth period;
during flowering;
after him.

The host needs feeding several times a season.

For these purposes, fertilizers with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus are most often used. Compost and humus are also useful for hosts. It is better to bring them in in the fall. Organic fertilizers are preferable to mineral fertilizers. " Golden Rule»Care - do not overdo it. Too frequent or abundant feeding can provoke a burn.

Plant propagation

There are 3 ways to propagate hosts:

division;
cuttings;
growing from seeds.

The bushes are usually divided in May or late summer. The smaller the split off part is, the more time it will take for its growth. Another method of propagation, cuttings, involves the separation of a sprout with a part of the rhizome from an adult bush. Cuttings in open ground planted immediately, watered and shaded.

Dividing the hosta bush

Growing hosts from seeds is a laborious and time-consuming process. The germination rate of the material is 70-80%, therefore, before sowing, it must be treated with growth stimulants. Another way is to keep the seeds in the cold for 30 days. It is also important to ensure that the soil and planting containers are sterile. Before sowing the hosts, the pots must be disinfected with potassium permanganate or alcohol.

Seed propagation should start in April or May. Pour drainage into containers, then soil mixture, water it. Spread the seeds, sprinkle them with soil on top (layer thickness - 5-7 mm). Slightly press it, cover the container with glass or film and place in a shady place. Hosta germination temperature is + 18-25º C. In such conditions, seedlings appear in 2-3 weeks.

Hosta seeds

At this time, caring for young seedlings consists in moderate watering and removing condensation. Keep the sprouts in a lighted place, away from direct sunlight. When the first pair of leaves appears, dive the seedlings. The soil in new containers should be ¼ covered with sand. To water, place the pots in a deep bowl and wait until upper layer will not get wet. Temper the sprouts: temporarily remove the glass or film, and after about a week, remove them altogether.

If the air temperature is already above + 18º C, leave the containers with seedlings on fresh air... Experienced gardeners warn: despite proper care, the host is developing very slowly. In addition, she often loses the characteristics of the variety.

Diseases and pests hosts

Khosta rarely gets sick, but one of the most typical ailments for her is phyllostictosis. Yellow-brown spots appear on the leaves. Affected plants need to be burned and the soil disinfected. If you notice gray rot or sclerotinia on the leaves, apply fungicides.

Phylostictosis hosts

Pests that make large holes in the beautiful foliage of hosts are slugs. To scare them away, cover the soil with something sharp: rubble or broken shells. Beer baits also help. Place containers with this drink around the bushes, and every other day, select slugs from them. Use insecticides to control insects (caterpillars, grasshoppers).

Hosta: Combination with other plants

Hosta leaves create harmonious combinations with brunner, heuchera and ferns. These plants look advantageous against the background of conifers. Also try compositions with primrose, geraniums, hornbeam. Make a beautiful landscape with lungwort, anemone, foxglove, astilba.

Hosta on a flower bed

There is an opinion that it is not necessary to combine the cultivation of roses and hosts. This is explained by the fact that they have different lighting requirements. However, in landscape design, this combination is quite common. In these cases, gardeners recommend planting the host on the north side of the bush.

Hosta in landscape design

There are many options for using this perennial in landscape design. First of all, the hosta is a ground cover plant for shady places. She creates coziness in gardens, stylized as natural nature... If you nevertheless decide to combine the cultivation of roses and hosts, decorate with them, for example, the shore of a reservoir.

Hosta in landscape design

Use this plant for decoration garden paths framing lawns. When growing hosta in pots, decorate your patio or gazebo with it. She is good for vertical flower beds... Phlox or daylilies will be a good addition in this case.

Whichever way you choose to decorate your garden is unlikely to be disappointed by the host. Rather, on the contrary: seriously and for a long time will conquer with its charm and unpretentiousness.

Growing hosts: video

Hosta varieties: photo

Hosta (aka function) is a popular perennial, which even a beginner can grow. But for this you need to know some rules for caring for this plant.

The main advantage of the hosta is its large, elegant leaves, which amaze with a variety of colors and textures. And no less attractive are racemose inflorescences of small funnel-shaped flowers. However, these plants only look spectacular when grown under certain conditions.

