How soon can a hosta be split? - Sum and Substance

[jerryshenk]

We planted a Sum and Substance Hosta a few months ago and my wife was wondering about splitting it. It's probably doubled in size since it was planted. I originally said something about waiting a couple years but, it does have three scapes (I think that's the right word). Is this thing big enough to split?

1 - Sum and Substance - dollar for size comparison

DSC_20110814_190528 by jerryshenk, on Flickr

2 - Sum and Substance - close-up of roots

DSC_20110814_190640 by jerryshenk, on Flickr

[ogrefcf]

You can split/divide when ever you want. Most recommend Spring when the pips are poking through or in the fall so it's not to hot, but the roots still have time to get settled in. And scapes is correct. How come ya want to split it? On the giant hostas splitting sets them back as well as digging them up.

[jerryshenk]

We want more Sum and Substance hosta. We have a fairly large yard and this one is in one particular garden. My wife has visions of a "hosta garden" along a bank by our driveway. The bank faces east and is in the shade most of the time...the sun gets through various places at various times so it's not a dark shade but we think it's a place where hosta will do well. We'd like to have a variety of hosta in that section and a Sum and Substance would just work well there.

[ogrefcf]

Sounds like a great area! I guess I'm just inpatient lol. I would leave the bigger S&S and let it grow if it's doing well and buy other for the new area.

[redcrx]

Just a point of interest - when Sum and Substance is "happy" the big leaves you are seeing will be a lot bigger. It's better to leave that plant and buy more. It's doing well and, as others have mentioned, tearing it up would set it back.

[Tigger]

I agree with Ed. Take advantage of end-of-season sales and buy more. Surely Groff's still has them. Be sure to check (easier this time of year) that the plants show no virus symptoms. If you see even one suspect dark green spot, pass the whole batch by. (The HVX forum should have several pics of infected S&S.)

[jerryshenk]

Never heard of Groff's before. Looks like it's about 40 minutes away. Might end up heading down there - thanks.

[redcrx]

Hi Jerry, are you in the south Jersey area? I saw Tigger mentioned Groff's nursery.

[jerryshenk]

I'm in Lancaster, PA. There is a "Groff's Plant Farm" in Kirkwood - I never heard of them before but, that's no big suprise...I'm new to this whole game.

[jerryshenk]

How long does it take for a hosta to mature? I suppose that varies quite a bit. Right along with that, how often should you split hosta plants?

I've also seen conflicting information about how to split them: 1 - I guess the two main options are manually spearate them down to bare roots and 2 - just stick a shovel in the clump and split it in two. I've done #2 a few times for some royal standard (I think - haven't actually counted veins, etc.) and undalata that we have. That seemed to work ok but going forward, I wonder if being a little more precise with the splitting would produce better results.

[Chris_W]

Maturity varies greatly from plant to plant. I'd say 10 years on a Sum and Substance, 20 years on Elegans or Tokudama Aureonebulosa, 5 years on the fast growers like Undulata, Royal Standard, etc.

How often should you split them? There is nothing about a hosta that requires division. Split as needed to propagate, but other than that there isn't any real necessity to split a plant so long as it is growing good. Sometimes if the crown gets exposed you will get fairy ring and that can be remedied by dividing and replanting or cutting out the center and filling it with good soil. My oldest plants are getting close to 15 years and I've never divided the big ones.

About your Sum and Substance, that plant is big enough to split if you really wanted, and since it was just planted this year I don't think you would be setting it back too much more by doing it now, and you still have plenty of time for the splits to root out before frost. I go with lifting, rinsing, and carefully cutting plants apart, but I'm also going for maximum splits when I divide as I'm propagating them for later sale. You can use the shovel chopping method on the really fast growing plants but I wouldn't do that with the slower ones or the important ones.

[Tigger]

(A lot of this is redundant with Chris's post, which he got in while I was typing this. Great minds and all that... )

In my experience, hostas rarely need to be divided, and will tell you when they do need it. The monster 'Sagae' in our garden has been moved a few times but not split since we bought it in 1993. At this point, it's both a matter of principle and practicality (how does one dig up a clump where the crown is over 2 feet across?). We split a huge 'Love Pat' this year that was almost as old. That said, you'll probably want to divide your hostas every 3-5 years to keep the garden looking the way you designed it, assuming things are growing reasonably well. For border plants, every 3 years may be necessary; for specimen plants—unless they're really rapid growers—5 years might be right. I know of gardeners (like my mother!) who is so keen on sharing plants around her and others' gardens that she'll split them every year or so. All fine if you want rapid increase to fill a lot of space as long as you recognize that it will be 3–5 years before the garden looks like much.

One side note: if you're maintaining an unstable streaked plant for breeding (or because you like the look), more frequent dividing may be advised to ensure that you're culling any stable eyes.

As to how to go about it, the shovel (or machete) will work best for larger plants, recognizing that it you will inevitably lose an eye or two or six. If each eye is really valuable, it would be worth the trouble to lift the plant, hose off the roots to essentially bare-root it, then go at it surgically to damage as few eyes and roots as possible.

David

[redcrx]

Here is a 3 year old and they get bigger.

[scootersbear]

This hosta is ment to be huge, think about this before you do this. If you have caught the hosta bug you will regret doing this when you take a shovel out in a few years because you already have this one and want to make more room. That S&S is tiny compaired to what it will be in a few years

[jerryshenk]

I think we'll just leave it be...leave it get bigger and just buy another one....actually, we were measuring and planning this evening...we're shooting to add about 10 plants in the next month or so.

[Mark Raw]

Good luck with S&S its one I tried a few times and didnt seem to do well for me others have them and they are massive. I would be tempted not to split for a few years but if it does well for you it will get HUGE consider splitting it then. My biggest this year has been Guacamole and going at its present rate could soon be eating the house !!! very impresiive plant, from a single crown to 5 in as many months. Good luck with S&S