Reproduction of hosts: terms, methods, rules, tips

Even a novice florist will be able to propagate the host on his own plot on his own. The easiest way to achieve this goal is by dividing an adult bush or cuttings. The “Queen of the Shadow” is unpretentious, tolerates these procedures quite easily and usually takes root well in a new place. A more troublesome and long way to propagate hosta is to grow it from seeds. In nurseries specializing in these plants, methods of artificially obtaining them “in vitro” are popular: from a kidney (microclonal) or cells of an educational tissue (meristem). To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each of these hosta breeding methods, it is worth studying their features in more detail.

How does a hosta reproduce?

The choice of breeding method for the hosta largely depends on its characteristics. In particular, you should take into account:

• whether it is a species plant or a bred variety;
• the bush grows quickly or slowly;
• large or small leaves.

When choosing a hosta breeding method, it is necessary to take into account the features that characterize a particular variety or species.

Hosta, like most herbaceous perennials, can be propagated:

• seeds;
• vegetatively.

In the first case, seeds collected in late summer or early autumn are sown in containers for seedlings. After the appearance of the first leaves, the seedlings dive into separate pots and continue to grow indoors, creating and controlling favorable conditions for them. Transplantation into the ground on a seedling bed is usually carried out in the second year and only for 3-4 years is transferred to a permanent place.

This method is most often used for growing slow-growing species hostas (for example, Tokudama). As for hybrid plants, not all of them can easily set seeds. In addition, the probability that the seedlings will retain and show all the signs of the variety is extremely small.

Slow-growing species hostas are usually propagated by seed.

Most often, varietal hosts are propagated vegetatively – growing them from viable organs separated from the mother plant. This is done by:

• dividing the bush;
• rooting cuttings (young shoots with roots);
• propagation by leaves;
• obtaining plants “in vitro”, or “in vitro” (microclonal and meristem methods).

The most popular method of propagating hostas is by dividing the bush. It is usually used for adult plants at the age of 5-6 years, while rejuvenating them. Spring and early summer are considered the optimal period for division. However, reproduction in this way of some types of hosts (Siebold, Tokudama) is allowed only in the fall, since their root system develops only after the leaves open. The bush, together with the rhizome, is dug out of the ground, washed with water, inspected for damage and eliminated, then cut at the base and planted in new places. Slow growing hostas are best cut in half, while fast growing hostas can be cut into 3-4 smaller pieces.

The division of the bush allows you to propagate and rejuvenate the adult host

How to propagate hostas from cuttings

Another method of hosta propagation, often practiced by gardeners, is rooting cuttings. A step-by-step description and a photo will help to present all the subtleties of this procedure, the essence of which is the cultivation of a new plant from a shoot with a part of the rhizome separated from the mother specimen. At the same time, as well as as a result of dividing the bush, the young host retains all the characteristics inherent in the variety. However, digging up the bush of the mother plant in this case is not required.

Propagating a hosta from cuttings is no more difficult than dividing a bush, but you do not need to dig it out

Recommended dates

Reproduction of hosts by cuttings is recommended to perform:

• in the middle of spring;
• summer, end of June and beginning of July.

The shoot usually takes 3-4 weeks to take root.

Cutting and preparation of cuttings

Both adult and young hosta bushes can be propagated in this way. The cutting should be prepared immediately before rooting.

To do this:

• carefully separate the shoot from the bush with a young leaf rosette and a piece of rhizome (the so-called “heel”);

  

• cut off the upper part of the leaves at the cutting 1 / 3-1 / 2, which will contribute to better rooting and reduce moisture evaporation.

  

Planting hosta cuttings in the ground

The resulting cuttings can be planted in open ground or in a container. It is important that the soil for the hosta is nutritious, light, air and water pass well. When planting in a container, you need to choose a container with holes in the bottom for good drainage.

