Whirlwind Hosta Seeds

Well, I have a whirlwind hosta that I was going to get the seeds from and try wintersowing with them. They flowered, and now the flowers have been dead for quite awhile. There are no seed pods. Are they not going to get any?

Kristie

Hi Kristie, dont know that particular Hosta by name, but yes, after flowering is finished, it is quite normal to get seed heads, these seed heads are quite small on most hostas, so if the dead flowers are still holding onto the stems, I would cut them off and try open one up to see if you can find the seeds, then once dried off, you can plant them in some really sand/compost mix, till the germinate, they look like blades of grass when germination takes place, so add a label so you remember what they are, germination can be erratic, and they dont always come true from seeds (like the parent plant) but then, who knows, you might get a new type of Hosta for nothing, If you dont still have the flower heads on the plants, then perhaps either the slugs have beat you to it or they have in some way been scattered by the birds or wind, hope you are lucky, Hostas benefit from being divided up and this is another good way of getting new plants the exact same as the parents, you just dig them up, separate the clumps and replant with some nice new compost/manure etc, they will be growing again for next year, Good luck. WeeNel.

If it turns out there aren't seed, some hybrids won't set seed readily and maybe yours is one of those, or it's possible your flowers weren't pollinated. If there are seeds though, they won't necessarily come true since it's a hybrid plant. If you want new plants that look just like the parent, you're best off dividing the plant as WeeNel suggested.

Thanks for the help guys. I think what happened is that right after they flowered, we got a bad storm and the rain completely wilted the flowers....I bet they didn't get polinated. I think my hosta has been planted there for about three years now, it's still the regular size...can I divide it now, or should I wait until it gets bigger? Is it better to divide in the fall or the spring, or does it matter? Thanks for the help.....

Kristie

Hi Kristy, Spring (early) and autumn are the best times to plant, split or sew in the garden, spring because the soil is just starting to warm up and that lets the plants/trees etc settle into the new place and put on some roots before they have to fight heat, water shortages etc, Autumn because the soil is still warm, less chance of intense heat from too much sun and they have a longer time to root,
at both these times, you should still prepare the new ground area by adding compost, plant feeds etc to give them a good feed as they are being disturbed from pots or split from the parent plant, this can in some cases give the plants a bit of shock, so you want to be as good as possible to these plants to settle them into there new site, you also need to water then too, after summer heat, the under soil can be quite dry and used up all the nutrients from summer.
For your Hosta's, either time will do, as over winter, the foliage dies down and the plants go into a dormant stage, so because you cant see the foliage, a lot of folks do it autumn, but in spring, you have to look out for the new shoots peeping through the soil and find the roots to split the clump up, it is really up to you, I like to do these jobs in autumn as I am sure of where they are, and I can dig them out better, remember to put a marker where you put them as they are out of sight all winter and are easy stood on as you work along your beds/borders, Hosta's sometimes need cut up with a knife or spade when lifted out as they grow into tight packed clumps. hope all this makes sense to you, lots of people leave these plants for 4/5 years before they like to split them, so good luck when you do decide. WeeNel.

Thanks WeeNel! Good to see you're still poking around on here giving advice. I think I may wait a few years to divide my hosta then....maybe it'll get bigger. Right now its only the regular size...you don't look at it and go, "Wow, there's a huge hosta". Is there any way of getting it to grow better so I can divide sooner? I fertilize it now and then with a 20-20-20 fertilizer...

Kristie

Hi Kristie

There's a huge variation in the size of hostas, depending on the variety. It may be that the one you have is a smaller variety. If it's healthy but not eye-popping "huge" after 3 years this is likely the case. I use a balanced fertilizer (i.e. all 3 numbers of equal value) in the spring, once the plant is actively growing. Just make sure that the soil isn't dry when you fertilize or the leaves could become discoloured. Good luck!

Donna

How long do you fertilize? Should I still be fertilizing now? It's starting to look a little sparce and some leaves are dying on it...but just afew.

Kristie

Hi Kristie

I wouldn't fertilize any more this year as you don't want to be promoting new growth when the season is nearing an end. My hostas are definitely past their best too & likely will be hit by a killing frost within 4-6 weeks. Here in zone 3a the 'general' rule of thumb is not to fertilize after mid-August. I'm not certain about in your zone but maybe starting a new thread or calling a reputable garden centre in you area will give you an answer to this question. Good luck!

Donna

Thanks Donna, you've been helpful!

Kristie