My tall hostas aren't growing tall.

10 years ago

I got some hostas from a neighbor (don't know the variety) that have a smaller to medium sized leaf and grow 3-4 feet tall. They pretty much had no roots at all. The guy just pulled them out of the ground by hand and didn't get the root ball at all. I had to root them myself and after 2 years they are growing great in pots but not getting the height that they should. I did replant them this year into a bigger pot. Do they need a couple of years to get going or should they be tall already? Do you think I have them too deep maybe?

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Comments (6)

thisismelissa
10 years ago
Yes, they need time.

Another reason the previous owners may have had them super tall is that they could have been crowded in. They tend to grow taller that way.

I have one hosta, in its 6th year, that has progressively gotten taller and taller. This year it's 32" tall. But at year 2, it was MAYBE 8" tall.

It needs time to develop big fat roots.... it needs to be in the same spot for a period of time... get it into the ground and keep it there. Give it lots of water, and a good amount of sunlight... not enough to scorch it, but a few hours a day.

And patience!
User
10 years ago
Keeping a plant going through two whole years speaks of a dedicated gardener. Glad to have you drop in, Plantasia. Nice screen name too.

To keep you going until those gift hosta get up to speed, take a look at one of the online nurseries and see what they have to offer. Just a couple of hosta wouldn't hurt to buy, would it? To keep your enthusiasm active? You should find plenty of inspirational pictures at the link I give you below. On the Home page, you will find all sorts of information too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Library home page
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jadie88
10 years ago
Wow...maybe buy your neighbor a shovel? :)

If you add a couple photos, our resident hosta experts can help identify it, then you can learn more about its growth habit and what to expect.

I like your screen name, too!
Plantaisia
Original Author
10 years ago
OMG I actually got them from my neighbor's wife. He was trying to sell them at his garage sale for 15 bucks a pop for a stalk with 3 leaves and nobody was buying. After the garage sale was over I asked his wife if I could have them all for 10 bucks. He was upset that she sold them for me at that price and I was upset because there were only a couple of bunches I could get to root. Anyway tried to upload a pic but it isn't letting me. But thanks anyway. I think I just need to listen to you all and leave them be and give them a few years to really go.
jadie88
10 years ago
That is so bizarre...why on earth would he just rip it up instead of dividing it properly? And what kind of variety did he think was worth $15 for rootless crown fragments? I've seen people peddling some odd stuff at yard sales, but wow!

Again, kudos for keeping a couple of them alive!
coll_123
10 years ago
Yes, that's like, hosta abuse or something! I guess he was just lazy? I had some hostas that had the roots virtually totally eaten by voles one year. Needless to say, they weren't looking as good as before when they came up the next year....but they did survive. They just sort of go back to square one when they have traumatic root injury, but they do recover, eventually.