Second plant which was bigger Bert helped with

We got about 4 clumps altogether

Temporarily in pot

Now what to do with this?

yay!..you finished your hosta surgery..I hope the "patients" recover..I think I would plant that root..

I was creating a post just a couple of mins before you started yours..mine is a trainwreck..pics were slow to post..the text is mistyped (not my fault)..did you have problems creating your post?..

I sure did! I posted my second comment twice because it just took the post away. So I went back to the thread and found both had posted. I deleted the other two and sure now have just one. I have the root in water. til tomorrow—-is that ok, or take it out?

I'm so tired of technical difficulties..I think I would leave it in the water but plant asap tomorrow..I'm just wingin' it since I've never planted a root..lol..but why not try it?

i need a bert

The root has a chunk of crown on it. Plant it just below the soil line. If you are still soaking it, get it out if the crown is also under water.

Yes, I tried to leave that part perched on the edge of the bowl. I will plant later today as well the Halcyon.Just spent an hour watering because it’s so dry.

ken, Bert is available in afternoons after work or most weekends. You could tell from his face that the plant was very heavy. The first plant I did myself as there were actually two clumps next to each other so they were easy to tape and dig out. As I was eyeing the 2nd plant and thinking,”do I really want to do this?,” he drove up and can over to help. I think I did a good job for the first time and your ages old post that I came across and I think it was perren.alls separation of her Brother Stefan that showed me the way.........:-)

There appears to be two different opinions on how to do this. With the first hosta, not bare rooting them would have been easy, as the clumps were small and close together. I am not so sure how easily it would have to separate the second one without rinsing the roots fairly well as they were all throughout the plant and to try to separate them without some water Would have been hard. However I understand your thinking completely. Makes sense.......then why is the “other” thinking so prevalent??? I was only following what other knowledgeable hosta folks, such as yourself did. This was my first time. I am interested to see if others will chime in, but don’t want a war.......:-) Thanks!

Because for many years virtually all mail order hosta sellers washed roots until they were pure white, sometimes with a power washer, and nobody stopped to think whether or not that was a good thing. The sleep/creep/leap explanation took hold without anyone thinking about why it was happening, because most purchased hostas had their roots washed, and that was how they grew. Add to that the fact that a great many gardeners are delighted to see nice white roots, and the belief that it was the natural growth habit took root rather quickly.

Way back in the dark ages, the main source for hostas was to find a grower and make an appointment to visit and buy some plants. The hostas would all be in the ground, and as one was chosen, the plant was divided on the spot and put back in the ground. The piece being sold was wrapped in newspaper, dirty roots and all, and bagged up for transport. The buyer was expected to plant it immediately, dirt and all. Shipping hostas was very uncommon, so there was no reason to shake off dirt or wash roots to lower shipping costs. Once mail order hostas became very popular, shipping costs became an issue.

As for separating wet hosta roots, well, that's a problem all on it's own. Again, there are many videos out there showing people soaking huge root balls and spraying with garden hoses and all manner of other things. But the fact is that dry hostas separate better than wet hostas, and preserve more roots as well. I never dig hostas when the soil is wet, I want it somewhere between normal and moderately to quite dry. Water provides cohesion, which is not what you want when dividing a hosta. Dig the plant out, consider carefully where to make the first cut through the crown, and then pry the clump apart. Repeat until you have the whole plant divided, or have as many divisions as you need. Shake the clump very gently to remove dirt only as necessary to division, and gently pull and twist and twiddle, and pull the roots apart. Cut roots as necessary, it will do much less damage to the plant than washing would do.

A newly divided division, unwashed and replanted immediately in spring or early summer in a good location, should show new growth the first year if it's a mini or small, and definitely by the second year for most hostas. The key is to do as little damage to the roots as possible, leaves grow back quickly, roots take more time, and until a good root structure is restored, you are not likely to see any other growth.

I planted that piece with the crown and I hope it’s in correctly. Let me know if not.....Before watering.

Here’s the 4 Halcyon plants.

dhaven , I separated the June because leaves were reverting to what I was told was Halcyon. Two plants were showing reversions so I decided to get a new Halcyon out of it! Lucky me!

I have several Junes doing this. I have been putting off digging them up to do this. They are in a very tight space, and planted under a Japanese Maple. I don't want to damage the maple roots in the process.

Interesting looking small shovel you used. I am always looking for narrow shovels. I usually use a pitchfork, on the theory that it is more likely to pull roots out of the soil rather than cut them. But until someone invents a narrow pitchfork, at times I have to use a shovel.

dhaven, on Monday I bought some hostas from a grower like you described. He simply dug what I wanted, shook the dirt off (sandy soil there) and put them in bags.

But I could not plant right away, so I put them all in a bucket of water. I hope that did not damage the micro-roots. I hope to get them planted tomorrow; have to do some rearranging first.

The tool you saw me using is called a root slayer. I got the idea from another forum member, (Steve or Jon?) anyway I will post a pic. It’s great, goes through roots well. I also bought a stainless steel spade. It slides in and out of the ground easily. About $50-60 for both.

Thanks for the pics!