The host's ornamental plant can incredibly decorate the garden. It is very loved by gardeners and landscape designers for lush foliage, as well as the low cost of material resources, time and physical effort to grow. Its leaves can be of different sizes, shapes and textures. Inflorescences are graceful, stand out over the lush mass of leaves. Their color varies from white to purple and dark blue. To fully reach its potential, the plant needs proper care, including periodic transplantations.
When to transplant to the host: in autumn or spring
The hosta is a typical perennial, the green part of it withers in the winter, and the plant survives thanks to a powerful rhizome containing nutrients and buds for the development of young shoots in the warm season.
Hosta in the garden
When a host is transplanted, it is determined by the variety of the plant and the decision of the gardener himself, because it can be done in spring, summer and autumn. The procedure is performed to rejuvenate the plant and give it new strength. In addition, the host grows rapidly, occupying too large areas and interfering with neighboring stands. Therefore, it needs periodic division of the rhizome.
Important! The preferred transplantation period is spring, and autumn is less favorable due to the lack of time for good survival in a new place. Autumn transplantation can be done only in the first decade of September, as rooting lasts 4-5 weeks.
Regardless of the calendar time, it is not recommended to transplant the plant at low ambient temperatures (below + 5 ° C).
Benefits of Spring Hosting:
- rapid growth of the plant begins;
- roots develop faster;
- adapting to a new place is almost painless;
- the soil has already warmed up, but still remains quite moist;
- if the transplantation of the hosts is not done in the best possible time, the leaves of the plant may become unhealthy, lose their brightness and elasticity.
Is it possible to transplant the host in the summer
Certain types of hosts, for example, Hosta sieboldiana and Hosta Tokudama, differ from other plants in that they first grow leaves and then develop a root system. When the host transplantation is better, the question is not - in the summer or in the fall.
Hosta sieboldiana
Other species can also be transplanted in the summer, but for them this will not be the best solution. In summer, the host blooms. Flowering is not an obstacle when transplanting. However, it should be remembered that the plant spends a lot of energy during the flowering period, and they may not be enough to root. Therefore, peduncles must be removed during the summer transplant procedure. They are cut directly on the dug host.
It is necessary to choose a non-hot cloudy day for transplantation in order to less injure the plant. Of the summer months, the end of August is the best time to start transplanting to the host, and July is the worst.
Blooming host
Is it possible to transplant the host in June
The beginning of June is not ideal, but a good time for transplanting hosts, especially if the spring was long and the snow came off late.
In various Russian regions, the existing environmental conditions and the many years of experience of gardeners determine when it is possible to transfer a host to another place in a particular region:
- In Siberia and the Urals, the summer is short and in the fall it quickly gets cold, so the hosta takes root well when transplanted in late May-early June, when the whole summer season is ahead to strengthen the plant;
- In the middle lane of the European part of the Russian Federation, including in the suburbs, gardeners prefer an autumn transplant.
When and how to seat and share to the host
One of the reasons a host is seated is because the root system is overgrown. It not only begins to occupy a large space, but also the decorative qualities of the plant are reduced. The second reason may be plant propagation, the creation of new landscape compositions.
Important! You can’t take up and share with the host 1-2 years after planting. For successful growth, the rhizome must be powerful enough. Young transplants take some time to adapt, only then their rapid growth begins.
Usually the plant reaches a peak of development in the fifth or sixth year. So, after 5 years, the time comes when it is already possible to seat the host.
Before transplanting to a host, you should responsibly approach the choice of the best place for it. These plants like shady or only partially lit areas. They are ideal for creating a lush cover under the trees.
Hosta under the tree
Direct light is best tolerated by varieties with light green foliage, but it is preferable to expose them to only the morning sun. Full shadow is almost never an obstacle to vegetative growth, although sometimes it can lead to loss of flowering.
Hosta is not particularly demanding on soils, but prefers a substrate rich in organic matter. Loamy soil is good for it, able to retain moisture, but without stagnation of water. Low places prone to flooding are not suitable for landing.
Important! If the soil is too heavy, it is recommended to add river sand to it, when it is very loose, then peat.
