Reproduction of hosta by dividing the bush or seeds, how and when to carry out the procedure

Hosta is a perennial plant, part of the asparagus family. These are bushes that are formed by basal leaves. The flowers of this plant resemble lilies. Hosta can be propagated by sowing seeds, dividing roots, or planting cuttings.

The hosta plant is popular among gardeners for its unpretentiousness and decorativeness.

Optimal timing

The beginning of April is a good time to plant seeds. When propagated by cuttings or divisions, hosta can be planted from May to July. Division can also be done in late summer.

Preparation

It is necessary to prepare planting material and a place where you will need to germinate the hosta at first. For seeds, it is necessary to carry out stratification for 4 months. If they are sown in late autumn, then this will occur during the winter period. As a result, weak seeds will die, and the most viable ones will produce offspring.

How does a hosta reproduce?

In order to propagate hosta, you can use seeds, cuttings or separating part of the root. The latter method is well tolerated by plants that are already 4 years old. If they are younger, then as a result of this action the growth of the host may slow down.

Seeds

This method of hosta propagation is the most labor-intensive. It is usually used by breeders. The seeds of this plant have poor germination (no more than 70%). To increase it, you can use stimulants.

With this method of propagation, the hosta acquires a decorative appearance in the fourth year.

Growing by seeds is effective in cases where new varieties are bred.

If the seeds sprout, the hosts will be healthy, hardy and resistant to difficult weather conditions.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Planting material - oblong seeds of dark brown color. In the place where faded flowers are located, yellow boxes form. Planting material can be obtained from them.

Seed pods are formed 6-7 weeks after pollination has occurred. Usually this moment occurs at the very end of the summer period or at the beginning of autumn.When the box begins to open, it is time to collect the seeds.

This can be done until the box dries completely and begins to rot. The duration of the period of time during which planting material is harvested is no more than 5 days.

Then the hosta seeds must be thoroughly dried. It is recommended to provide a high temperature for this. Within 10 minutes, complete evaporation of moisture from the seed will occur. At this point the drying procedure should be completed.

After this, the lionfish is removed and the seed is placed in the refrigerator for a month. Before planting, they are treated with growth stimulants. For this purpose, you can use Epin, Zircon.

How to plant at home

To germinate hosta seeds, you need to place them in a plastic container with soil. It should have holes at the bottom.

The container must be treated with boiling water, then wiped with alcohol.

It is important to use sterile soil. To do this, you can purchase it at a specialized store. If you use self-collected soil, you need to add potassium permanganate crystals, peat and perlite. Drainage is poured at the bottom, and moist soil is placed on top.

The soil must be compacted using a wooden plank. Seeds need to be planted at a depth of 6-7 mm. A small amount of perlite is added on top and then the soil is compacted. This is done to improve seed germination.

The top of the container is covered with film.

Growing

When growing, provide a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. After two weeks, shoots should appear.

It is important that the sprouts are not exposed to direct sunlight. To do this, use film; it must be removed during the day for two hours.

When the first leaf appears, the sprout is transplanted into a separate container. At the same time, the soil in the new container should be more sterile and nutritious compared to the previous one. A thin layer of sand is added on top. In a new container, the plant is not covered with film.

Watering must be done very carefully. To do this, pour water into a tray in which there is a container with a sprout. Water stagnation should not be allowed to occur. In order to accustom hosta sprouts to the temperature conditions of open ground, they are periodically taken outside and kept there. At first, the time is limited to a quarter of an hour, and then it must be gradually increased.

Planting in the soil is done provided that the air temperature is 20 degrees or more. The soil of the seedlings is moistened, the roots along with the soil are carefully removed and transplanted into open ground. Then add earth and lightly compact it.

By cuttings

With this method of reproduction, the new sprout will have the properties of its parent. This will also be true when propagating hybrid varieties.

In order to increase the survival rate of the hosta, it is necessary to carefully separate the heel when forming cuttings.

Deadlines

Cuttings are carried out over a long period - from late spring to mid-summer. During the first days after they are planted in the soil, the cuttings will hurt. If you care for them properly, they will take root.

How to cut and plant

For this procedure, shoots with a clearly defined heel are preferred. It is important that they can be easily separated. You need to choose shoots where the leaves have small petioles and are relatively small in size.

It is important to water the cuttings regularly until they are completely rooted. They may look flaccid and weak in the first few days, but they will eventually strengthen and begin to grow.

Dividing the bush

This method of propagating hostas is the most popular. It doesn't require much effort. It is necessary to divide when the plant has grown greatly. When the hosta is already ten years old and the center of the plant is no longer growing, in this case it is worth dividing the bush.

When is the best time to share?

The best time for propagation by division is spring or summer. However, this can also be done in the fall, but no later than 30 days before the first frost. It is necessary to give the divisions time so that they begin to take root in the new place.

How to divide correctly

The amount of planting material available depends on how much the bush has grown. If the plants are located relatively far from each other, then their roots will grow well and several viable parts can be separated from one plant.

Choosing the optimal period

Division is usually carried out 4-5 years after planting. This is done so that the plant develops well and takes root. This is done in the spring or in the first part of September. If you propagate younger plants in this way, this can have a bad effect on their development.

Using the right tool

Using a sharp knife, it is necessary to separate the rosette of leaves along with part of the root. The cut site is treated with sand. This will help the plant heal the wound. The sharper the tool, the less damage to the mother bush will be.

How to dig or cut

This can be done in some cases without digging up the main part of the root.However, it is better to completely dig the root of the mother plant out of the ground and divide it into several parts so that each of them has 2 or more rosettes of leaves.

Sometimes you don’t need the maximum number of divisions, but a small number of large ones.

The roots are planted in a greenhouse or in a shady place under a plastic bottle. In 3-4 weeks the bushes will begin to stretch. They are watered abundantly. Every day they allow you to breathe the surrounding air by removing the film or bottle. When the bushes grow, they are transplanted to a permanent place.

Tips and warnings

The material obtained by dividing the hosta bushes must be planted at the same depth as the root of the mother bush. In this case, the distance between individual plants should be at least 30-35 cm.

When planting cuttings in the ground, it is undesirable for the leaves to be large.

In this case, moisture will evaporate too much from them. To prevent this, the largest leaves are cut off by one third.

When planting in open ground, it is recommended to add mulch to the top layer. For this you can, for example, use crushed bark.