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It is necessary to prepare the hosta for the winter so that the perennial plant can safely endure the cold and produce healthy stems in the spring. She belongs to the cold-resistant perennials, but she also needs some care.
What to do with hostas in the fall for the winter
The point of caring for a hosta in the fall is to prepare the plant for the cold and maximize its hardiness. To this end, from the beginning of autumn until the first snow, several procedures are performed:
- cut off the aerial part of the perennial;
- water the plant;
- make organic and mineral top dressing;
- carry out preventive treatment from pests and fungi;
- mulch the soil in the immediate vicinity of the roots;
- cover the plant with insulating material.
Some procedures are essential, while others are debatable.
Preparing a hosta for winter is quite easy, since it belongs to a number of cold-resistant
How to care for hostas in the fall
They start caring for a hosta early in the fall, long before the cold weather. To conduct autumn preparation correctly, you need to carefully study each of the stages.
Trimming
There is no consensus in the gardening community as to whether the hosta requires cardinal pruning in the fall. But usually the procedure is still carried out so that pests do not winter under the withered foliage.
Cut the plant around the end of October, 3 weeks before frost. At the same time, all wilted leaves and stems are cut flush with the ground. If for some reason pruning had to be skipped, this is not a disaster, in which case the dried parts of the plant can be removed in the spring.
Dry perennial stems can be cut, but this is an optional procedure.
Watering
Before the onset of winter, the host needs to be properly saturated with water and moisten the ground about 50 cm deep. Watering will not only strengthen the endurance of the hosta, but also protect its roots from freezing, since heat is better retained in moist soil.
Watering should be carried out in September, at a time when the weather is warm and dry enough. In October, it is better to reduce watering, since natural precipitation already moistens the soil well. When waterlogged, rot can start in the roots, which will be a bad result of pre-winter preparation.
In September, the plant needs to be watered with high quality
Preventive treatments
For garden hostas, harmful insects and fungi are dangerous. Although pests and diseases attack the plant mainly in spring, in autumn larvae and fungal spores settle in the soil and in the remains of plant debris for the winter.
Preventive spraying of perennials is carried out in October. To combat insects and fungi, gentle means are used – Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, soap or onion home solutions. It is better not to spray the plant with strong chemicals in the fall, this can weaken it before winter.
Before wintering, the area with hostas must be sprayed from pests.
An important part of preventive treatment for diseases is cleaning the site. In autumn, it is necessary to collect all plant debris in a flower bed with hostas – fallen leaves, old stems and flowers, small twigs. Garbage is carried to the far corner of the garden and burned. The soil around the hosta should remain completely clean in autumn, this reduces the likelihood that fungi and pest larvae can overwinter in it.
Additional fertilizing
Before the onset of winter, perennial hostas need to be fed with fertilizers. The timing of the procedure depends on the region. In the middle lane, southern regions and the Moscow region, top dressing is carried out in September. In Siberia and the Urals, it is better to add minerals at the end of August, since the cold here comes early.
The most important fertilizers for the plant in autumn are potassium and phosphorus. They strengthen the root system, increase endurance, make the perennial more resistant to cold weather. You can use potassium sulfate or superphosphate, as well as complex mixtures designed specifically for autumn feeding.
Wood ash or bone meal can also be added as a top dressing for the hosta; calcium, phosphorus and potassium are present in these fertilizers. Powders are simply scattered in the near-stem circle. Ashes and bone meal are especially useful for hosta growing in acidic soil, as they make the soil more neutral.
The most important rule for fertilizing perennials in the fall is that nitrogen cannot be added to the soil. Fertilizers containing this substance contribute to the growth of green mass, and they are used only in spring. In autumn, nitrogenous fertilizers will force the hosta to start growing again, and as a result, the plant will not be ready for the cold.
Nitrogen is contained not only in the appropriate mineral supplements, but also in some organic fertilizers. In autumn, the perennial cannot be treated with manure and chicken manure.
In August or September, the perennial is fed with potassium and phosphorus.
If top dressing is carried out in August or early September, then mineral granules can be scattered on the ground around the host. When feeding in September, it is better to apply fertilizer along with watering, then the plant will have time to absorb nutrients before the onset of cold weather.
Mulching
Mulching the trunk circle is a very important step in preparing the host for winter. Although the hosta winters calmly in the open field and belongs to the category of frost-resistant plants, the roots can still suffer if the ground freezes severely. Properly carried out mulching protects the root system of the host and creates insulation.
Mulch can be grass clippings, peat, bark, or compost. The selected material is poured in a dense layer around the plant, the layer should be at least 10 cm thick. The procedure is usually carried out at the end of October, shortly before the first frosts.
