Blueberry Muffin Hosta (Information, Images, Care Guide)

Blueberry Muffin is a very interesting variety of hosta as it has large and textured blue leaves. The leaf shape is rounded but with a sharp tip. This article describes all the details of growing Blueberry Muffin hostas and other aspects of this wonderful plant.

Blueberry Muffin Hosta Care Tips

• Plant Blueberry Muffin Hosta in full or partial shade.
• Water when the soil is more than 2 inches tall.
• Provide Blueberry Muffin Hosta with a loose, fast-draining soil with a pH of about 6.5.
• Use a granular fertilizer with an all-purpose NPK formula in early spring.
• Use traps and iron phosphate against slugs.
• Mulch Blueberry Muffin Hosta with pine bark or compost about 2 inches thick.

Plant profile

Planting

The best time to plant Blueberry Muffin Hosta is spring. This is when the weather is more favorable and it will be much easier for the plant to take root in its new location than if you planted it in the heat of summer.

Another good time is early fall. This is when the ground is still warm from the summer sun but there is no more heat. You should plant the hosta at least 1 month before the first frost.

The best place for Blueberry Muffin to grow is in full shade and in loose, nutritious soil. Also, make sure that no water collects in the area.

As for spacing, Blueberry Muffin Hosta should be planted 3-4 feet apart. This is because this variety is medium-sized and requires plenty of room to develop. Also, avoid planting it too close to the trunk of large trees.

When planting, do not dig the stems deeper into the ground. The place where the stems connect to the roots should be at ground level. After planting, mulch the root zone with organic material about 2 inches thick.

Read more: Hosta Care Guide For Gardeners

Light requirements

Blueberry Muffin is a blue hosta and, as you know, such plants grow best in full shade. So you have to plant this plant in a place where there is shade all day long. So you can count on a very intense blue color.

It can also tolerate up to four hours of direct sun in the morning. In such a spot Blueberry Muffin will still be blue in color and will grow more vigorously.

You definitely need to avoid planting it in full sun because it will make the leaves look pale and greenish. In the summer sun, the leaves will get sunburned and it will look terrible.

This variety grows best in dappled shade. This sun exposure can be achieved by planting this hosta under a tree. As a result, only a small portion of the sun’s rays will fall on its leaves and the leaves will be blue and will not burn.

The main thing is not to plant too close to the trunk of the tree, as its roots can squeeze the roots of the hosta out of the ground. There should be at least 2 to 3 feet between the tree trunk and the hosta.

Soil

Blueberry Muffin Hosta can grow in most types of soil, but if you want to give it a good start you need to improve the soil a bit. This is especially true if your soil is too clay or too sandy.

The best method to change the quality of the soil is to use organic matter. Before planting, apply about 1 bucket of compost and mix it with the native soil. It will be better if you buy quality compost made with the right technology from local suppliers.

This improvement will make the native soil more friable and better drained. Compost is also an excellent organic fertilizer.

Also, make sure that your soil has a pH of 6.0-7.0. Use a soil acidity kit for this purpose. Use acidifiers to lower the pH and garden lime to raise it.

Watering

This hosta, like most others, needs to be watered. This is especially true in the summer heat. Watering is also necessary if the Blueberry Muffin Hosta is growing under a tree canopy because the roots of the tree quickly absorb water.

The best way to check if watering is necessary is to feel the soil with your fingers and if it is 2 inches dry you should water. When watering, use about 1 gallon of water per plant.

If you water over the leaves, you may wash away the white patina and it will lose its blue color. So water only on the ground or set up a drip irrigation system.

What you shouldn’t do is water according to a schedule because then you might over-water the soil and the hosta could rot. If this happens, dig out the bush and remove the rotten tissue. Then wash the wound with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide and plant the hosta in well-drained soil.

Propagation

The easiest and fastest way to propagate Blueberry Muffin Hosta is by dividing. This way you can quickly get an exact copy of the mother plant with all the varietal characteristics.

To succeed, divide the rhizome only when it already has at least 10 leaf petioles (eyes). The best time of year for dividing a hosta is in the second half of autumn.

This is when it is warm enough and the plant has woken up from its winter hibernation. Divide at this time and you will have a complete plant by the end of the year.

Dig up the shrub and clean the roots from the soil. Use a sharp and sterile knife to separate. Divide the rhizome so that each part has at least 3-4 stems (eyes).

Powder the wound with fine ash and plant the new plants in well-drained soil. Water with a small amount of water. The young hostas should be in full shade until they take root.

Problems

Usually, problems with Blueberry Muffin Hosta are very rare, but still, sometimes it can get sick. The most common disease is leaf spot.

Different pathogens cause this disease, but the result is the same: small brown spots appear on the leaves. Over time, the spots become more and more numerous and the leaf may die.

To cure the hosta, spray the leaves with a multi-purpose fungicide or copper fungicide. Repeat the spraying after two weeks.

Also, sometimes the crown of a hosta can begin to rot because of overwatering, causing the leaves to turn yellow and droop. I explained how to fix this and how to avoid it in the watering chapter above.

The second problem is slugs. Since Blueberry Muffin leaves are quite hard, these pests hardly damage them. The exception is the young, soft leaves that appear in the spring.

To get rid of slugs, use a variety of traps. But the best effect on these pests is iron sulfate granules. This product is absolutely safe for other living creatures.

Read more: What Is Eating My Hostas?

Fertilizer

Blueberry Muffin Hosta does not need additional fertilizer because it is able to get all the minerals out of the soil on its own. This is especially true if you have improved the soil with organic matter when planting.

But if you want to speed up growth and increase your plant size, you can fertilize a bit. Fertilising is also important if the hosta is growing under a large tree because the tree reduces the number of nutrients in the soil considerably.

The best fertilizer is a slow-release mineral fertilizer in pellet form. The fertilizer can be multi-purpose, with about the same amount of basic elements or with a little more nitrogen.

The best and only time to apply the fertilizer is in early spring. As a result, the hosta will get the nutrients in time and increase in size. Avoid fertilizing in the second half of summer or fall as this can cause new shoots to grow which can be damaged by early frosts.