Next, you should do this:

• plant the cutting to a depth of about 5 cm, sprinkle with soil and gently compact it;

  

• the place should be in the shade or with artificial shading;

  

• the stalk should be well watered;

  

• then cover its ground part with a glass or plastic cap, creating a “greenhouse”.

  

The first couple of days after planting in the ground, the cuttings will hurt and wither, the remnants of the stems will limply fall to the ground. This is a natural process, and after a while they will begin to come to life. It is important to provide them with proper care: water the soil as it dries up and leave it without shelter for 1-2 hours a day.

How to propagate a hosta leaf

The possibility of propagating hosta with leaves is also noted, but this method is little practiced, since it rarely leads to the desired result. For these purposes, it is recommended to cut off a large healthy leaf at the base of the stem, hold it in the Kornevin solution, then plant it in a pot with a peat substrate and place it in a greenhouse.

There are several reviews of flower growers claiming that they were able to successfully reproduce the hosts in this way. However, as a rule, the leaf does not take root and dies.

Care of plantings

Caring for seedlings, cuttings or cuttings planted in the open field is not difficult. It can be boiled down to these main points:

1. Regular watering is carried out as the soil dries out, about 1 time in 3 days. It is advisable to use settled water at room temperature. It is important that drops do not fall on the leaves.
2. After watering or rain, the soil under the bushes is carefully loosened or mulched.
3. The host is fed three times per season: in spring, during flowering and after it ends. Alternate organic compounds with mineral ones.
4. Pruning can be done once a year, with the onset of spring. Last year’s foliage should be removed from the bush, cut off the damaged areas and treat the damaged areas with a fungicide.
5. Before the onset of winter cold, the ground at the roots must be mulched with peat or sawdust. If severe frosts are expected, you can additionally cover the plants with “breathable” material: spruce branches, agrofibre.

Proper care of the host after planting is the key to its health and decorative appearance.

What other ways are there to propagate hostas?

The most modern vegetative propagation method for hosta is considered to be “in vitro”, or “in vitro”. It is popular with nurseries that specialize in supplying large quantities of varietal planting material to the market.

Reproduction of hosts by the “invitro” method is performed in two ways:

1. Microcloning. In this case, a bud or shoot is separated from the mother plant, placed in an artificial environment and an optimal regime of humidity, temperature and light is created. A young plant develops under such conditions for a couple of weeks, after which it can be cloned again by separating the buds and cuttings and growing them in separate “test tubes”. However, if, unfortunately, the mother host was a carrier of the virus, all descendants will also be infected.
2. meristem reproduction. It is used when it is necessary to improve the health of a mother plant affected by dangerous infections. Means allocation at a host of cells of the meristem tissue which is in kidneys. Of these, new plants are grown in an artificial environment. They are carefully checked for the presence of infection, discarding those infected with viruses, and healthy ones are subjected to further cloning.

Thus, hundreds of thousands of plant specimens can be obtained from one organ. However, it does not always happen that clones retain all the varietal characteristics of the parent host. The components of the artificial environment in which they are grown can cause genetic changes in cells. Sometimes clones are so different from the mother plant that they are given the status of a new variety (an example is hosta “June” – the result of microcloning of the variety “Halcyon”). This property is well known to breeders and often used by them.

Reproduction “in vitro” allows you to get a large amount of planting material from one plant organ in a short time

When buying a hosta that has been propagated “in vitro”, it is advisable to make sure that it has a closed root system and fully unfolded leaves. The latter will help determine whether it really corresponds to the declared variety.

Conclusion

You can propagate the host in several ways, depending on the conditions and tasks set by the growers, the type and variety of the plant, as well as its inherent features. Reproduction of species slow-growing hostas is most often carried out by seeds, while in other cases the most common methods are bush division and cuttings. Occasionally they resort to rooting the leaf, but most often it fails. In industrial floriculture, today they use the method of growing hostas “in vitro” by microcloning or obtaining new plants from cells of meristem tissue.