this is a leap year for some of mine also! But I also lost a few.....time will tell when it stops raining and I can get out there and count!

Teresa

I,basically,don't count eyes,especially when there a lot of them,but this year,one of my Elegans hostas which had only one eye for years,came up with 2,before the freeze. Well,the freeze stressed it so much,it added 5 new eyes since April! Several other sieboldiana-type hostas are also adding new eyes. I guess something good will come of the spring freeze,after all! Phil

Stress, damage, moving all can lead to dormant eyes popping out. You may have heard of the stomp method of division, walk up and step in the middle of the plant, which causes dormant eyes to sprout? I understand how it works just never done it!

If you want divisions you can do the Zumberizing method, search there should be references. You probably will not have more leaf weight but you will have move eyes (divisions).

We are all SO connected! I just happened to be counting eyes today, too! The most - 98 on a five-year-old Sub & Substance. Also lots of 'fairy rings' - is that what melting out is? Should I stomp on them? They are the 18-year olds. I'm going to go look up Zumberizing. You better not be pulling our legs, EO. I fall for stuff real easy!

Westy

Had a long discussion about fairy rings with Schmid and he didnÂt offer a good horticultural explanation, I'm not sure anyone knows for sure, well I guess someone does but I've not found that person. They are found in many plants, I think someone told of huge fairy rings observed in other plants like a 100 yards or something. In any case I wondered if the soil in the center was used up so I put a large amount of mulch in the center of a couple of "fairy rings" last year and haven't looked yet. This soil being used up doesn't fit the other things I believe about the soil organisms carrying nutrients about everywhere so I donÂt expect eyes to jump up in the center.

I also feel that it could be the plant shades out the center.

Bill Zumbar showed me how to do it here at my place; I assure you it is a method. If you canÂt find it IÂll explain. I will tease but not actually mislead or if I do it will usually be so outrageous that youÂll know.