That's awesome! I simply move my seedlings forward, out of the dark. I do not pot up, mainly because I find it easier to take care of plants in the earth. Do you know, based on where they were growing who the likely pod parent is?

I have potted them up before to share. But when I do, I leave the potted plants near the mother plant for a while.

Small seedling do better with similar plants. Would consider temporary bed placement. I would not pot unless I must.

My experience.... let them be, they will survive. I find seedlings under my bigger hosta every season, have never moved one, all have done fine. I transplant when they have good size.

Sherry

Well the pod parent is probably the mature seedling that I have currently posted on another thread (moving a mature seedling). I found a couple right under it and then the others a few feet away. Only thing is my mature seedling is lutescent, but I think the yellow seedlings are viridescent. Hmmm. Makes sense to move them from under the hosta. They'll grow better in more light. I agree that it might be easier to take care of them in the soil rather than in a pot ConnieMay. I have too many pots as it is!

I won't have to pot them up to share popmama! There's only five of them and I probably will lose some (or maybe all?) during the winter. Actually I've forgotten that there are maybe three more seedlings under my Elegans.

Keeping similar plants together is a good idea lindalana. I will try to do that.

Glad to hear you've had success just leaving them where they are Sherry. But since I have to move my mature seedling, then the two right under it are going to have to be taken out. I am going to place a couple of smaller hosta in that spot and I think I there will be room to plant all the seedlings there too.

why not put a big marker stick in there.. and just leave them there until next spring???

ken

NHL, the tiny seedlings (the larger ones) are doing well by the looks of it...as they first germinate with one leaf ... so yours have evidently come up more than one year and survived the winters, increasing their chances of survival this winter. I like your idea to replant them in same location with your planned smaller hosta. It would be ideal not to disturb them at all (as Ken suggested) but I get it that you want to remove as much of the large seedling's rootball as possible and adjacent seedlings will get disturbed anyway.

Jo, you're saying that these seedlings were there last year? Best to not disturb them at all? Hmmmm. Well, it's looking like I may not be able to move my mature seedling this year so I can leave all the little seedlings in their place and see what happens next year. It's just happens to be an area that gets midday sun. I would have to keep an eye out for them in March and April and make sure the area doesn't get too dry. They are in a raised bed.

Just picked up some popsicle sticks at the dollar store. I think they will make great markers Ken!

I have first year seedlings that look like yours at this point in the season newhostalady...I'm not convinced that they have seen a winter yet.

I know what you mean ConnieMay. They must have sprouted this spring.

Now you have me curious to learn more, Connie May and NHL. I read (wish I could remember article) somewhere in the Hosta Library a few years ago that a new hosta seedling emerges with only one leaf - which makes it distinct from other perennials...which have two. There was also a brief discussion about this in a thread but my search (prior to Houzz) has produced nothing so far.

This is indeed what has happened in my garden a couple of years ago. I stopped being so diligent about removing tiny weeds, lol when I realized I could have been removing tiny hosta seedlings as well. Ever since then, subsequent seedlings have been germinating each year - but I have yet to find one with more than one leaf. I leave them to grow on when I first discover them as they barely take up any room and have only transplanted them when they had more than a couple of leaves.

Both your comments have made me more interested in observing the growth pattern of hosta seedlings in my garden. Unfortunately, the only seedlings I have so far are from a small plant, Ginko Craig....but I am leaving some ripe pods behind of several other fertile hostas in the hope of discovering some new seedling varieties! :-)

They do come up initially with one leaf, but during the season more leaves follow.

It is interesting that hosta emerge with only one leaf. I never heard of that Jo.

I did notice a seedling from Blue Cadet last year. I left it and it disappeared. I think it lacked moisture from too much sun exposure. I used to cut off the flower stalks, but now I leave most of them for the bees. The pods in the garden are left intact as markers and perhaps food for the birds.

OK Ken, I'll leave the seedlings be. They do look rather fragile. So if they are still there next year, I pot in spring 2018 and plant it in the garden in the fall.