TOP 6 main rules for growing lush hosts

Who among us did not pay attention to the extraordinary beauty of a fluffy bush with a bright color and texture and no less elegant racemose inflorescences. This is the Hosta plant!

Hosta's second name is funkia - a well-known perennial ornamental plant that even a beginner can take care of. True, you need to have a few rules.

Host: flower description

The hosta plant loves moisture and shading, and it also tolerates dry summers. This bright shrub did not immediately become domesticated, and today it can be found against the backdrop of wild nature. Khosta mainly grows on the banks of streams and rivers, it is also found in the mountains and on the edges of the forest.

There are some hosta varieties, the flowers of which are absolutely not attractive; their growers are usually cut to reveal the beauty of the leaves falling in a fountain even more.

In Japan, hosta is very fond of, and there she is a sacred plant. The Japanese even eat the hosta leaf stalk, which is considered a delicacy.

Landing place for hosts

Safely - both in the ground and in any containers. They can even survive frost, and are very unpretentious. Because hosts are quietly growing themselves twenty years old in one place, this very place must be carefully chosen. A more comfortable place for the hosts is partial shade and an area protected from light. You can not be afraid to choose the northern side of the site or the lowland near the pond for the hosts.

It is important to know that the more variegated the hosta variety, the more sunlight it will need. Otherwise, the leaves will be dull.

To be more precise, if you are the owner of a variegated host, then plant it where there is a lot of shade, and the sun peeps out in the morning and evening hours. And if you have a blue host, then you should put it in the shade. A couple of hours of sun per day is enough for her.

It is worth clarifying that in the shady place of the host, despite the fact that it will grow more slowly, the leaves will be large, and in general the bush will also.

Which soil to choose for the host plant?

Hosts will thank you for moist, neutral, humus-rich soil, maybe even slightly acidic soil and good drainage. In no case should you choose sandy or heavy loamy soil.

The timing when you need to land the hosts is:

• Middle of spring, you can - in early May. And it is better to prepare the soil in the fall. The preparation consists of spilling the organ. fertilization and digging up the earth.
• The end of summer is the beginning of autumn. The main thing is that the hosts have time to strengthen the roots before the cold weather. The soil may not be specially prepared, but simply watered well before planting.

Landing hosts: instruction

Make several holes. Carefully examine the roots and remove all unnecessary part of them, sprinkle with earth and water well. Then mulch the planting site with bark or sawdust.

The distance between host groups is maintained from about 0.3-1 meters (depending on the variety).

What is preferable in taking care of hosts?

The main rule here is timely watering. The soil is always in a state of low moisture (irrigation depth up to about 20 centimeters). When watering, the stream of water should not fall on the leaves, otherwise they will deteriorate and become prey for snails and slugs.

Hosts should be watered before 11 am, preferably on cloudy days, so that the sun does not burn wet leaves.

The second rule of care is to regularly remove weeds and loosen the land around the host, especially for young plants. A year or so in three or four, the need for this will disappear.

Do not forget to divide large bushes in time and separate them, so that the hosta always remains attractive.

The next rule concerns feeding. If the plant grows in fertile soil from the first year, then for the next three, or maybe four years, you can not worry about feeding. When your host is five years old, you cannot do without spring and autumn feeding with organic fertilizers.

If you notice that the leaves of the hosta have become pale, then this means that it is time to apply complex mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal proportions. After that, it is good to water at the root. Mineral feeding is carried out - from 2 to 4 rubles. per year, moreover, the last time they are fed no later than the first decade of August.

Experienced florists also recommend special fertilizers for decorative plants. Hosts, thanks to them, will develop better and become much more expressive with colorful contrasting leaves. Want your hosts to be thick and lush? Then remove the peduncles in a timely manner.

Hosta plant and cold preparation

For the winter cold, you need to start preparing hosts in September. What to do for this? First, we plant (until September 10-15), and then the new bushes will grow their roots until the winter cold.

As soon as you see the leaves of the hosta turn yellow in the fall, cut them almost to the root. This, among other things, helps to get rid of harmful insects hidden in the foliage.

You do not need to cover it, but mulching with leafy soil is just right. This will keep nutrients in the ground for the host.

The most curious of florists can try to propagate the host not only by dividing the bushes, but also using seeds. See, it's as easy as caring for this vibrant, eye-catching plant.