Bummer....Can you post a photo of KR in its current surroundings?

If it's only 6 inches tall, I'd go ahead and dig it up now instead of waiting. Later, you'll have a greater chance of ground heave from frost. I had that happen to Alex Summers; turned out it had sunk too deep.

I agree with Eleven. Check it out ASAP.

Cheers,
Don B.

I have a 'Blue Umbrellas' like that and found it with tree roots. I would dig that KR up, look if you can see anything on the roots, then pot it up. I have two other hostas which are shrinking, have there no tree root competition, no voles, were watered OK, got perhaps a little weed killer drifted in. Or perhaps there is a virus or fungus in the soil? Bernd

I have been whining about my Black Hills for months. Same thing. Old plant, probably 15+ years. Just shrunk. No roots. I moved it, but time will tell. I have no idea.

I also lost a Blue Umbrella this year. Two old plants that were huge, and just shrunk away.

The only way to tell is to check the roots. My guess would be vole attack, but you won't know until you dig it. Get the shovel.

Steve

Agreed, vole attack sounds like a good possibility. Like Steve said, 'Get the shovel'...And if you see a vole, kill it with the shovel. : )

Don B.

I never thought about them sinking too deeply, but I do mulch every year, so it could certainly happen. I lost 16 hosta over the winter and many more have shrunken. I'm getting the shovel right now. Thanks to you all. I'm afraid I've been neglectful this year, and now I'm paying the price.

Awwww.... and here I thought I'd get to see a pic ... Love them pics!
Hey, Guacamole Don, that's a handsome feller, your little "bad boy" ...hilarious.

Jamie, I've never been able to just leave a hosta alone so have no experience with very mature hosta beyond say 5 years. Do you, or anyone think that some hosta just need a division boost every so many years?

I have seen a 35 yr. sieboldiana Elegans once and it was a magnificent specimen...when I asked the owner if she had ever split it, she looked startled and said no, that she would never disturb it.

I've often wondered if some just get sluggish after so many years....

Jo, thats a good question. I have heard a lot of people say they don't need to be divided, but who knows, maybe some do better when you move them or split them. This year has been hard on several of my large plants, but the drought last year could be a factor too. Its not roots or voles.

I have two huge ones left that have never been touched. Sagae and Nigrescens. They still seem happy. I do know that my September Sun has been divided several times and they are all huge. If I didn't know, I wouldn't be able to tell the original plant from the divisions. Obviously that particular plant wasn't harmed by it. Who knows if it would have shrunk too if it had been left alone.

My Black Hills just bugs me. It was such a nice plant.

My fwiw 2é worth:

First , KR is one of the toughest old Hosta I knows of, so if it's shrinking, *dig it up*, right now. Like others already surmised, my bet is voles. Like so many things, they have cyclic peaks, and this past winter was our second experience with that. Unless you have cool cats like ours, you may never know until it's too late. I knew it was going to be a bad year when the cats started bringing their voles catch to show us last fall (they like to show off and brag) -I have a short video of one of our vole Patrol cats playing with one in the snow just outside my porch in the snow bank in the middle of last winter.

Sure 'nuff, this spring several formally big healthy plants were badly stunted. I'm most upset about H. 'Dorothy' and H. 'Cowry', and it looks like Dorothy won't make it, next spring will tell.

Whoa, /whineoff , when u dig it out you will often find no tree or other plant root choking it, but instead a rhizome with commensurately inappropriately small amount of roots. *AHAH* - that's zactly what them bugger voles eat!

Then again, if you *dig* it out with a shovel, if it is fairly big, anyway, you just cut offa whole bunches of dem roots, so git yorsef wonna theese here spud forks so-as to be able to tease thru the roots stead 'o cuttin em,

y'all heah, now?

hh

Well here it is. The main root seems to have been destroyed, and all these little roots have been struggling to feed the plant. They seem appropriate for the size of the foliage. Wouldn't voles have left tunnels that would be obvious when you dig up the plant? Could it be some kind of cut worm? I dug up several varieties that had dwindled this year, and all of them showed the same loss of the root system. Is there anything I can do for them. Any type of repellant? I replanted them all and watered them well, but I guess only next year will tell if they make it.

Another great point made earlier is about 'sinking' plants (this forum is good)!

Whilst I can c this happening, especially with a new planting, there's an anologous occurance, alluded to earlier, ummmm, what's a good name . . .

Awwwww, nevermind, there r so many creative folk here, I'm sure @ least one will name it better...

For now, I'm referring to mulch buildup , the plant doesn't have to sink if it's surroundings rise.

Our pine trees have smothered Hostas, et. al., with enough needles that over years left the rhizome so covered that it was strangled, airless, and just plain *rotted*.

Like the baby bib sez, 'spit happens'

hh

My 2 cents? It looks like some rot was going on and the roots that are there grew for survival. I say mix up some local dirt, potting soil, pea gravel, get some alfalfa meal and greensand to mix in, add a little 10-10-10 slow release to feed the roots that are there till winter, put it in a pot with pea gravel lining the bottom and keep it watered for the rest of this season.

That's the mix I have been using and I dug up a Patriot this weekend and there was an earthworm hanging out in the roots and the way I see it is that if the worms like the soil, so will my hostas.

But that's just me.

That looks like voles ate a good portion of the crown of the plant. Lucky you still have some left. You can try a repellant. Castor Oil is said to work well. There's a video on NH Hosta's site about using it. You can also try traps or planting inside a wire basket.

or use a hardware wire collar around the plant if you want a larger area of protection.

Steve

ss71 - I'm with u n ur worms!

hh

ss71 - I'm with u n ur worms!

hh