Someone more learned than I will help you, I'm sure, but those darn pill bugs on your PW are bad news!

They are chewers. I have my share of woes when it comes to them. They love to burrow under crowns of plants and chew till there is no root left. I would recommend removing them. Tricky little buggers...curl up into a ball when disturbed......squishing is good if you are not squeamish...I spray them with ammonia solution (1 part ammonia, 8-10 part water) . Seems to help, but I like getting rid of them by squishing. There was a good thread recently on them. I'm sorry, but I don't know how to provide the link to that thread....perhaps someone else might?

Did not intend to derail the root question. Sorry.

The pill bugs are bugging me (pun intended) lol ...they may be part of the problem...they burrow, so it wouldn't hurt to check further...see if they are setting up shop in your plant. That's a fair bit of roots showing..hang in there..someone will know how to advise you.

Don't worry, be happy. As long as the hosta is thriving, the roots will go where they please. Some of mine do that too.

-Babka

Do you have clay soil by any chance? A hosta planted by previous owners was having such a hard time with the heavy clay soil that it was sending roots up all over the place. Winter heaving added to that such that in the spring I could pick up divisions off the ground because only the root tips were in the soil!

Anyway, as Babka said, if the Empress is growing well, no worries.

Thank you everyone. I was so worried about the roots I didn't notice the little guy nestled in there. Guess I'll be bug hunting today. And yes I do have clay and we had a late frost this year. But Empress looks wonderful so I'll try not to worry unless someone tells me otherwise.

Thanks again everyone.

This post was edited by kburg25 on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 9:24

Kburg,

That's a great plant. I agree that the roots are not a worry. And ignore the pillbugs. Typically they don't eat Hosta (except for Sandy's). Pillbugs main diet is partially decomposed plant material. They like compost that is not fully decomposed.

Steve

What a lovely Empress Wu you have! Four years old you say.....I just got mine. Hope to see it look that fine here.
If you have any doubts about the pill bugs, just sprinkle some Sevin dust on the crown, it won't detract from the look of the plant if restricted to that area. But of course the ammonia treatment, properly diluted, is good too.

Steve...not to be contrary but those pill bugs were caught in the act here...they chewed the roots off an outside section of my young Aristocrat just days ago and it wasn't just one pill bug....I'm not crying wolf. They DO eat hosta roots but they could be picky...they did the same thing to my High Society ---for the second time, in a different spot. Coincidence? Both plants related to June parentage yet they leave her alone.

Having said that, which bug in its right mind would mess with THAT spectacular Empress Wu? She looks indestructible!!!! Biggest EW I've seen

if you would have posted the pic first...

i would have simply asked you why you were thinking of trying to fix something that is NOT broken ...

i have a term for that.. LOVING THEM TO DEATH ...

what???? .... you have better ideas for that plant.. rather than what it has already figured out on its own????

crikey .... lol

please... step away from the plant.. and move along.. nothing to see here ...

ken

ps: you will get a better pic of it.. towards dusk.. when the sky doenst reflect so heavily.. .... it is ok.. to step near it to take pix.. lol...

Just wanted to ask....is that a little Mouse Ears for company for EW? So cute...looks like its own little toy.

Kburg25....welcome to the Hosta Forum! You have a most impressive Empress Wu!! I've only seen young ones...big leaves, but small plants.

Hope you keep coming back. :-)
Jo

Thanks for the comments. I must say I tell her how beautiful she is all the time, lol. She's almost doubled in size every year, when I planted the blue mouse ear last May it was about 6" from the edge. And Ken had I not peaked underneath I wouldn't have thought twice about Empress. Just wanted to make sure I didn't have a future problem to worry about. Never seen another in person so I wasn't sure how she was doing. Glad I have nothing to worry about!

Yes, don't love them to death! One of my very mature h.'Elegans' was growing on a little hill. It put more and more roots on top of the soil and by that created that hill, so many roots were exposed to the -20 dgrs winters we have here. I felt sorry about it and covered it with mulch. This year it developed crown rot, which let me to remove all that extra mulch and soil too to keep the crown dry, plus fungicide spraying. You Empress looks fine with the exposed roots. Bernd

I'll try not to bother you all w too many newbie questions. But I'm sure I'll be back. Thanks again.

This post was edited by kburg25 on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 23:53

My FIL has some very large, mature blue hostas outside his front door. When I happen to be over there in the early spring, and glance down, I am always taken aback at how many roots are above ground on those things...in fact it looks to me like the whole crown- whatever that vague, I'll defined thing is, is pretty much above ground. Yet they look big and beautiful every year, go figure.