Find out when to cut back hostas and how to help these plants overwinter well .
When leaves on Tree lead off showing fall colors , hostas also start turning vivacious yellow , soft orange , and muffled John Brown . As you work through yourfall garden cleanup , you may be wondering when to shorten back hostas , especially if their leaves are putting on an autumn show . Enjoy their affectionate hue for a little while , but then get out your pruning hook because these perennial farm best when cut back in fall . This guide explicate how and when to cut back hostas so they ’ll come back strong and healthy in the spring .
John Granen
Credit:John Granen
Wait for a Hard Freeze
The optimal time to cut back hostas is after the foliage has been killed by a intemperate freeze . Several brief frostswill likely blanket the garden before a tough freeze kills the leafage . Many hostas brave a abbreviated frost well , remaining good and booming . It ’s not until a arduous freeze descends that the leaf will fall into a pile around the crown of the plant . A pile of utter hosta leaves is a sign to grab your pruner and get to body of work cleaning up the leaf .
stand firm the impulse to get a jump start up on fall killing . Hostas are actively maturate if their foliation is awake . cut back plant before the foliage is killed by a freeze limit valuable antecedent increment that sustains the plant through winter and organise it for next natural spring .
Don’t Delay Until Spring
Most perennials are well left stand all winter and edit back in early bound , but that is n’t the case with genus Funka . Their decaying leafage is an invitation for pestilence and diseases to take up manse in the crown of the industrial plant . Some rodents , such as field mouse , are appeal to the leafage bulk that makes a okay wintertime shelter . Slugs oftentimes overwinterin hosta foliage only to guttle the plant in spring .
roundworm and a variety of virus commonly plague hostas . prune back and discard leaf after a difficult freeze in fall to prevent these microscopic pests from manifold . plant life scientist routinely find that fall cleanup micturate a big impingement when controlling diseases in hostas .
How to Cut Back Hostas
Using a pair of astute ringway lopper , curve foliage back to about 2 inch above the dirt line . Do this quick by grab a large cluster of stems in one hired man and make the cutting off with your other hand . The scant hosta stems that remain after cutting back will cue you where the plant life is in natural spring , potentially prevent you from touch it as you work in the planting layer .
If any hostasshow signs of disease , such as streak foliage or pucker leafage surface , disinfect the prunersby wipe them down with chafe alcoholic beverage or dipping them in a 10 % whitener solution between each plant . Discard any septic foliage ; do n’t add it to a compost pile .
Peter Krumhardt
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Fall Hosta Care Tips
Hostas are well-heeled - care shade perennials , but they do benefit from a little maintenance in declension .
1. Time it right.
Keep an eye on your hostas as gloaming progresses . As shortly as the foliage is wilted from the first hard freeze , cut back the shank to 2 inches above the dirt credit line .
2. Be mindful of disease.
Do n’t pass around disease when cutting back genus Hosta . If disease is present or you have a feeling it might be , clean your lopper with a germicide between plants . scratch intoxicant wipe makes it fast and soft to clean pruners as you go .
3. Clean up leaves.
After cut back hostas , watch for farewell from nearby trees or shrub collecting around the cut - back fore . Every week or so , rake parting away from the stems andadd them to your compost mickle . Layers of soggy fallen leaf on top of hostas can induce the plant life to rot and mold over winter .
4. Mulch fall-planted hostas.
Newly planted hostas welfare from a 4 - inch - thick layer ofshredded barque mulchover the cut - back fore . The mulch insulates the tender plant life and help prevent hurt from freeze out - thaw bicycle . Be certain to pull in the mulch off the plant in early spring before new growth seem .
5. Consider pest pressure.
Ifsmall critters like volesand mice are problematic in your garden , take footprint to protect bid hosta stems and crown , which can become a cold - atmospheric condition counter for these brute . Cover the plants with hardware material if needed .
