• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Plant for Success logo
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Lawn
    • Lawn Weeds
    • Landscape
    • Plants
    • Pest Control
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Lawn
    • Lawn Weeds
    • Landscape
    • Plants
    • Pest Control
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    How and When to Divide Hostas

    Written by Mark · April 29, 2021 · 6 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links. Read more ->

    Learn how and when to divide Hostas using this step by step tutorial. There are a couple of different methods to choose from when dividing Hostas. Follow this guide to find the best method for you.hosta plant right before it gets divided

    Hostas are one of America’s most popular perennials. With over 3000 registered varieties, these perennials are a staple of the shade garden, although some varieties can thrive in sun. There are so many reasons to love Hostas, it’s no wonder they are a favorite among gardeners. Hosta’s are easy to care for, easy to propagate by division, long living, and most importantly beautiful and diverse in color, shape, and texture. 

    Although dividing Hosta is not usually necessary, it has many advantages that make them one of the most commonly divided perennials by gardeners and do it yourselfers. Dividing Hostas helps prevent overcrowding, and improves the overall health of your Hostas and surrounding plants. My personal favorite reason for dividing these perennials is you get free plants! 

    When to Divide Hostas

    Early spring and fall are the best times to divide Hosta, but these perennials are so resilient they can be divided anytime throughout the growing season as long as they receive adequate water.

    I prefer to divide in early spring right before they unfurl (right before the leaves open up from their curled up state). This allows you to see where the plant is and where you have to dig, but at the same time the leaves aren’t big enough to be in the way.

    Also, dividing perennials in spring lets you use spring rains to your advantage and allows the plant plenty of time to get established before the heat of summer, or freezing cold of winter. 

    How to Divide Hostas

    In the steps below I’m dividing a gigantic Hosta in the front of my property. Normally I would dig up the entire plant, but since this is so large I’m actually slicing through the middle of the plant while it’s still in the ground, and only digging up half.  This is usually necessary for really large plants. 

    1. Dig Around the Base- Start by using a flat (affiliate) edging shovel  to dig around the base of the area you are looking to dig out. In this example I’m only digging out half the plant so I sliced through the middle of the plant in between the foliage that’s starting to unfurl.

    To stay in control place the shovel where you want to dig in, and then use your foot to press down on the shovel. Your body weight is doing the work. Don’t throw your arms, or stab at the area.

    You don’t have to go too deep at this point. The main goal of this first pass is to break through the top of the ground and get a shape of the area you are digging out. 

    man using foot to push edging shovel into clump of hostas to divide them

    2. Dig Deeper and Pull Up- Again, with the edging shovel, go around the same area you just dug into at least one more time.  For every lap around the plant you make, you’ll be able to dig a little deeper. Eventually you’ll be deep enough where you can start to use more of a prying action to push the clump out of the ground (as seen below).

    prying hosta up with shovel

    3. Shake Off Dirt- Once you get the clump free from the ground, gently lift it up, barely off the ground, and drop it a couple of times to shake off as much dirt as possible (see below). This will make it easier to handle and minimize the amount of dirt that will need to be replaced. 

    man shaking off dirt from hosta clump

    4. Put Clump Onto Tarp Or Flat Area- Once you feel you have removed most of the loose dirt, put the clump onto a tarp or blanket. I like to place on a blanket on top of a hardscape surface. This clump below is on top of a painters blanket on the side of my driveway.

    hosta clump on blanket

    5. Use Edging Shovel to Cut Into Sections- From here, use the edging shovel to cut the clump into smaller sections. I try to find areas of the clump that are naturally divided. The idea is to prevent slicing through the eyes or leaf portions if possible. I find this part to be much easier on a hardscape surface. You can control your cut better and won’t need as much force. 

    man digging edging shovel into hosta clump to divide it

    I divided this clump into three sections (see below)…

    hosta divided into sections with edging shovel in background

    90% of the time, this is where I would take the three clumps above and simply plant them wherever I intended too. I really prefer this kind of dividing where you’re taking larger chunks of the plant with multiple eyes per section.

    These clumps are resilient and less likely to dry out. They have more roots and will be easier to establish. Also, if a few eyes within these sections fail, it doesn’t matter since other parts can still get established. 

