Potted Host: Does The Host Grow At Home? Can You Grow In A Pot Outdoors? Planting, Care And Wintering

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Hosta is one of the most popular plants today, which can be grown both outdoors and indoors. Thanks to its incredibly beautiful appearance and large, wide leaves, it is she who becomes an adornment of home flower beds and adjoining territories, an excellent addition to the room interior.

In this article, we will talk about how a hosta grows at home in a pot, and we will also describe all the rules for caring for a plant

Characteristic

Hosta, or funkia, is a perennial plant that is a member of the Liliaceae family. It is a set of basal leaves, which together make up a dense bush.

Hosta comes from East Asia, you can find it on Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Japan and Korea . It is thanks to the difficult climate in the homeland that the plant perfectly adapts to various weather conditions and, with proper care, can delight for a long time. Now there are about 40 types of it.

The hosts are characterized by the following symptoms

• Compacted rhizome.
• Very wide, beautiful leaves. The diameter of the leaves can be up to 100 centimeters. They can be uniform in color or patterned and, depending on the variety, in different shades of green.
• Plant height - up to 80 centimeters.
• The leaves make up the rosette.
• It blooms beautifully with simple flowers of pink, white, bluish shades.
• The fruit is a leathery capsule with three sides, containing many seeds.

Hosta is one of the favorite plants of both professional designers and amateur gardeners, and this is due to the fact that it is not whimsical to care for.

The most popular types of hosts are:

• high;
• curly;
• fortune;
• Siebold;
• wavy;
• bloated;
• plantain.

It is also worth noting that plants are divided into 6 groups … Each group is a specific plant size. The 1st group includes hosts, the size of which is up to 10 centimeters, they are called dwarf. But the representatives of the 6th group are giant hosts that grow by more than 70 centimeters. The peak of the heyday of the hostas is the fifth year of life, it is during this period that they become the most beautiful.

It follows from this that the plant can be grown at home, the main thing is to correctly determine the type. Of course, a giant host is unlikely to be able to accommodate in an apartment, but a dwarf or miniature one - why not!

Growing

Before proceeding with the rules for caring for a hosta that grows in a pot, let's talk about how you can grow it.

So, there are several growing methods.

• Seminal . This is one of the most difficult and time-consuming methods. Most often, the plant is grown from seed material by specialists in nurseries, because this must be approached very responsibly. Most of the time it takes is the preparation of the seeds - they need to be chosen correctly, soaked, dried, planted in a special substrate, and as a result, more than one year will pass until the small shoots turn into a beautiful bush.
• Cherenkovy . This is a simple and commonly used method. The cuttings are separated from the bush, which is at least four years old, placed in a container, where they grow, and then transplanted into a flowerpot.
• Shrub division .

Each of these methods is effective and will allow you to successfully grow a host.

Landing rules

Grow in a pot at home hostu you can, if you follow the instructions.

• The choice of the type and variety of plants.
• Correctly determine the size of the container. The size of the pot for planting should be medium so that there is enough room for active growth of the root system.
• Preparation of a special fertile mixture, drainage. The hosta should be planted in moist soil with a low acidity level. Heavy soil and sand can be used. It is most reasonable to purchase a special substrate in a specialized store, which is guaranteed to be free from contamination.
• The bottom of the flowerpot is covered with drainage and then a cutting or sapling is planted. Next, you need to completely fill the soil into the pot and tamp it.
• The location of the flowerpot with the planted flower is of great importance. It is advisable to avoid places with direct sunlight, because they can badly affect the flower, which is still very weak and has not adapted to the new habitat.

As you can see, planting the host is not at all difficult. If you do everything right, then in a year or two the plant will be transformed and take on its shape.

Care rules

After planting the plant, you need to adhere to the rules of caring for it. Like all other indoor plants, the hosta requires certain watering, transplanting, pruning . This is what we will talk about further.

Watering

Hosta is a water-loving plant, in natural conditions it “settles” along streams and rivers. But watering it at home should still be moderate and regular. This should be done when you see that the soil in the pot has already begun to dry out. Watering is desirable with settled water at room temperature.

In the warm season, the plant needs much more water than in the cold season. In winter and autumn, watering should be reduced.

Location

Earlier we already wrote that the flower should be protected from direct sunlight, but this does not mean that it needs to be hidden in the cellar. You just need to select a shaded area.

It is also advisable to place the outdoor host in a pot in a bright and shaded place. Drafts should be avoided, especially if the plant is young and not yet accustomed to the new place and soil.

Fertilizers

Of course, it is advisable to purchase special additives that contain trace elements necessary for active growth and flowering of hosts. You can buy them in a specialized store.

Fertilization can be done both in spring and autumn. During the flowering period, this is necessary.

When using mineral supplements, you must follow the instructions and do not exceed the dosage indicated by the manufacturer.

Wintering

Initially, the hosta is an outdoor plant that is adapted to changing temperatures and copes well with frost. In winter, the leaves of the hosta dry out and need to be cut off . Do not leave dried foliage in the pot, it will only pollute the soil and prevent air and oxygen from saturating the soil. In winter, the hosta pot should be covered with, for example, burlap or breathable cloth. From time to time, the covered flowerpot needs to be covered with snow on top.

It is best to keep the hostu in a pot indoors.

Transfer

The transplanting process is also important and necessary for the plant. Given the fact that the hosta is growing rapidly, soon after planting in the first pot, it will not have enough space, and there will be a need for more capacity.

Experts say that the first transplant should take place at the age of 2 years, but these are all approximate figures, it all depends on the flower itself.

Diseases and pests

In the process of caring for a room hosta, a very important stage is the fight against pests that can harm the flower. On the street, she often suffers from attacks by various pests, such as snails and rodents . To cope with slugs (snails), you can use special traps or collect by hand. In order to eliminate mice, apply mouse poison. It should be noted that rodents love exclusively young plants.

Naturally, such pests are unlikely to threaten the host indoors, but the danger is disease. The following diseases should be noted:

• root rot;
• aphid;
• whitefly.

There may be several reasons for their appearance, most often these are:

• lack of fertilizers;
• fungal kidney.

The most dangerous disease experts determine is root rot. This disease initially spreads to the root system, completely destroying it, and then, of course, the whole plant dies.

To combat diseases, it is best to use special preparations, which can be bought at specialized points of sale, and sprayed with them on the plant.

When buying medicines for hosts, carefully read the information that is indicated on the original packaging, look at the expiration date. And it is advisable to buy drugs from well-known manufacturers.

The spraying procedure should also follow the instructions and recommendations . During the treatment period, it is better to separate the plant from other flowers until everything is working out.

You will learn more about how to grow a hosta in a pot later.