You can mulch the plant not only with peat and compost, but also with bark
How to prepare hostas for winter
With the advent of November, the last stage of preparation begins before wintering the hosta in the open field. The plant must be covered from the cold with insulating material.
How to cover the host for the winter
The perennial usually does not require careful winter sheltering. Basically, the procedure boils down to mulching the root zone; freezing of the soil near the roots is especially dangerous for the plant. As a rule, arranging a 10 cm thick mulch is quite enough for a successful wintering.
You can also use your own hosta leaves as mulch.
If the winter is expected to be especially cold and with little snow, it makes sense to additionally cover the host for the winter. Spruce branches are usually used as an insulating material, spruce branches are simply thrown onto a flower bed with a host over the mulch layer.
How to prepare the host for wintering in the regions
Autumn procedures for preparing hosts for winter depend on the region where the perennial grows. In the south, in the middle lane and in the Siberian regions, care for the host in the fall has certain differences.
In the Moscow region and the middle lane
Winters in the middle lane create rather harsh conditions for the hosts. On the one hand, winter temperatures rarely drop below -30-35 °C. But at the same time, sharp temperature drops are characteristic of the Moscow region – the thaw period can be replaced by severe frosts.
In the suburbs, perennials are best cut and mulched with high quality
Climatically, winter in the middle lane usually occurs in late November or early December. Therefore, the preparation of hosts for winter in the Moscow region is carried out on average. Watering and fertilizing is carried out in September.
In the Moscow region and the middle lane, it is necessary to cover the hosts for the winter in mid-October with a thick layer of mulch. If the winter is expected to be severe, spruce branches can also be sketched on top.
In Siberia and the Urals
The weather conditions of Siberia and the Urals differ from the middle zone by greater severity. Winter temperatures here drop down to -45 ° C, so the host needs to be covered for the winter, and not just mulch the winter-hardy perennial with peat or compost.
In Siberia, the host for the winter should be additionally covered with spruce branches
Winter in Siberia and the Urals comes quite early. The first frosts can come as early as late September or early October. Therefore, procedures such as pruning, watering and top dressing are usually carried out as early as August, in which case the host will have time to get nutrients before the onset of cold weather. It is best to prepare the host for the winter in the Urals, namely, to cover and mulch the perennial, it is best in mid-September.
In the southern regions of Our Country
The southern regions provide the best conditions for growing hostas – caring for a perennial in the fall is very simple here. Preparatory work, such as watering, fertilizing and cutting, can be carried out here until mid-October, the climate allows you to take your time.
In the south of Our Country, mulching will be enough for a cropped hosta
In the Krasnodar Territory, the host for the winter can hardly be covered, even mulching the root zone is more of a safety net.
In the Volga region
The climatic conditions of the Volga region are a cross between the South of Our Country and the middle zone. Therefore, care is similar to preparing hosts for winter in the Moscow region. For the winter, it is better to cover the perennial with spruce branches on top of the mulch, since frosts can be quite severe.
In the regions of the Volga region, it is better to cover the plant for the winter more carefully.
Preparatory procedures in the fall are carried out on average, from September to the end of October. It is important to complete all basic hosta care a few weeks before the onset of frost.
In the Leningrad region
Quite mild and warm winters are characteristic of the northwestern part of Our Country and the Leningrad Region. Usually, during the winter, a warming layer of mulch is enough for the host, covering the roots from frost.
Mulch the plant with fallen leaves or peat in the northwest in mid-autumn
Advice of professionals
In order for the wintering of the hosts to be successful, and the plant to start growing rapidly in the spring, it is worth following a few recommendations:
- One of the main mistakes of gardeners is the neglect of autumn watering. Although the perennial goes dormant in the fall, it still needs moisture. In overdried soil, the roots of the plant are not protected from frost and may freeze. Therefore, it is necessary to saturate the earth with water by mid-autumn by at least half a meter.
- late transplant. Bushes transferred to a new site in the middle of autumn do not survive the winter well, their protective functions weaken. The host should be transplanted no later than in August or early September.
- greenhouse conditions. It is recommended to cover the perennial for the winter only with mulch and spruce branches, it is also allowed to cover the flower beds with bark or a thick layer of fallen leaves. But you can’t cover the host with a film, because of it, a greenhouse effect occurs, and the plant begins to rot from the roots.
Before wintering, the plant cannot be transplanted – it needs peace
In autumn, complex minerals with a nitrogen content cannot be added to the soil under the roots of the host, because of this, the life cycle of the plant is disrupted.
Conclusion
Preparing a hosta for winter is easy, you need to perform only a few procedures. The perennial is one of the cold-resistant plants, therefore, with elementary care, it tolerates winter well.