Transplant steps:
- The hosts scoop up an adult bush to a medium depth, trying to get under the root ball without damaging the roots;
- The plant is carefully pulled out. If a simple transplant is made, then the ground with the roots is only slightly shaken off. If necessary, divide and plant the bush, the roots are cleaned from the soil by washing in water to expose them;
- A new hole is prepared based on the size of the earthen coma. When dividing - approximately 0.4x0.4 m and 0.5 m deep. If several plants are planted, do not place the wells close to each other. Hosts need space for the root system to grow, taking into account the rare transplantation, it should be sufficient: at least 0.5 m for large-leaved plants, 0.3 m for miniature varieties;
- At the bottom of the pit is placed drainage material (small pebbles, brick chips, etc.) and a layer of sheet compost or peat;
- The roots are carefully inspected, damaged and dried out are removed. For disinfection for 10-15 minutes immersed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
- Then it is dried in the open air (at least 1.5 hours), after which the rhizome is divided into sections with a sharp knife, sprinkling cuts with wood ash. Each divided section should have well-developed roots and at least 2-3 leafy shoots or buds;
- Individual plants are placed in the center of the hole, covered with soil, slightly tamped. The root neck remains on the surface.
Division hosts
Important! Freshly planted plants are watered for a two-week period every day.
With an autumn transplant, you need to take care of the warming of young plants. They are covered with dry foliage or branches of fir trees, on the eve of the onset of cold weather the leaves can be cut, leaving only up to 15 cm of the stem.
Transplanted host
How to feed the host for growth
After transplanting in the fall, fertilizing the plant is not required, in the spring in the post-transplant period and further throughout the active period of the host, it needs regular feeding. This also applies to unplanted individuals.
To ensure health, which means preserving the beautiful appearance of the plant, you need to know how to feed the host, when and how to do it correctly and in what quantities to use fertilizer.
Mulching organic hosts
With the beginning of the growing season, at the end of April-May, when the plant is ready to wake up from winter dormancy and set off to growth, the host is supplied with complex fertilizers consisting of organic matter and mineral preparations.
As organic top dressing, leaf compost, various organic residues (seed husks, rotted tree bark, etc.) that are laid out under the bushes can be used. Mineral preparations should contain predominantly the nitrogen necessary for plants to build green mass.
Important! Processing with mineral fertilizers is carried out after irrigation or rain. They are dissolved in water and poured under the root, avoiding contact with the leaves.
When about two weeks pass after the first spring dressing, it can be done again.
If the plant is poorly developed, and there is a problem, than to feed the host for better growth, then the same mineral complexes are used, but they are introduced simultaneously in two ways:
- Loosening the soil under the bush, and granules are scattered there. Or they are bred and irrigated;
- With a solution of fertilizers such as Aquarin flower, Agrovitakva, etc., the aerial part of the hosts is sprayed.
Important! For varieties of hosts with blue and blue leaves, spraying can not be used because of a possible violation of the protective coating.
How to feed hosts in June
If organics need to be fertilized once in the spring and then again before wintering, then mineral complexes can be fed all of June and early July. The mode of their application is every 15 days, but not more than four times for the entire active period.
In August, but no later than its middle, the host is fed with phosphate-potash fertilizers necessary to create a supply of nutrients for the winter. It is enough to do this 1-2 times.
Important! When feeding hosts, moderation is important. This is especially true for the use of organic fertilizers and late dressing. Otherwise, she will spend all her strength on continued growth and will not tolerate winter.
Fertilizer for hosts
In the first or second year of the plant’s life, if a sufficient amount of organic matter was introduced during planting, the host does not need to additionally stimulate. The need for fertilizing is determined by the state of the plant. If it looks good and develops, it is recommended to completely refuse additional fertilizers. Weakened individuals need them.
Possible organic fertilizers:
- sheet compost;
- ground corn cobs;
- bone flour;
- rotted manure;
- dried needles of conifers.
Of the mineral fertilizers in granules, Bazakot and Osmokot are suitable.
Osmokot fertilizer
For late August feeding, diluted with water is used:
- superphosphate;
- kalimagnesia;
- potassium sulfate.
Good and self-made folk remedies, for example, infusion on ash, rich in potassium. Ash is obtained by collecting and burning cut branches and dry leaves in autumn. Then 0.3 kg of ash is placed in a bucket of water and incubated for several days. With this tool, water the soil under the leaves before wintering, sprinkling a thin layer of earth on top.
The host is a great addition to any garden, it fits well into various spaces. Cultivating it is easy, and if you follow the simple rules for caring for the plant, you can create a unique landscape on your site.
