Hello friends! Today I will tell you what to do when a hosta grows too big.
QUICK ANSWER: To control the size of the hosta, divide it into two or three pieces. This way you can keep the hosta at the size you want for as long as you want.
Divide the bush
The most effective way to control the size of the hosta is to divide it. This way you can reduce the size of the bush by half or even three times.
You need to understand that you can divide the hosta when it reaches a fairly impressive size and has at least ten leaves. I recommend dividing the bush no more than once every 2-3 years.
The best time to divide is early spring. Divide the bush into several parts using a shovel or other tool. The divisions you have made from the main bush can be planted in other parts of the garden or given to your friends.
Trim the hosta
The easiest way to reduce the size of the hosta is to remove some of the leaves. Cut off the leaves evenly on all sides together with the leaf petioles at ground level. Do this when the bush is large enough, avoid cutting off the leaves of small and young plants.
This way you can remove no more than 10% of the leaves. Otherwise, the hosta may become stressed and die.
This is a temporary solution as the hosta will produce new leaves quickly enough. Therefore, other control methods should be used as well.
Avoid watering
The next thing you can do is reduce the watering of the hosta. This will slow down its growth a bit and it will be more compact.
Even though hostas love generous watering, mature plants are able to get the right amount of water on their own. Additional watering will only stimulate excessive growth and if this is not your goal, then water the hosta only in summer drought.
Avoid fertilizing
For newly planted hostas, fertilizer is a very good boost for rooting and rapid growth. However, over time, the bushes become so large that you need to reduce the growth rate and reduce their size.
Simply stop fertilizing your hostas with any type of fertilizer. This will reduce the rate of their expansion and, together with other methods, you will be able to keep them at the desired size.
Don’t worry about a lack of nutrients. An adult hosta has a large root system and is able to extract nutrients even in poor soils.
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