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Even a novice gardener can propagate hostas on his or her own plot. The easiest way to achieve this goal is by dividing an adult bush or cutting. The “Queen of Shadow” is unpretentious, tolerates these procedures quite easily and usually takes root well in a new place. A more troublesome and time-consuming way to propagate hosta is to grow it from seeds. In nurseries specializing in these plants, methods of artificially obtaining them “in vitro” are popular: from a bud (microclonal) or from educational tissue cells (meristemal). To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each of these hosta propagation methods, it is worth studying their features in more detail.
How does a hosta reproduce?
The choice of hosta propagation method largely depends on its characteristics. In particular, you should take into account:
- whether this is a species plant or a bred variety;
- does the bush grow quickly or slowly;
- whether its leaves are large or small.
When choosing a hosta propagation method, it is necessary to take into account the features characterizing a particular variety or species
Hosta, like most herbaceous perennials, can be propagated by:
- seeds;
- vegetatively.
In the first case, seeds collected at the end of summer or early autumn are sown in containers to obtain seedlings. After the first leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in separate pots and continue to grow indoors, creating and controlling favorable conditions for them. Transplantation into the ground into a seedling bed is usually carried out in the second year and only in the 3-4th year is it transferred to a permanent place.
This method is most often used for growing slow-growing hosta species (for example, Tokudama). As for hybrid plants, not all of them can set seeds easily. In addition, the likelihood that the seedlings will retain and display all the characteristics of the variety is extremely low.
Slow-growing hosta species are usually propagated by seeds
Most often, propagation of varietal hostas is carried out vegetatively - growing them from viable organs separated from the mother plant. This is done by:
- dividing the bush;
- rooting cuttings (young shoots with roots);
- propagation by leaves;
- obtaining plants “invitro” or “in vitro” (microclonal and meristem methods).
The most popular method of propagating hostas is dividing the bush. It is usually used for mature plants aged 5-6 years, while simultaneously rejuvenating them. The optimal period for division is spring and early summer. However, propagation in this way of some types of hosta (Siebold, Tokudama) is allowed only in the fall, since their root system develops only after the leaves open.The bush along with its rhizome is dug out of the ground, washed with water, inspected for damage and removed, then cut at the base and the sections are planted in new places. Slow-growing hostas are best divided in half, while fast-growing hostas can be cut into 3-4 smaller pieces.
Dividing the bush allows you to propagate and rejuvenate an adult hosta
How to propagate hosta from cuttings
Another method of propagating hostas, often practiced by gardeners, is rooting cuttings. A step-by-step description and photos will help you imagine all the intricacies of this procedure, the essence of which is growing a new plant from a shoot with a part of the rhizome separated from the mother specimen. At the same time, as a result of dividing the bush, the young hosta retains all the characteristics inherent in the variety. However, in this case it is not necessary to dig up the bush of the mother plant.
Propagating a hosta by cuttings is no more difficult than dividing a bush, but you do not need to dig it up
Recommended timing
It is recommended to propagate hostas by cuttings:
- in mid-spring;
- in summer, at the end of June and beginning of July.
It usually takes 3-4 weeks for the shoot to take root.
Cutting and preparing cuttings
Both adult and young hosta bushes can be propagated in this way. The cuttings should be prepared immediately before rooting.
To do this you need:
- carefully separate the shoot with a young leaf rosette and a piece of rhizome (the so-called “heel”) from the bush;
- cut off 1/3-1/2 of the upper part of the leaves from the cutting, which will promote better rooting and reduce moisture evaporation.
Planting hosta cuttings in the ground
The resulting cuttings can be planted in open ground or in a container. It is important that the soil for the hosta is nutritious, light, and well-permeable to air and water. When planting in containers, you need to choose a container with holes in the bottom for good drainage.
Next you should do this:
- plant the cuttings to a depth of about 5 cm, sprinkle with soil and gently compact it;
- the place should be in the shade or with artificial shading;
- the cuttings should be well watered;
- then cover its above-ground part with a glass or plastic cap, creating a “greenhouse”.
The first couple of days after planting in the ground, the cuttings will hurt and wither, the remnants of the stems will fall limply to the ground. This is a natural process, and after some time they will begin to come to life. It is important to provide them with proper care: water the soil as it dries and leave it uncovered for 1-2 hours a day.
How to propagate hosta leaves
The possibility of propagating hostas by leaves is also noted, but this method is rarely practiced, since it rarely leads to the desired result. For these purposes, it is recommended to cut off a large healthy leaf at the base of the stem, hold it in the Kornevin solution, then plant it in a pot with a peat substrate and place it in a “greenhouse” environment.
There are several reviews from gardeners who claim that they have successfully propagated hostas in this way. However, as a rule, the leaf does not take root and dies.
Planting care
Caring for seedlings, divisions or cuttings planted in open ground is not difficult. It can be boiled down to these main points:
- Regular watering is carried out as the soil dries out, approximately once every 3 days. It is advisable to use settled water at room temperature. It is important that drops do not fall on the leaves.
- After watering or rain, the soil under the bushes is carefully loosened or mulched.
- The host is fed three times per season: in the spring, during the flowering period and after it ends. Organic formulations should be alternated with mineral ones.
- Pruning can be done once a year, with the onset of spring. Last year's foliage should be removed from the bush, damaged areas should be cut off, and damaged areas should be treated with a fungicide.
- Before the onset of winter cold, the soil at the roots should be mulched with peat or sawdust. If severe frosts are expected, you can additionally cover the plants with “breathable” material: spruce branches, agrofibre.
Proper care of the hosta after planting is the key to its health and decorative appearance.
What other ways are there to propagate hostas?
The most modern vegetative propagation method of hosta is considered to be “invitro”, or “in vitro”. It is popular in nurseries that specialize in supplying large quantities of varietal planting material to the market.
Hosta propagation using the “invitro” method is performed in two ways:
- Microcloning. In this case, a bud or shoot is separated from the mother plant, placed in an artificial environment and an optimal regime of humidity, temperature and light is created. The young plant develops under these conditions for a couple of weeks, after which it can be cloned again by separating the buds and cuttings and growing them in separate “test tubes”.However, if, unfortunately, the mother host was a carrier of the virus, all descendants will also be infected.
- Meristem reproduction. It is used when it is necessary to improve the health of a mother plant affected by dangerous infections. It involves the release of meristem tissue cells located in the kidneys from the host. New plants are grown from them in an artificial environment. They are carefully checked for the presence of infection, those infected with viruses are rejected, and healthy ones are subjected to further cloning.
Thus, hundreds of thousands of plant specimens can be obtained from one organ. However, it does not always turn out that clones retain all the varietal characteristics of the mother host. Components of the artificial environment in which they are grown can cause changes in cells that are inherited. Sometimes clones are so different from the parent plant that they are given the status of a new variety (an example is the hosta "June" - the result of microcloning of the variety "Halcyon"). This property is well known to breeders and is often used by them.
“Invitro” propagation allows you to quickly obtain a large amount of planting material from one plant organ
When buying a hosta that has been propagated “invitro”, it is advisable to make sure that its root system is closed and its leaves are fully expanded. The latter will help determine whether it really corresponds to the declared variety.
Conclusion
Hosta can be propagated in several ways, depending on the conditions and tasks set by gardeners, the type and variety of the plant, as well as its inherent characteristics. Reproduction of species of slow-growing hostas is most often carried out by seeds, while in other cases the most common methods are dividing the bush and cuttings. Occasionally they resort to rooting a leaf, but most often it fails. In industrial floriculture today, they use the method of growing hostas “in vitro”, performing microcloning or obtaining new plants from cells of meristem tissue.
