How to Divide an Expensive Hosta Into Multiple Hostas

I decided to stop by at a local nursery to see if they had empty wire hanging baskets.  They did and they were on sale. So I thought "what the heck, I've just saved 25% so let's go and look at the hostas.  Maybe I can save some more money."

 Nothing was really grabbing me.  Most of the hostas were ones I already owned.  The few new ones that I saw were lackluster until I saw this....

...Cool as a Cucumber.  How cool is that?  Oh and it is 50% off.  It's like they are giving them away.  

So I went in for a closer look.  It's vase shaped.  That is always a plus because you can tuck a smaller low growing hosta under the taller hosta for a layered look.

 A closer look at the leaves and we can see several shades of green.  Almost a grass green with a nice splash of creamy white in the center.  Sold!!!!

 But before I grab one and had for the cash register, I need to look closer and see if I can find one that has 5 or 6 divisions so I can extend my savings even more.  Found one and this looks like I can get 5 or 6 new plants from this one pot.

Let's do some figuring.  The original cost was $19.99.  If I paid that much for a single hosta then my hosta beds would be pretty bare.  But this hosta was on sale for half off so it was only 10 bucks.  That's better but I think we can do even better.  I was able to divide this hosta into 6 plants so the individual per plant cost is $1.67!!!

Onto the dividing.  Fill a bucket with about 6 inches of water and and a little fish fertilizer.  I like the Alaska brand.  You can buy it at Walmart and Tractor Supply.  It smells like fish but a little goes a long way.  Sit your bucket in the sun for 30 minutes or so.  I don't like to just drop my hosta plant into freezing water (we have well water) so I sit it in the sun just long enough to make it tepid. 

 I then de pot the hosta and sit it into the water+fertilizer and let it sit in the shade.  Every so often I swish the root ball around to help the soil fall off the roots.  You will not get all the dirt off of a plant this size and that is OK.  Removing some of the soil helps with the cutting and allows you to see more clearly the space between the divisions.

 Go dig your holes while the plant is sitting in the water.  The location I chose was around the base of one of my large walnut trees.  I spaced the holes about 2 feet apart and ended with 6 holes.  So my goal is to divide this plant into 6 smaller plants. 

 You will need a disposable utility knife like the one in the photo above.  The narrow blade works better than the fat blade but that will work, too.  Extend the blade all the way out and lock in place.

 Before I forget.....DO YOUR CUTTING IN THE SHADE.  I couldn't get my camera to work in the shade so it is one of those do as I say and not as I do scenarios.  Start by gently trying to pull the roots apart by hand.  That helps to keep from needlessly cutting off roots.  The goal is to keep as many roots attached as possible. The first cut is to basically cut the root ball into 2 pieces.  Depending on the plant, this might be 3 divisions on each piece or even 4 and 2.  It all depends on how the plant has grown.  Once you have two pieces put one of the pieces in the water while you work on the second piece. 

 The photo above shows the two halves.   Using the long thin blade allows for cutting in between the divisions with relative ease, especially if it is a brand new knife.  As you cut off a division make sure to put it into the water.  It is important to keep the roots moist.  

In less than 10 minutes I went from one large plant to 6 plants.  After planting the newly liberated hosta division I thoroughly watered them with the water/fertilizer from the bucket.  They have been in the ground for 2 days now and none are drooping and all looks good.

Hostas are hardy plants but using my method helps to eliminate some of the risk of dividing a large potted hosta.

I didn't just save 25% on the empty wire hanging basket with liner and 50% on the hosta plant.  I used my rewards cards to earn cash towards a future purchase in the fall and I also used my credit card to earn points towards cash.  

Reward cards are an easy way of earning cash back from the stores that you frequent.  Today I used a $10 reward sent to me from Ace Hardware and I also got a $1.00 off my drink at Panera by using my Panera rewards card.

I punch holes in the corner of my reward cards and place them on a key ring so I have them handy and ready to use when I need them at the checkout.  

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The First Hosta Purchase of the Year

I had not intended to buy any hostas today because I was at the garden shop to buy geraniums.  We were on our way to the cash register when my eye caught what looked like hostas in the next greenhouse and the hunt for a new hosta was on.

I have over 300 different varieties of hostas in my garden so I am happy to find just one that I don't already own.  I walked along the first row saying "Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it." I'm thinking "bummer" as I started down the next row.  I am about 5 plants from the end of the last row when I scored gold and that gold would be in the form of Saint Elmo's Fire. 

