Joe Rebout's Complete Lawn Care and Snow Removal LLC

Do you have Hosta plant that you want to divide and spread around your yard? Dividing a Hosta takes some muscle but is relatively easy to do correctly with minimal damage to the root of the plant.

The first step it to determine when to divide your Hosta. For a spring division, either catch it very early in the springtime before any green shoots start to emerge or a few weeks after growth starts and the new leavers have had a chance to “harden off.” This refers to the leaves’ ability to withstand temperatures or any trauma that would kill off tender, young shoots. It’s suggested, though, to divide Hostas in the fall, around August, as this is the time for most active root growth in a Hosta. If you divide the Hosta too late in the spring or into the summer time, you can expect your plants to look wilted and “shocked” for a good portion of the season. They are very hearty plants, however, and probably will not actually die from being divided as long as you take care to minimize the damage.

Once you have decided its time to uproot your Hosta, get a spade and gardening fork. Start with the spade digging around the outside of the clump about 4-6 inches away from the edge of the plant so that you won’t damage the roots. Work your lump up out of the ground trying to minimize the overall damage to the Hosta using the fork and the spade. However, depending on the time of year, your soil, and the age of your Hosta this can prove to be a lot of work. The next step in dividing Hostas is to soak the lump for a bit to help remove the soil and loosen up the roots. Do not use anything warmer than room temperature water as this would result in shocking the plant.

Depending on the size of your Hosta you can probably get about 5-10 new Hosta clumps from your 3-8 year old Hosta. Each small growth on top is referred to as an “eye.” It’s a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule, to divide the clumps down to pieces with 3-5 eyes on it. Star by pulling at the Hosta clump naturally to break it on natural weaknesses in the plant. Once you have broken off what you can by your hand, use a large, sharp knife to cut up the large remaining pieces. Cut from the bottom and continue to use your hands to pull them apart. It’s important that you do not actually cut any of the eyes with the knife, only cut at the root ball underneath.

Finally, plant the Hostas so that they eyes barely peak out of the top of the soil, with the roots 1-2 inches deep. Then, water, water, water. This helps to settle the soil naturally around the plant while encouraging root growth. With a little practice and work you to can successfully divide a Hosta and spread your beautiful perennials around your yard.

This should be done every 3-5 years to prevent the crown in the center from dying off due to overcrowding. If you are out of places to plant your divided Hosta plants, you could give them away to your friends. Free plants are always appreciated.