In some host varieties, the flowers are not very attractive, so the emerging peduncles are immediately cut off so that they do not overshadow the beauty of the leaves.

Hosts love moisture and shade, but at the same time they can easily tolerate drought. In the wild, they grow mainly along the banks of rivers and streams, on mountain slopes and forest edges. This must be taken into account when landing a host at a summer cottage.

In Japan, the hosta is considered a sacred plant. The stalks of its leaves are used as food as a delicacy.

Choosing a landing site

Hosts are also grown in containers, but still they are more often planted in the garden in open ground. After all, these plants are not afraid of frost and do not require special care.

Hosta can grow without transplanting for about 20 years, so the choice of a place for this plant must be taken responsibly. Hosta feels best in a semi-shady and wind-protected area (especially from drafts) - the north side of the house or the lowland near the pond will do. But keep in mind: the more variegated and brighter the color of the leaves of the plant, the more sun it needs. Otherwise, the foliage will be dull.

So, variegated hosts grow best in a place where there is shade at noon, and the sun shines in the morning and evening. And hosts of blue varieties are planted only in the shade: 2 hours of light a day is enough for them.

Hosta Blue varieties Jay prefers shady areas

The thicker the shadow, the slower the hosta grows, but at the same time its leaves are larger, and the bush itself is higher.

Soil for hosts

The hosta likes moist, humus-rich, neutral or slightly acidic soil with good drainage. But sand and heavy loam are not to her liking.

Most the right time for planting hosts - spring, when the threat of frost passes (usually at the end of April - first half of May). In this case, the soil is prepared in the fall: any organic fertilizer is scattered on the site (with a layer of about 10 cm) and the soil is dug to the depth of the shovel bayonet.

You can also plant hostu from late August to mid September. With a later planting, the plant may not have time to take root before the onset of frost. At this time, the soil is not prepared in advance, but only watered abundantly several hours before planting.

Landing hosts in open ground

Hosts (seedlings or delenki) are planted in holes 2-3 cm deeper than they grew before, the roots are straightened, sprinkled with soil and watered abundantly. After that, the planting site is mulched with bark or sawdust.

Before planting, do not forget to inspect the rhizome of the plant and remove all damaged, dry and rotten areas.

If hosts are planted in groups, the plants are placed at a distance of 30-80 cm (depending on the variety). And between the most spreading bushes they maintain a distance of about 100 cm.

Taking care of the host in the country

It is very important to water the hosts on time, as the soil around them should be slightly damp all the time. Please note: plants are watered with a small stream and exclusively at the root, since when water gets on the leaves, they deteriorate and become attractive to pests such as snails and slugs.

It is best to water the hosts in the morning before 11 o'clock. In exceptional cases - during the day, but only in cloudy weather. Otherwise, if water drops on the leaves, the bright sun can cause them to burn.

When watering, the soil should be saturated to a depth of 15-20 cm

Until the hosta grows, weeds are regularly removed around it and the soil is loosened. And when the bush becomes quite spreading (after 3-4 years), this will no longer be necessary. However, adult plants begin to lose their attractiveness over time, so their bushes are divided and planted.

If you have planted a plant in fertile soil, then in the first 3-4 years you can not worry about feeding. And from the 5th year late spring and in the fall, organic fertilizer is used in the form of mulch. To do this, use compost, decomposed manure, mowed lawn grass, straw or peat.

If adult plants begin to bloom worse or turn pale, granules of complex are scattered into the loosened soil under the host bushes mineral fertilizer, in which nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are contained in equal amounts. Then the plants are watered abundantly at the root. Such dressings are carried out 2-4 times per season, while the last dressing should fall on the first half of August.

Currently on sale there are special liquid water-soluble fertilizers with macro- and microelements for ornamental foliage plants. They are great for the host, as they not only help plants grow properly, but also improve the expressive texture and contrast of variegated leaves.

So that the hosts do not lose their beauty, they are fed during abundant watering or after rain.

After the end of flowering, the peduncles are promptly removed so that the bush does not become loose. In September, the host begins to prepare for wintering. At this time, the bushes can be planted. It is imperative to do this before mid-September so that the delenki have time to grow roots before the onset of autumn frosts.

