Long Division

8 years ago

Why Long Division ?

As I posted on another thread some of my plants in 50litre pots had been in them for a few years now and it was time for some fresh media.

War Paint was up first for the work.

On tipping out it was solid with roots. I worked as much out with my fingers as possible. Then it was time for the hose and to try to wash out the rest.

It's a good thing my water comes from a spring, if I was on a meter I'd be taking out a mortgage!

Finally it was done

It was too big to go back in the same pot. Anything bigger would be unmanageable.

Using a sharp knife dipped in a dilute bleach solution I started taking a few single divisions from around the sides.

As I was prodding around in it I felt a soft area in the middle of the plant.

My finger went straight into it.

I cut the whole thing in half.

If you look closely you can see a grey area in the middle. It was all mush. Crown Rot!

So much for keeping it all together.

After a lot of searching, washing, cutting and more washing I had removed it all.

I was left with one large piece and 15 more of various sizes.

Those that had been anywhere near the rotted parts were given a soak in the bleach solution as a precaution,

Why Long Division ?

After three hours I had them all potted up and everything cleared away.

If the others all take as long it will be June before I'm done !

Dave

Featured Answer

nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis

8 years ago

Dave..I don't know all of the hosta terminology..is crown rot the same as fairy ring?..or does crown rot cause a fairy ring?..just wondering was War Paint dying out in the center or did it look normal last year?..I read that until a hosta "splits in the middle" you don't need to divide it unless you'd like more plants..true?..my hostas are in the ground with room to spread so I haven't divided very many..post pics of the divisions when they leaf out!..it amazes me that you can take care of so many hostas :-)

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Comments (8)

Karin Black Cat
8 years ago
How many big pots do you want to divide? That really seemed to be hart work! But good that you were able to remove the rotten part and some decent divisions were left :-)
Tiddisolo Wales UK thanked Karin Black Cat
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
8 years ago
Fantastic thread of how to repot and divide your hosta! Thank you so much for sharing this experience with us! War Paint is a beautiful hosta. I do remember seeing your pictures of it. (I would love to see a photo of it this spring in all its glory.) I bet War Paint will be thanking you for refreshing the media and eliminating that root rot. How many shoots did you end up with for the larger division?

I wasn't sure how big a 50 litre pot was so I had to look it up. It is said to be 16 to 18 inches in diameter. And that is the size of pot that becomes heavy and more difficult to manage.

"If the others all take as long it will be June before I'm done!" Repotting can be time consuming! It is at that point that I wish I could grow more hosta in the ground!

Thanks Dave!
Tiddisolo Wales UK thanked newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
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StevePA6a
8 years ago
Gotta give you a hand for your effort Dave.

Just wondering if War Paint is going to turn out to be one of those "problem" hostas. I was poking around at mine, which is in the ground, a couple weeks ago, pretty sure it's a gonner to crown rot. I won't miss it too much as long as Angel Falls doesn't do the same. Hoping AF gives a better, longer lasting look in the garden.
Tiddisolo Wales UK thanked StevePA6a
Tiddisolo Wales UK
Original Author
8 years ago
Steve, I've never thought of it as a problem and it's been happily growing for me for the last 8 or 9 years.

I'm inclined to think that perhaps some older parts of the crown naturally rot away over time . Certainly the crown showed no signs of distress and I only found one or two roots that were rotting.

Who knows maybe it was pure luck that I found it before it became a problem.

Anyway now I've got more than I know what to do with and at least one will end up planted in the new bed I've been creating,

Dave
DTeager
8 years ago
Nicholsworth, "fairy ring" and "crown rot" are very different things. The former is when a hosta basically strangles itself in the center, leaving a core of hard, (mostly) dead crown that may even, in time, decay to leave a true donut of hosta. Crown rot is a disease that usually appears in spring, when the crown gets mushy (and smelly). The hosta might die completely if you don't promptly clean away any infected tissue and disinfect with diluted bleach or other disinfectant (like Bayer 3-in-1).

I probably should add these terms to the www.delvahosta.org lingo and/or FAQ page.
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
8 years ago
DTeager..thanks for the info..I haven't noticed either problem in my garden..I have ordinary reliable hostas and so far so good..thanks to the hosta forum I avoid the ones that are fussy like Great Expectations..better to address a small problem before it gets bigger..
DTeager
8 years ago
I made some updates to the FAQs and Lingo pages to talk about rot (and other diseases). Knock wood, but I've only had one hosta seriously affected by crown rot, and only one or two by voles, and have never seen petiole rot (a.k.a. Southern Stem Blight).