Is it possible to grow hosta at home in a pot

Planting and caring for a hosta at home is possible, although the plant is considered a garden plant. It is necessary to choose the right container, prepare the soil and provide an integrated approach. For landing at home, you should choose hosts of certain categories.

Can hosta be grown as a houseplant?

Hosta is attractive for its magnificent leaves, which is why many people want to grow it at home. The plant is unpretentious, therefore, with the correct organization of the process, this is quite real.

What kind of hosta can be planted at home

Hosta can be planted at home in a pot, but for this it is better to choose certain varieties of it. By growth, several categories of plants are distinguished. For growing hostas at home, you should choose medium-sized varieties:

• category D – dwarf varieties up to 10 cm high;
• category Mini with hosts up to 15 cm;
• plants of category S with a height of 15-25 cm;
• category M with specimens of medium size 25-45 cm.

Hostas of categories L (45-70 cm) and G (from 70 cm) are best left for the garden.

One option for an apartment is the dwarf variety Blue Moon, it has attractive blue leaves, and large flowers have a lavender hue.

How to plant a hosta in a pot

Grow hosta at home in a pot. If the plant was purchased in a container, then transplanting into a new container should wait until the root system is strengthened.

Capacity selection

First you need to pick up a small pot. A larger container will be needed when the flower grows up. At home, you can plant the host in a ceramic, clay, plastic pot. Small holes in the bottom are required.

Before planting the hosta, the selected pot should be disinfected. To do this, use potassium permanganate or an alcohol solution, wiping the container from the inside.

Hosta can also be grown in a box, the inside of the material must be waterproof, and the outside of the container can be pasted over with colored paper or cloth.

Soil Preparation

In order for the hosta at home in a pot to grow successfully, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil. The substrate must be sterile – the presence of fungus and pathogens will lead to the death of the plant. For disinfection, the earth is shed with a solution of manganese or kept in the oven for 1-2 hours, and then in the freezer for a day.

You can take ready-made soil or prepare it yourself. It should consist of peat, vermiculite, perlite, but 60% of garden soil.

The earth should be slightly acidic or neutral, moderately moist. Hosts do not like heavy soil and sand.

Mandatory for growing at home is the presence of drainage, a layer of 3-4 cm is enough. It is recommended to place humus under it, which will become a source of nutrients for the rhizome.

Landing algorithm

Features of the process at home depend on the planting material. If seeds are used, then the algorithm is as follows:

1. Soak the material for half an hour in a growth stimulator. You can use aloe juice, Epin, Kornevin. Preparations can be replaced by monthly cold hardening.
2. Pour a drainage layer into a disinfected pot, place pre-moistened soil.
3. Sow the seeds, sprinkle with earth. Thickness no more than 1 cm. Compact the soil slightly. If you need a lot of sprouts, then plant a seed per 1 cm².
4. Cover the pot with glass. You can use a plastic bag or a cut plastic bottle.
5. Control soil temperature. It should be between 18-25 ° C until shoots appear. It takes 2-3 weeks.
6. Regularly moisten the ground, remove condensate in a timely manner. The pot can be kept in a shady place.
7. With the advent of the first shoots, the hosta needs more light, but direct sunlight is excluded.
8. When the first pair of leaves appears, the seedlings dive. You can move the seedlings to individual pots. Pour fine sifted sand over the soil.
9. At first, watering should be lower – you need to put the pot in a pan with water.
10. Shelter must be removed daily for 1-2 hours. In the absence of gusty winds and temperatures from 18 ° C, it is better to expose the plants to the open air.

You can collect seeds for planting on your own, do it in early autumn – the seed pods turn brown and open

Hosta seeds are usually planted in early March or late February. Growing in this way is rarely practiced, since it takes a lot of time, and does not guarantee the preservation of all varietal characteristics. Planting seedlings or rhizomes with cuttings is much more popular. The algorithm in such cases is as follows:

1. Fill a disinfected pot with a drainage layer with soil halfway, place the plant in the center. Shed the earth 2 hours before planting
2. Fill the free space around with soil, compacting it a little.

Growing hostas indoors

For the successful existence of the host at home, it is important to provide a certain microclimate in the room, regularly water and feed the plant, and observe the features of winter care.

Indoor microclimate

Hosta prefers a dry and cool room. When it is too warm, wilting begins. If the room temperature is room temperature, then the plant should be sprayed regularly. When choosing a suitable place for a pot, you should consider a number of factors:

• hosta prefers shading;
• there should be no drafts, this is especially important for a young plant;
• varieties with variegated colors need partial shade, but sunlight in the morning and evening hours;
• plants with bright or striped leaves need more light;
• varieties with blue foliage are suitable only for shading, and sunlight is required for only 2 hours a day.

In warm weather, you can put the hosta in a pot outside.

Potted hosta, as pictured, thrives indoors, but makes a great addition to their outdoor counterparts in summer.

In the conditions of an apartment in the summer, the host can be put on a balcony or on a loggia

Watering and fertilizing schedule

Caring for a hosta flower at home means watering and feeding it in a timely manner. The plant loves moisture, but in the room you need to remember about moderation. Water the hosta when the potting soil begins to dry out.

