Dividing hosta

Jliongrrrl

I have a giant hosta plant that I want to divide. It's about as tall as I am and the leaves are bigger than my head. I've read that you can divide in the fall or spring. My questions is if I divide in the fall, do I cut it down to make it easier to manage? How far down would I cut it? Or do I dig up this entire enormous plant and try to wrangle all the leaves etc?

another KT

I've seen some big hosts (leaves bigger than my head) but never one as tall as a person.  I would try not cutting it back in the fall.  You don't have to dig up the entire plant to divide it.  You can loosen the soil with a shovel around the side you want to remove.  Then use the shovel to slice through the section you want to remove.  Then you just have to wrangle out the section or sections you want to remove and leave some of it in place, it that is your plan.  You will loose some leaves but you shouldn't loose all of them.  Or wait till the spring when the leaves are just starting to poke through the soil.

Jliongrrrl

Thanks! All the videos I can find online show normal sized hosta which looks much easier to divide!

+j+k+

As tall as you??? Are you sure that's a hosta?

Apr06

I've literally divided them any time of year and they have always come back.  Even the tiniest part of the root has always taken.