(z7)

as Hosta seem to do nothing over winter, I would tend to transplant in spring,

if you do it now they have damaged roots and could probably rot more easily

but perhaps someone elso from about your zone could chip in

here is a link to the US Hosta society Hosta through the year

take the soil and all ;.. plant it.. mulch heavily .. and you ought to be all set ...

in our Z5 GROUND FREEZE ... all we worry about is whether a small babe will heave right out of the ground ...

a biggish gob of soil.. will not ...

all the better if its buried in snow all winter.. no thawing and refreezing of the soil in winter sun ...

if you want to bare root it.. dig it back up in early spring ... we want the weight of the gob to hold it there all winter ...

ken

one other thought ....

we like to say.. hosta start growing roots.. storing energy.. for next spring.. in july or so ...

im not sure they continue to grow roots thru fall .. like other perennials/trees/shrubs/etc might do ...

since they die to the ground.. and go dormant.. not only due to declination of the sun.. but also.. as the soil starts cooling up here ... i WONDER ... if there is any significant root growth in fall ... i presume. the warmer the zone you go.. the lesser this is a real issue ....

one other thought ....peeps who do pots might have some experience in noting such?????

so thats another reason.. the smaller the plant.. the higher the odds it might pop out of the ground ... it didnt grow enough significant roots to 'grab hold' as we might say ... and why i suggested taking the whole gob of soil ... relying on its shear weight to hold it in the ground.. as compared to a bare root plant .. and the resultant fluffy soil upon replanting ...

just my logic for my comments ... a teaching moment ..... who knows ...

ken

Question: why would I want to bare root it in spring?

It's going from one location right to another, in the same garden.

I HAVE had a significant problem with minis heaving over winter. Aided by curious squirrels tunneling around them, I feel. I do have minis and seedlings to transplant this fall, though. They have to go somewhere. I used some as accents in annual planters.

Makes me wonder if I should pin them down to the ground like I do newly planted irises.

if smallish.. pin them if you wnt.. cant hurt ...

i made pins for irrigation by cutting up hangers .... pre-formed and real cheap .. and with the right cutters.. not hard at all ... one cut in middle of long side ... two cut on each side of the horizontal bends below the hook ... so you end up with a V or slightly squished U ... your choice of letters.. lol ...

ken

I don't see it being a problem to do it it now. If the soil mass around the roots is going to stay fairly intact, then it should be fine. I have even bare rooted two hosta this week. I am also repotted a few.

As for why you would want to bare root, that would be if you want to divide or if you want to emend the soil. If you are happy with the growth of your hosta, then moving it should be all it needs. I agree with you that spring just seems to be such a busy time. Doing what we can now is helpful.

The squirrels here are digging like crazy. Crazier than I ever remember. So the hosta I bare rooted and divided have to be pinned down! I have some old plastic mesh which I have placed around each hosta. I also had to do this to the small raised bed that I planted just weeks ago. What a pain! And, of course, I ran out of ground staples and can't find them to purchase---anywhere! What I did have was some galvanized wire, so I cut that up to make the staples. Now I've run out the them! I'll have to look for some hangers!

I HAVE had a significant problem with minis heaving over winter.

I have this problen with some heucheras. I actually place a brick on top of such 'heavers' in the late Fall or early winter!

Newhostalady, I liked your post. All very true, as is much of what I've read in this thread.

Could it be that what you have are chipmunks? For me, it's chipmunks burrowing everywhere that are a problem. I finally read up on them, and boy howdy, they're not good! Not only do they steal any produce I manage to grow around the house in pots (cherry tomatoes, strawberries, tomatillos), burrow into flower pots in order to eat plants' roots, but I blame them for lots of damage on the tubing of my drip irrigation through all the gardens. Then they started burrowing under my garage slab and undermining it! Last straw. Last year I started live-trapping them and "deporting" them to some woods 4-5 miles away, well away from anyone else's homes. I took out at least three dozen last year, and maybe a dozen this year. Just keeping the population down is helpful. Like everything else though it seems like one has to keep at it.

I just planted two little little ones that I had in pots to see if they gained any new leaves. Silver Lode added two leaves to the three it had. So I planted it in the ground. I thought, “I’ll outsmart those wily squirrels, hahaha!” I took the plastic top from a quart of yogurt, cut a slit and a circle big enough to fit around the plant and then added holes for watering. Then I placed some small handsized rocks around the ring. For a couple of days this seemed a good deterrent........then, yesterday I found the ring completely off and a half foot away. Apparently the rooks were no deterrent. So I got some other rocks and if they can move these, then I have a ”Mighty Mouse” squirrels. So this was my solution,

The other tiny hosta had grown some thin white roots so I planted that in the same way. I have never heard of pining a hosta...........where exactly do you place the pins???

debra

Holy moly, Debra. Your varmints are up to any Olympic challenge! What kind of squirrels do you have? Red, gray? They must be almighty determined if they're going after your hostas. (And some more reading informed me that of course chipmunks are a squirrel species.) I'm guessing from your "handle" that you're in SE Wisconsin. That's pretty country, in the Driftless area particularly.

Northern gardener, i have regular ole’ gray squirrels.......here’s the worst part ==>> I feed these guys and gals all winter with feed corn which is probably what gives them their super-squirrel strength......... that’s what I get for being so nice!! lol......lol

debra

p.s. do you know about the pinning of hostas?

Debra, I think I may not have been very clear when I said I pinned the hosta down.

So I almost finished planting in my new raised bed, but I had to cover the whole thing up with mesh because the squirrels are digging like mad! Every part of my garden that is dug is now being invaded by squirrels. They are running around digging acorns into the ground for the winter. So what I have been doing is pinning down (with ground staples) a plastic mesh to stop the squirrels from their digging. Almost every spot dug and not covered with the mesh has a hole. So I don't actually pin the hosta, but I pin the mesh around the hosta. I think the hosta roots could be pinned down, but the mesh I think is better because I don't want the squirrels to disturb the roots or pull out the plant.

Thanks for the picture newhostalady. That most be a lot of work getting the wire in and around the hostas and then putting in the pins in. My squirrels would probably get through your wires....... lol.......lol

debra

Debra, you know that yogurt ring and rock protection you made for your hosta---could that have been removed by a racoon?

Yes it's been a lot of work putting in pins and cutting that mesh. This year the squirrels seem almost frantic to get ready for winter. Maybe they know it will be an early frost this year?

I must say that I would worry about putting big rocks or bricks around a plant. I would think it would compact the soil, allow little moisture and air to get to the plant. I suppose it would be OK for the winter. But I find the early spring the worse time when critters can uproot plants. And I would think that would not be the time I would want large rocks around my plant?

Newhostalady, that's a really pretty bed, and a lovely fresh-looking hosta. :)

Joan