In the autumn-winter period, less moisture is needed. In summer, the hosta is watered every day. For some varieties and on particularly hot days, moisturizing may be required twice a day.

It is better to water the plant early in the morning or in the evening. If the house is warm and dry, then the condition of the soil is checked daily. When 2-3 cm of the earth is dry on top, moisture is required. Water should be settled and at room temperature.

Water the plant slowly. With a strong flow of water, the earth does not have time to sufficiently moisten, since most of the moisture comes out of the drainage holes.

If the soil is too dry, then loosen the soil before watering. When the soil dries completely, the pot is placed in water for 1-2 hours.

The plant is fed in spring and autumn. Top dressing is required during flowering. Hosta prefers organic fertilizers:

• husks of sunflower seeds or pine nuts;
• rotted bark;
• leafy land;
• garden compost;
• corn on the cob (must be crushed).

Mineral fertilizers serve as a source of vitamins. Effective complex means of prolonged action Bazakot, Osmokot.

How to care for a hosta at home in winter

Hosta at home in a pot sleeps in the winter just like an outdoor plant. At this time, it is removed away from batteries and other heat sources. It is better to put the pot in a cool room. Some people keep it on the balcony if the temperature there is at least 10-15 °C.

Watering hostas in pots in winter is minimal, but the drying of the earth is not allowed. You need to moisturize it a little. It is enough to control the condition of the soil 1-2 times a month.

In the spring, the indoor hosta wakes up faster than its relatives on the street. During the day it can be exposed to fresh air, but kept indoors at night. If the plant does not wake up, then it should be kept in the apartment until warm.

Transfer

It is necessary to transplant the host as it grows. This is usually required when the plant is 2 years old. The algorithm is simple:

1. Carefully remove the hosta from the pot along with some of the soil above the tuber. Carefully release the roots.
2. Place the plant in the center of a new pot with drainage and some soil.
3. Fill the empty space with soil.
4. Sprinkle small pebbles. A layer of 3-4 cm is enough. Such a measure does not allow the soil to dry out quickly, preserves the roots and does not let parasites into them.

The hosta in the new pot should be positioned so that there is room under the leaves for watering without the risk of damaging them.

Pros and cons of growing hostas in an apartment

Growing hostas at home has many benefits:

• the plant is mobile – it can be rearranged not only within the apartment, but also taken out to the loggia, street;
• excellent decorative effect and compatibility with many indoor flowers;
• maintaining attractiveness for many years;
• less susceptibility to diseases and pests, especially the main enemy – slugs;
• unpretentiousness;
• no risk of death of peduncles and buds in frosts in late varieties.

Growing hosta at home has its drawbacks:

• the soil dries out faster;
• there is a risk of overheating the pot in the sun, which harms the roots;
• soil should be changed every 2-4 years.

Sometimes the shortcomings of hosts include a shorter life expectancy at home. In an apartment, she can feel great for 10-15 years, when she grows successfully on the street for more than 20 years.

How to keep a hosta until spring in a pot

When it is planned to plant a plant in open ground, it is recommended to purchase it in the spring or at the end of August. If the hosta is purchased in the cold season, then at home it will perfectly wait for spring in a pot. To do this, it must be buried in it with the kidneys. The hosta will quickly grow and will wait for landing on the street. It is better to do this in early summer.

In winter, the host can be kept on an insulated loggia, then watering is not required. If she will stand indoors, then care should be like a houseplant.

Pests and diseases

Home-grown hostas rarely suffer from pests. Their main enemy, the slug, simply does not survive in a dry room. A nematode could be a problem. These small worms are root, stem, leaf. You will have to say goodbye to the affected host, and the rest of the plants must be processed. Most preparations for the room are not suitable, Bak Ecogel is allowed.

The root system is affected by root-knot nematodes no larger than 1-2 mm in size, swellings appear, called galls, first yellow and then brown.

The main problem when growing hosta at home is disease. One of them is virus X. It is expressed in round small specks on the leaves, which grow rapidly. There is no cure, the affected plant must be burned.

In case of infection with virus X, it is recommended to get rid of not only the diseased plant, but also the pot, work gloves, all tools used must be disinfected

Another problem is phyllostictosis, also called brown spot. First, large brown-yellow spots appear, gradually merging, plaque is formed. The affected plant along with the pot must be removed.

Spores affect all parts of the plant and the soil; fungicides must be used for prevention.

Hostas can get root rot. The roots and base of the cuttings turn black and rot. It is rarely possible to save an affected plant, therefore it is necessary to get rid of it. For prevention, Bordeaux liquid, colloidal sulfur are used.

The cause of root rot may lie in an overabundance of fertilizers or infection of the soil with a fungus.

Conclusion

Planting and caring for a hosta at home does not require much effort. The plant is quite unpretentious, it is possible to grow its various varieties up to 50 cm high indoors. It is important for the host to water it in a timely manner, feed it twice a year and protect it from diseases and pests. In summer, the plant can be kept outside.