Then I scored again with Fragrant Blue.  I already have 3 or 4 from the Fragrant line and they have everything that I like to see in a hosta.  The flowers are white and fragrant and they have thick leaves.  But this one is different in that it falls into the 'small' size category where as all my other Fragrant line hostas are tall and fall into the medium/large to large size category.  

Hostas come in all sizes.  From smallest to largest is miniature, dwarf, small, medium, large, extra large, and giant.  The smallest hosta that I have in my garden is Pandora's Box and the largest is the giant size Empress Wu.  

Buying hostas that stay small and short is what allows you to layer your hostas.  There is nothing more striking than to have a tall blue hosta with a small short yellow hosta just ever so slightly tucked underneath the taller blue hosta.  This combo will make the blue appear bluer and the yellow will pop even in deep shade. 

 I was so excited about finding these two that I forgot to put a 3rd hosta in my cart.  So tomorrow I will head back and buy 'Barbara Ann'. 

Just in case you haven't read any of my other posts on hostas and want to catch up, just type in HOSTA in the search bar at the top on the right side.

I snapped a couple of photos to show you which hosta to buy when you have the option to choose between two of the same hostas.

In the photo above of the hosta 'Barbara Ann', you can see that there is just one stem.  There is nothing wrong with buying a single stem plant BUT if you can find a multi stemmed plant like the one below,  you then can divide the plant before you put it in the ground.  I wrote a detailed post on how to divide hostas several years ago so if you need info on how to divide, you can find that by using the search bar on this blog.

Why divide before you plant?  I think the number 1 reason is that it is far easier to divide a small plant then it is to dig up a large, heavy plant and try to divide it without damaging the plant.  Hostas are hardy plants and can take a lot of abuse.  But my back can't handle the abuse of lifting a heavy plant out of the ground and then try and divide that plant into multiple plants.  

The number 2 reason to divide a plant before you put it in the ground is that it lowers your per plant cost.  If you buy a plant for $19.99 and you can divide it into 4 plants then the cost per plant went from $19.99 to 5 bucks per plant.

The hostas today cost $8.98 each and had I been able to find one with two stems, it would have lowered my per plant cost to $4.48 each.

My cousin Judy is responsible for my hosta addiction and until I saw all of her different hostas, I thought all hostas were green.  How little did I know back then that hostas could be green, blue, yellow, and white and any combination of those colors, even within one leaf.

If after reading my posts on hostas and you find yourself with a hosta addiction, don't blame me.  Blame my cousin Judy.

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Dividing Potted Hosta Plants

Now is a perfect time to buy and plant hostas.  Recently, I purchased 4 potted hosta plants from my local nursery for 60% off.  I was able to increase my savings by dividing the plants before putting them into the ground.

When choosing which plant to purchase, first pick the variety then look for a plant that has multiple divisions.  The plant in the above photo has 2 divisions.  Remember that plants at this time of the year don't always look their best.  If the leaves are ripped, torn, or sunburnt on the edges don't worry as long as the plant itself is healthy.

I purchased this plant for 60% off the regular price of  $17.99 which is $7.20.   I can get two plants from that one potted plant so my final per plant price is $3.60.  That price is below the normal 4 inch potted hosta price of $4.99 for a common hosta.   

To divide hostas, first remove the plant from the pot and look for a gap between the divisions.  This particular plant has a 1 inch gap and it is at this place that I will divide the plant.

 I like to use a plastic utility knife that has a blade that can be extended roughly to 4 inches.  It is also important that the knife is very sharp because you want to slice through the roots and not smash or tear them.

If your knife is very sharp it will take about 10 seconds.  I cut through one side and then the other side because this was a 6 inch pot and a 4 inch blade.  It can be tempting to just cut one side, than use your hands to pull the remaining roots apart but that method can frequently lead to damage.  You want to leave as many intact roots as possible, so fight that urge.

In the spring you will be rewarded with a  rarer and larger sized hosta for less money than the starter hostas sold at the big box garden centers.

Here is another post that I wrote about dividing hostas that involved a different method and when I have the time this is the method that I prefer to use. 
Dividing Hostas and Getting More for Your $$$$

Materials needed
Healthy potted hosta plants
Plastic disposable utility knife
Bucket of water

FYI this same method can be used to divide day lilies.

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