For the winter, the entire ground part of the host is cut off (almost at ground level) as soon as its leaves turn yellow. This helps to remove the pests hidden in them. Additional shelter to protect against frost is not required, but plants can be mulched with leafy soil to preserve nutrients in the soil.

As you can see, taking care of the hosts is pretty straightforward. Moreover, they easily multiply not only by dividing the bushes, but also by seeds. Read about the last simple method here.

Hosta or function - decorative herbaceous perennial family Asparagus. The plant is distinguished by expressive, large and rather dense leaves that have different sizes, shapes and colors. It is high decorative feature foliage host, its sophistication and elegance, is widely used in gardening and landscaping. Hosta goes well with other flowers, shrubs, conifers... This unpretentious shade-tolerant plant can withstand cold weather, summer heat, it multiplies easily, and is resistant to diseases. V natural conditions grows in the Far East, Southeast Asia, Japan.

Variety host

There are about 40 host species and many cultivars that amaze the imagination.

Hosts differ:

Height (from miniature to the size of a person of average height);
By color (from soft cream shades to deep green with the presence of yellow, light green, lime, blue shades of different intensities and combinations);
By the shape of the leaf (lanceolate, round, wavy);
According to the texture of the sheet (from glossy-smooth to "waffle").

The most popular types of host include: plantain, wavy, white-bordered, straight-leaved, ovate, small, lanceolate, curly, beautiful, Siebold, decorative, tall, swollen.

Landing hosts

In order for the host to take root well when planting, it is necessary:

Choose the right landing time. Hosta can be planted in early spring, before the leaves bloom, in early autumn or at the end of summer, so that the plant has time to take root before the cold weather, and as a result - successfully overwinter;
Select healthy plants for planting. A good planting material on the rhizome should have at least 1 bud, ideally a few, not too overgrown. The roots should be developed, lively and resilient, 10-12 cm long. Examine the plant well to make sure there are no signs of disease. If the plant was purchased in advance and it is still early to plant it, then in this case it must be stored in a cool, dark place, at a temperature within 5-10 degrees (in the basement, refrigerator, on the loggia);
Find a suitable landing site. Hosta shade-loving plant, especially if the color of its foliage is green. Variegated hosts grow well in the sun, but in the midday heat they still require shading;
Consider and ensure the host's soil requirements. The soil should be light, moist, and breathable. Raw plots for host cultivation are unsuitable. Poor soils are improved by adding humus, sand, mineral fertilizers.

Breeding features

The most common and affordable way of host breeding is to divide the overgrown bushes.

Bushes at the age of 4-6 years are subject to division. The bush is dug out completely, the soil is shaken off well from the roots. To rejuvenate the hosta, the ends of its roots are slightly trimmed. The rhizome itself is cut with a knife and broken by hand. Fracture points are treated with ash or a fungicide solution, you can sprinkle charcoal, cinnamon. The resulting plots are planted on permanent place with prepared soil.

Transplant hosts in autumn

It is better to transplant the host in the fall at the beginning of the season - September, ideally - until the middle of the month. It takes at least a month to root the plant. There are even host varieties, which are worth replanting exclusively in the fall, because in the spring they simply do not grow roots. These include the hosts of Tokudama and Siebold. These hosts should only be replanted during the fall.

Before landing, the site is dug to the depth of the shovel bayonet. A couple of hours before planting, the site is watered. A hole is made, a mound of fertile soil is poured, 10-15 g of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium sulfate are added. The larger the bush or plot, the larger the planting hole should be. It is advisable to provide good drainage from pebbles or broken bricks. When planting, the roots are placed on the surface of the mound so that there are no voids under them. Fertile soil is poured on top, compacted, watered abundantly. The plot is placed at the same depth at which the mother plant grew. After planting, the root collar is mulched with humus or peat. Watering is repeated several times after 3-4 days.

If several plants are planted at once, then large varieties should be located at a distance of a meter, and the middle ones - half a meter, for dwarf varieties a distance of 0.2 meters is enough.

Necessary care

Under natural conditions, hosts grow along rivers, i.e. love wet soil and high humidity air.

Hosts need regular watering. Pamper the beautiful host with an evening shower - a good result will not keep you waiting.

This plant is fed three times per season:

V natural (beginning of growth);
When blooming;
After flowering.