    6. Optional, Rinse Off Roots and Cut With Knife- If you’re looking to get more divisions, then you will need to go a little further then the last step. After establishing the 3 clumps like we did in step 5, you’ll have to prepare the clumps to be divided again.

    This time more precision is required since you are dealing with smaller clumps. A long knife is a better tool for this job. Any long, sharp knife will work but it’s best if you can get a (affiliate) garden knife.

    But before dividing again, I recommend rinsing off as much dirt as possible.  I like to fill a wheelbarrow with water and bob the plant up and down like I’m creating a wave pool. This knocks away a lot of the dirt tangled up in the roots and will make it much easier to cut and be precise with the knife. 

    man rinsing dirt off of roots of hosta

    Once clean (or cleaner) use the knife, or your hands to separate sections.

    Hostas have a clumping root system. You should be able to use your knife and hands to separate these clumps and slowly pull them apart. There might be some tangling of the roots but as you separate clumps the roots will become untangled.  Don’t worry if some of the clumps get compromised. 

    man using knife to divide hosta

    This is what one of the divisions looks like:

    man holding a hosta division

    7. Transplant- Once you have your new divisions, it’s time to transplant them in their new location. Make sure you dig a hole plenty wide enough so you can spread the roots out. Don’t plant too deep. You should see a soil mark from where they were previously planted. Don’t bury deeper than this mark. 

    Incorporate compost into the existing soil and use your hands to pat down the soil around the Hosta so you get good soil to root contact. For more about planting Hostas check out: How to Plant Hostas

    8. Keep Watered!- As with all transplants, keep your Hostas watered until established. Continue to monitor their health especially as you begin to back off on watering. 

    For more information on Hostas and other shade garden plants check out : Beautiful Shade Garden Ideas

    Check Out These Posts Next

    Beautiful Shade Garden Ideas

    Advantages of Drip Irrigation

    When to Cut Back Perennials

    How to Edge a Garden Bed

    When to Prune Shrubs

    How to Install Landscape Fabric

    When to Prune Hydrangeas

    Fall Gardening: Tips and Maintenance

    Protecting Evergreens from Winter Burn

    Follow Me

    Join my free email list!

    Plus, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

     

    Landscape, Plants

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. rose says

      May 5, 2021 at 1:51 am

      I have over 25 varieties of Hosta in my yard and absolutely love them. I use a similar approach to you cutting them with a knife. I like to get as many divisions as possible to get even more free plants!

      Reply
      • Mark says

        May 5, 2021 at 4:09 pm

        25 sure is a lot, that’s so cool! It’s crazy how many different colors and textures there are, and division is such a great way to get free plants!

        Reply
    2. Brian says

      April 3, 2022 at 6:07 pm

      Can you mix hostas when re planting
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Mark says

        April 4, 2022 at 2:04 pm

        Yes you can. Just make sure you give them enough spacing in between each plant to prevent overcrowding.

        Reply
    3. June Moffatt says

      February 1, 2023 at 9:01 pm

      Can you over water hostas. Or. Under water them. I simply love them but never have much luck with them 🥴

      Reply
      • Mark says

        February 2, 2023 at 2:26 pm

        What exactly are you seeing happen? Do the leaves turn yellow, or brown? Does the discolor start at the tip? Hostas are pretty tough once established so it’s probably unlikely you are over watering. If anything they could be in too much sun. Let me know what exactly you’re seeing and I’ll be happy to help!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    HI, I’M MARK

    My mission is to help you achieve the best lawn and landscape you've ever had! Join me in the yard and I'll teach you all my lawn care, plant care, and landscaping secrets.

    More about me →

    Follow Us

    Free Lawn Programs Plus 12 Lawn Tips You Need to Know!

    Popular Posts

    • When to Prune Hydrangeas
    • Lawn Care Schedule Using Only 3 Products
    • Top Dressing Lawn: Benefits and Advice
    • White Grubs: Prevention and Treatment

    Find posts from...

    • Landscape
    • Lawn
    • Lawn Weeds
    • Pest Control
    • Plants

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Blog

    Copyright © 2021 Plant for Success