Not volunteering for the job, but want to make a comment about too deep when planted or too deep when the soil settles.

Even with my pots, I have to be careful about the depth of the crown. I feel that I've done it right and then put the pot into the general garden. In my case, 99.44% of my hosta are in pots. So keep that in mind.

After a couple of weeks max, I try to check the crowns of the hosta. Usually when I'm out taking pictures, and deadheading so to speak. Tidying up the place, you know. If I see any that look too settled in, and the soil around is pretty deep, I know it needs a bit of TLC.

I take my finger and circle the eyes of the plant.......come to think of it, most of mine are not too too big like in-ground hosta of mature gardens, because most of mine were not here even TWO YEARS ago. They're all young, and it is easy for me to pull the mix back to see where the crown is located. I try to keep the dormant eyes covered for sure, and all the new roots I splash a bit of mix on to cover to keep from drying out, and I sort of yank the hosta by its pets to see if it is firm in the pot or too loose. If I notice a lot of wetness, I bring the container to my potting bench where I can give it close inspection and maybe check why it's draining poorly. Being planted too deep, and being too wet, that is a formula for southern blight or stem rot. So it is important to take quick action while you have the chance..

Sorry I cannot explain about proper planting depth in the ground and how you can tell with a mature hosta. Have not been there nor done that yet. :)

For me, in pots I need to barely see the crown, with perhaps 1/8 of anything (bark) sitting on top.

-Babka

It is often a very poorly done too deep planting job that knocks a good hosta plant back, and can eventually stunt or even kill it.

In potted hosta it is terrible planting procedure but common with current high speed potting machines and unskilled help.

If your hosta plant has any dirt up over emerging eyes or there is dirt all the way up on the growth stem, it is simply planted too deep.

How to tell?
Lift the plant out of the ground or pot (after loosening the soil and roots) and you will see a visual point in the stem which is just above the first crown or crowns. That should be at ground surface level.

Why I don't like mulch - just visited a garden that I installed for some one 10 years ago - this Spring a landscape service "with Knowledge about hosta " came in and spread 2-3 inches mulch directly on the very large mature plants. They are now "planted too deep"

Except for the 35+ inches of rain we have had here, those plants would be suffering more. With the rains they have grown vertically but next year will be a problem. I may walk away from the garden, it will be too much work to fix.

Many slow growing hosta are planted too deep. I have many plants that have their roots in the Spring jumping out of the ground but they can be covered with just a small amount of soil and do fine.

I often recommend lifting a stunted plant that is slow growing and give it some break-up energy ( Ken referred to it as a thrashing it on the sidewalk, but I used whatever rigid structure is around, to loosen the root ball). Then replant it knowing where the crown is, so it won't be too deep.

My big bed of the heavy blooming 'Aphrodite' does not like to be buried deep - won't bloom if it is, same as plantaginea.

Bruce

They're too deep if you have covered up that little 'sheath' that protects the pips as they emerge.

That should be visible.

I'm with Jan. I'm never sure if I have them right. Instructions are good, but does anyone have pictures?

The visual point in the stem, which is just above the first crown of crowns is greek to me.

Maybe if you assume that I have no idea what I am doing....which I don't.

Seriously, if anyone could show a picture of what to look for, I would be eternally grateful.

I just noticed that I should have planted hostas high when I added compost into the soil. After compost decays in the soil, then the hostas should be level with the soil. One hosta survived winter and spring being in a 1 inch depression in the soil - no crown rot.

Then there are hostas planted in spin out bags. I there also added compost, so the plants must be sinking in a year. Then I am not sure that if in spring the frozen remnant 1 inch above ground of the spin out bag will not collect water and lead to crown rot. Bernd

the easiest way to tell.. if it is planted too deep ... is to find a picture.. of a proper plant.. and look at your petioles ...

if the yours seem like a runt.. there simply isnt the right height proportion.. then you are favoring leeks ... with long buried stems ...

how about this... never said it this way before... the entire petiole should be green .. pull back you soil.. and if you have white stem ... you lose ... lift and replant.. so the whole stem is above ground...

all of a sudden.. your short runt.. 'looks' right.. proper height to width look ...

this is one of the reason to tour hosta gardens... all of a sudden you see one and say.. wow .. then look at the tag.. and sheepishly run home and dig yours up.. lol ...

ken

ps: noo... you throw it around the yard.. cussing... you scrape the roots on cement .... you do NOT throw it at cement.. try to keep up with these pearls of wisdom.. lol ...

Is it as simple as (for example in this photo), everything brown goes in the ground and everything else should be above? Bear in mind I'm really inexperienced. All the ones I have planted SO FAR have like a well defined horizontal area that I stick in the dirt and everything vertical I leave above the dirt.

Or like this one, the purple part I would leave above the ground and just put the rooty parts in the ground? Is that right?

ken that makes a little more sense to me. Looking for a white stem.

For those of us who are used to buying hosta in pots, this is a little difficult. I had my first order of bare root plants this year and I wasn't sure I was planting them at the correct depth.

I have a Wheee that I actually dug up and replanted after about a month because it was kind of sprawled out I planted it deeper and it looks a little better. I guess if it doesn't come back next spring, it was too deep.