When feeding, you should alternate organic fertilizers with high-quality mineral dressings.

Regular weeding is necessary in the care. Loosening of the soil must be done very carefully. It is recommended to replace it with mulching. After all, mulched soil retains moisture much longer. This option will do weekend summer residents.

It should be remembered that mulching is not applicable for miniature and dwarf varieties, as it can cause the root collar to heat up.

In addition, mulch is an excellent environment for slugs - the main enemy of beautiful host foliage. Rubble, shell rock, wood chips, which are scattered around the hosta, can help get rid of them, and slugs avoid walking on such surfaces.

Landscape use

An excellent option for growing a host is growing in conditions close to natural, for example, near a pond among other moisture-loving plants.

The hosts look organically against the background of stones, any wooden decor, in the middle of the lawn. Can be planted as a curb along paths. You can also grow hosts in containers, placing them at the entrance to the house.

The host is called the "queen" of shady areas and seating areas in the garden. This is a real emerald in the front garden, in any flower bed. Landing hosts and care in the open field will not deliver special trouble gardeners or summer residents. The flower can be propagated by division, cuttings and seeds.

When to plant a host in open ground?

Planting begins in August and ends in September. These dates may shift depending on the weather and location of the region. It is necessary to calculate the planting time so that the hosts take root before frost. With the early onset of cold weather, young plants must be covered.

Most of all, the root zone needs winter shelter, on which brushwood or other suitable material is laid.

The host is divided and planted in the spring, before the leaves bloom. A plant with a root ball, purchased in a store or donated by friends, takes root better. Hosta can be stored briefly in the basement or vegetable section of the refrigerator until planting. They are planted in open ground when the threat of late frosts has passed.

Planting in open ground with seeds

Sowing hosta seeds is an opportunity to get a lot of seedlings and seedlings for landscaping a large area. The laborious procedure requires certain knowledge and skills. Unfortunately, seed-grown hosts do not always inherit the characteristics of the parent plant. This is especially true for variegated varieties.

Sowing procedure description:

Seed propagation is carried out in early spring.
Use a container, pot, or plastic box for germination.
Drainage is poured at the bottom, the container is filled with a light fertile substrate.
Water, spread the seeds, sprinkle on top with a layer of soil 0.5 cm thick.
Cover with glass or foil, germinate in the shade, at a temperature of 20-23 ° C.
The soil is often sprayed with water from a spray bottle.

Germination time varies from 7 days to 3 weeks. Usually shoots appear in 2 weeks. Seedlings dive into other containers, quench in the fresh air, but protect them from direct sun rays... Seedlings develop slowly at first, acquire the characteristics of the variety only after 3-4 years.

Propagation by cuttings and dividing the bush

The most common methods for obtaining new plants are used when there is at least one bush at the age of 3-5 years. Propagation by cuttings and division is not recommended 1-2 years after planting. During this period, they give the opportunity to strengthen the underground and aboveground organs.

Dividing the bush and grafting allows you to get hosts of the same variety as the mother plant.

The best time for vegetative reproduction is in the spring, when shoots appear. The mother plant is carefully dug up, large lumps of soil are shaken off the rhizome, old and decayed parts are cut off. Cut the host with a shovel or sharp knife... Parts of a split bush must have buds and pieces of root.

Only healthy plants are divided for planting.
In the first few weeks, water is often watered, but without stagnant water.
Hosts grow slowly after transplantation, especially variegated varieties.
Young leaves in most cases have a solid green color.
The characteristics of the variety are fully manifested after 2 years.

Cutting - the separation of a part with buds and a piece of rhizome - can be carried out from spring to autumn. Sometimes the procedure is unsuccessful, almost no roots remain, but there are buds, or there is no rosette, but there is a rhizome. Even such defective planting material is not thrown away. Cuttings are planted in the shade, covered with cut plastic bottle... The missing organs gradually grow back, and full-fledged leaves are formed.

Proper care of a shade-loving plant

The hosta flower, in its homeland in Asia, is found in meadows, along the banks of rivers and lakes, on the shady edges of humid forests. It is recommended to create conditions for plants in the garden and in the flower bed that resemble their natural habitat.

