yes it is wise to want them

i am not aware of them rooting..

but no one ever succeeding in NOT trying...

go for it

ken

Hosta grow just fine under oaks.

bk

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe someone who knows a lot more than I do (about hostas, anyway).....said that you could not "root" a hosta in the strict meaning of the word, because the hosta requires a bit of crown to grow. Seems it was in a discussion about rooting fasciations on fasciated scapes. Ring a bell with anyone?

But like Ken said, heck, why not give it a go? There is a possibility of it being a first time?

I'd like to know what you find out.

I will if I do it at all. It just seems those leaflets should be an indication of "PLANT ME AND SEE WHAT I CAN DO!"

We've hit triple digit temps and that gives me pause. Let you know if I get it done.

hey, use some keiki paste and see what happens.

may turn out to be the poor man's TC

dave

yes i have said before...

that there are 3 basics parts to a hosta....

the white potato stuff is the crown...

from the top of the crown .. comes pips and leaves...

from the bottom of the crown... comes roots...;

things hanging off petiole.. the stalk.. does NOT HAVE CROWN ... so what are the roots going to pop out of.. my PWA ????

how do you root something that is lacking an inherent necessity????

again.. that said.. WHY NOT TRY

ken

Well Ken, I've never dissected a hosta plant, and quite frankly, I had no idea that hosta had crowns! I'm glad to know that. Having experience with daylilies, now I know how to propagate them "properly"!

(As if they need any help!) Patience!

carp, if i would have mentioned 'tape', perhaps ken would not have been so cranky. crikey. I thot it was IWA .. Indiana ... not PWA

or is Purdue over there, hoosier dude?

dave

No, the scapes won't sprout any roots. I put scapes in a bucket of water every year to ripen the seeds and I've never seen them produce any roots.

i know. this is how you learn!

but keiki paste just might do something... but probably not.

It causes orchids to either produce a second flower, or a new plant, and the roots grow from that spot. And it can help AVs produce suckers.

Have you tried it?

Would you wager all of your hosta against it?

Which freezes faster, hot water or cold water. Hot water, because it looses it's heat faster?

this is just barber shop talk. or coffee shop. we're havin' fun here. deny us the tiny pleasures in the world. go ahead, rain on our parade. be a spoilsport.

the football season just started, and it is already over.

better luck next year.

you must be a cubs fan!

WHY NOY TRY

... or, just go out and DENY

a little dab'l do ya ...

crikey!

ÃÂ.ÃÂ --~

dave

Don, when you put the scapes in the bucket of water to ripen the seedpods, do you add sugar?

I read somewhere that the person put sugar in the water when cutting green pods. However, I do not keep sugar in the house. I only have Splenda. Not the same thing.

I have one pod of Adorable to ripen, and the scape sure did not grow roots, even with fresh water every day. The pod is dry now though, whether it matured properly or not.

Can I cut the scapes, put them in PLAIN CITY WATER (it has chlorine in it) and wait for the pods to turn brown?

I was just checking your list of non-fertile or reluctantly fertile hosta, and discovered many of the fragrant hosta. I have multiple pods on several hosta listed as "reluctantly" fertile, but am proceeding with plans to germinate if possible.

I mean, I'm a great believer in "ignorance is bliss," or "it only goes wrong when you know it can."

Don, did your scapes have leaves on them? I have some that do and some that don't, so I ask. It's the ones with the leaves that make me wonder. Did you ever try scapes that weren't putting all their strength into seed ripening?

How about Willow water? Or putting other plants known to encourage rooting, like the wandering Jew plant into the same water?

Sorry Ken, even though I think it's a good idea to try the paste, I'm not going to. Sounds like you hosta folks have a new experiment, though. ;o)

Dave, I've never tried keiki paste. I doubt that any hosta scapes have ever produced roots or it would have been discovered by someone by now. However, I'm not telling anyone to not try it.

Moccasin, sometimes I add a little sugar if I get around to it and sometimes I don't. I haven't really paid any attention to determine if the sugar makes much of a difference. The seeds seem to ripen eventually either way.

I cut the stems off on a angle for maximum water absorption and change the water every couple of weeks. I use water from my well, but I wouldn't hesitate to use city water. I'm guessing that the minor amount of chlorine in city water would probably just keep the water sterile a little longer and not hurt a thing.

Moccasin, if there are hostas listed as being "reluctant seed producers" on the HOSTA LISTS website which really shouldn't be, let us know. We will see if those cultivars are fertile for other gardeners as well. My goal is to have the lists as comprehensive and accurate as possible, so I always appreciate input from others.

Judyann, my scapes are generally bare and have no leaves on them. If there is a small leaf, I would probably just pull it off, knowing that it would shrivel up and turn brown in a few days anyways.

As far as trying scapes that weren't putting all their energy in seed production, the only experience I have is when my wife cuts some off for a bouquet and brings them inside the house. Never saw any of them sprout roots, even on those that set around too long and should have been tossed out a week ago.

I've never tried willow water or wandering Jew water. I have some rooting and growth hormone products, but have never tried rooting hosta scapes with it. I just use it on established plants which are already rooted and growing in the garden.

I believe the tc process involves propagation through micro-division of apical buds on the crown, not the scapes, flowers or leaves. But it doesn't hurt to try anything.

so what are the roots going to pop out of.. my PWA ????

==>>> anyone???

ken

well, if all of us here try it ... and it works ... and they do pop out of your PWA ... then wow ... you gonna need a bigger boat.

Goodness knows ... plenty of fertilizer there

I know if you apply it to orchids, the roots pop right from the flower stalk ... air roots ... Works on AVs too ...

but then hosta are not epiphytes

I'm dubious, cuz it takes WEEKS, and I don't think you can keep a hosta flower stalk going that long ... but mebbe we are dinosaurs in a high tech world ...

I think your PWA is safe ... for now ...

a 2014 experiment looms, me thinks

ÃÂ.ÃÂ --~

dave *just to beLABOR day the topic*

Hostas root out of crown material. (meristem) Not from the stem (petiole) of a leaf or a flower stalk no matter how many leaves it has. Hostas are different that way. You must understand that this has been tried lots of times by people who are trying to multiply hostas commercially, and by tons of gardeners who make cuttings of everything to make "more of them" . IF it worked, they would be doing it in droves. I really don't understand the offense when a knowledgeable person (even tho he cannot locate his shift key) says no it won't work. If it is pointless to try, wouldn't you want to know ahead of time? If you want to try it anyway, just to see for yourself (which is what I usually do), just do it.

-Grumpy Babka

Can it be any more daunting than trying to grow 'Great Expectations'? : P

Guacamole Don

I can think of worse ways to waste a summer ...

I just think of the whole world. People are told "you can't do this. It won't work. Don't waste your time."

That's back in the square wheels, and triangle wheels days.

Never mind, that won't work.

Lets try round this time.

Sounds like a d@mn gov't politician to me.
" Oh, we know it will work, we just don't know what the final product will look like ... be assured ... we're here to help ..."

I don't think the light bulb worked the first few dozen times they tried.

Babka: I know. But my job as a "watchdog" necessitates I play devil's advocate .... now there's a hosta name for you ... hmmm

ÃÂ. ÃÂ --~

dave

'Devil's Advocate' would never work as a name for a hosta, Dave...you so silly!

Don B.