Nice roots already. I think $15 is a good price. I saw an Empress Wu today, only 1 eye, proven winner 1 gallon pot 26.99 after discount and tax for $12

imo.. that plant was not a TC plug this spring ... ken

Thanks Ken. I’m still new and learning and I understand TC is a tissue culture plant, but does that mean it’s a year one year plant? So you think it’s older than 1 year old, but could have still been a TC last year?

Bet my money that it is well over 2 years old. Is that a 2 gallon pot? Are there roots in the center of the plant or just around the edges of the pot. A tc gets potted up when it isn't much bigger than your finger. Nice Plant!

-Babka

Yes it is a 2 gallon pot. I’m being silly and afraid to break up the soil to check the roots further, but I think there are 2 eyes, close together.
From what I’ve read about Empress Wu, it doesn’t do much for 2-4 years, then maybe 5th year it leaps. So my thought process was, hold out for an older one so I can be surprised in less time! It was the last one at my local nursery and usually priced at $30, half off sale. Seems to me it came straight from the farm recently as all the rest of the hostas were going into dormancy. We’re at our frost date now.

i have no experience with this place.. but scroll down to the pic of what i might call a one ... 2 .. and three year old TC .... though if well grown .... the 3rd pic might be a late second year plant ...

the starter plant on the left.. is probably a one year plug .... and what a grower might receive in a spring TC shipment from the lab ... and if they are lucky.. by end of that year ... the middle pic .... and so on ...

and of course ... you must include what the cultivar is ... as to how fast it will grow to maturity.. and a giant like EW .... is going to be 5 to 7 years to such .... depending on what size root mass you buy ...

if it were me.. i would bare root every plant.. for placement in mother earth ... but this time of year.. i would be very concerned about winter heave ... and would mulch heavily to avoid such ....

so.. per your pic.. at least a second .... and more likely a third year plant .... as i said.. it was not a TC plug this spring ... imo ...

ken

https://www.hostasdirect.com/about-our-hostas/

@ken! Thank you for posting this link!

I do have a question tho...

lets say there are 2 pots of the same plant, one pot has 4 eyes, but they are large and the other pot has 7 smaller eyes

Which one would you choose? I have had this problem quite a few times this year.

Does a big eye indicate a ”mature“ plant and is therefore the better choice?

That’s a great link! Very helpful, thank you.

think of it this way ...

you are buying a root mass for the future ...

so tip it out of the pot.. and LOOK AT THE ROOT MASS ....

if the pot is too big.. you are not in my world.. lol ...

i dont see an equivalency between pip size and maturity .... a plant can not be mature.. if it doesnt have a root mass to be mature ...

ken

Thank you again Ken.

Thanks for the great picture. I too, have an Empress Wu that is about 4 years old. Must move it to a better location this spring. Was wondering, I noticed the middle leaf on the right of the picture looking kind of lighter green with darker veins. My plant displays the same coloration. Is that normal for Empress Wu? I upped it's nitrogen this summer and it seemed to help a little but not much. Thanks for your help. Ken H.