Requirements for soil and location

You need a well-drained soil rich in moisture and nutrients. Special requirements there is no pH, moderately acidic and alkaline substrates are suitable. Variegated forms shading is required at noon hours. Colored stripes and spots disappear in direct sunlight. Varieties with blue foliage also change color. Only monochromatic green forms retain their characteristics in the sun, but subject to good soil moisture.

Watering and fertilizing

The plant does not need frequent watering with sufficient rainfall and placement in a shady place. In the dry season it is necessary to water 2 times a week. The soil under the hosts should not dry out even in winter. In summer, you can pamper the leaves with an evening shower. Top dressing is also best done in the evening.

A young plant needs more care and nutrients, so fertilize it 2-3 times. In the spring, top dressing is carried out at the very beginning of the growing season. The next time they fertilize the soil during flowering. The third feeding is needed for plants after flowering. It is advisable to alternate the introduction of compost and complex fertilizers. Be sure to mulch the soil immediately after watering and feeding, but only without damaging the lower leaves of the plant.

Loosening, pruning, replanting

Hosta rhizome is located in the upper loose soil layer. Loosening is performed carefully so as not to damage the roots. Sometimes it is replaced by mulching after watering, then the soil retains moisture for a long time.

Peduncles are usually removed, but in beautifully flowering varieties, they are left and cut before the seeds ripen (if there are no hostas in the seed reproduction plans). Dry and damaged leaves are pruned throughout the season. Experienced florists it is recommended to leave the foliage in the fall to protect the roots from frost.

The best material for transplanting is plants with 2-3 buds and well-developed roots 10 cm long. The planting pit is made wide, because underground organs grow in a horizontal direction. The depth should be at least 30 cm. A mixture of compost, garden soil, peat and sand is poured onto the bottom. You can sprinkle with a handful wood ash for pH normalization and disinfection.

The planting hole is filled with a substrate at 70% of the height, and abundantly moistened. The host is positioned so that the roots are on the surface of the moist soil, the growth buds are at ground level. Sprinkle with soil, compact and watered again. In conclusion, a layer of mulch up to 2 cm high is poured. Peat or sawdust is used as a mulching material.

Care at different times of the year

During the summer, the hosta is regularly watered, cut off dry parts, weeds are weeded. In the fall, after the first frost, the leaves begin to wither. You do not need to cut or pluck them. The foliage protects the soil above the roots from freezing. Additionally, you can cover the plant with agrofibre. In the spring, the remaining leaves must be removed (plucked).

Growing hosts in the garden - diseases and pests

The plant is little susceptible to disease, but it becomes infected from horticultural crops with phyllostictosis (brown spot). A heavily affected hosta must be destroyed, the soil must be disinfected with a fungicide. Against pathogens of fungal and bacterial diseases, they are sprayed with biopesticides.

Slugs gnaw holes in the leaves, they become less decorative. Regular inspection of plants and removal of pests is recommended. If you can't fight, you can find planting material of resistant varieties in nurseries or flower shops. Slugs prefer soft tissues and are less likely to attack hosts with leathery foliage. Another option for fighting is to cover the soil around the hosta with fine gravel or crushed shell rock. At good care the plant remains healthy and attractive for 10 years.

Hosta in landscape design

A shade-tolerant plant with beautiful leaves helps out in cases when it is necessary to decorate the resting areas in the garden, the entrance to the gazebo. Blooming annuals and perennials look great against the background of lush greenery: bells, primroses, phlox. Varieties with bicolor and tricolor leaves are especially appreciated in landscape design. It is advisable to place such plants singly on the lawns, in small groups along the paths.

It is better to start growing hosts with varieties that have green foliage. They are less demanding in terms of conditions and care, they are easier to tolerate bright lighting and transplantation.

The host is great for mobile landscaping of the entrance to the house, terraces, gazebos. Plants in pots and containers are watered more often because the soil heats up and dries out faster. In the fall, remove old leaves and cover the container. At the beginning of spring, the protective layer is removed, the container is installed against the wall of the house.

Any use of hosts in landscape design should be considered in terms of the conditions that will be created for the plant. With proper care, the "queen" of the shade will not disappoint her fans, she will attract attention with a magnificent view of leaves and bell-shaped flowers.