Q&A for How to Care for Hostas

To cut back hostas, use a pair of sharp shears and cut them at ground level.

During the nighttime hours, slugs and small snails may be eating the hostas, creating holes in the leaves.

In the fall, you can cut hostas back at the soil line. Do this after the first frost.

You should remove all infected foliage and use an insecticide soap on the remaining leaves and stalks.

Hostas are generally only recommended for growing zones 3-8 which provide them with sufficient shade, sun and water. Unfortunately they do not thrive in the climates found in central Florida.

In colder areas, it is not uncommon for Hosta to "die-back" in the winter. Healthy plants will come back as the weather becomes warmer. Water them, and once they are starting to show growth, a simple plant food like Miricle Grow will give them a nice start into the summer. Hostas do not require as much food as plants that produce heavy bloom and flowers.

Yes. They are a very hardy plant.

This could be indicative of the plant itself, and not a sign of disease. Some hosta plants have varied colored leaves.

Put some cracked eggshells around your hostas. This will prevent slugs from climbing.

Place eggshells around the base of each plant. Rough stones or shingle works, too, but there should be no gaps for the pests to get through. Slugs and snails don't like to traverse a rough surface.

Yes, if you wait till the winter, after the first frost. You could always divide them if it's beginning to mid summer if you really want to thin them out. Replant the divisions elsewhere and give enough time for the roots to reestablish before winter, or give the divisions away to a neighbor in exchange for a stick of butter or a kitten.

If they are in direct sunlight, move them to a more shaded area. Be sure to check the leaves, and if they look dry, water the plant more. If the leaves look dark brown, you are over watering them and they are drowning.

I'd recommend a bit less sun for optimum plants, but you could try to provide some shade using trees or fleece coverings, which can be purchased from any garden store.

Usually, the pot they are sold in is small and plastic. Smaller pots restrict the growth of the root system, and hosta roots like plenty of room. If you want to plant them in a pot, choose a wide, porous pot (clay is best) that the roots can spread out in and receive proper aeration. The pot must have adequate drainage. Water frequently.

It could be a snail problem, or another pest. Look into snail poison or other means of keeping them out of your garden.

Yes, you could cover the soil around your hostas with mulch, but try and keep it at least six inches from the base of the plant, and pile it in the shape of a water basin rather than a mulch volcano so that the soil and roots can get oxygen.

You may cover your hostas during particularly sunny times with light plastic covering available at any home or garden store.

Feed them, put them in better soil, or both. Make sure they are in a warm, semi-shaded place.

Yes. Make sure you're not overwatering or underwatering your plants.

After they finish blooming and when they start making seed you can trim the flowers off. Doing this ensures that the nutrients are going to the plant rather than being used up making seeds.

You should cut them when they start looking past their best (tatty) or else they will continue to take nutrients from the plant which can be better utilised.

Copper tape. All of our hostas are potted, so we put one ring of copper tape around the outside of each pot. We have not had one snail cross it.

Miracle Grow soil. It has plant food in it and can be mixed into the soil around the plant.

This is not recommended, because a pot does not offer the protection from cold and frost that being planted in soil provides. Also, most owners forget to water their plants in the winter, which will cause them to dry out.

You do not need to cover your hosta, they winter very well. You can remove the leaves after the first frost. The rest of the plant will disappear until the warm spring sun warms the earth, and like magic they return!

The holes are most likely from snails chewing on them. You can combine a small amount of ammonia with water in a spray bottle and spray them liberally to deter the snails. The ammonia will not harm the hostas.

Wait until late fall and then clean up the leaves as they die. They make some nice compost!

Yes, that's how hostas flower though most of them are grown for their leaves.

If you don't like the stalky look, you can. This should have no effect on the growth of the plant.

Most likely. While they appear to die in winter, they actually just go dormant.