Dividing Hostas and other Perennials to maximize profit in a nursery!!

I love dividing hosts. In fact, it's probably my single favorite nursery chore. This video helps make sense of why this is such an important skill to learn.
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#dividehostas
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[@savvydirtfarmer]

Are you dividing (multiplying) your hostas yet??

[@vballboy11]

when you put that new division into the pot, it seemed you jammed A LOT of roots in there...wont that get rooutbound super quick? can/should the roots have been trimmed to fit it in that small size pot (compared to root mass)? thank you for all your videos and hard work!

[@savvydirtfarmer]

This one will be fine this size in this pot. It is on the bigger size for these quart pots...most of the divisions will be smaller. But..this will be fine for the season. Roots could be trimmed, for sure, but what you just saw, I've done it a lot, and it doesn't seem to hurt them at all. Good question!

[@hasupatel8981]

Yes I do. Bought one from Garden centre came home and divided into 5 new hosts.👍🙏

[@whitneyanderson6050]

I remember the first time you showed us how to do this. I went to my local nursery and bought a large pot full of hostas. This was last year. Now I have four pots from that one. And each of those pots I have two or three hostas. Thank you times ten+!!! Lesson learned.

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Great! that's how it's done... now get some more hostas... some other plants as well, and repeat this about 100x's, and you've got yourself a nursery.

[@soccermom1245]

Yes!!

[@teresaholland4790]

You and your family are so kind to share your knowledge with us. I am so thankful and very grateful to have found your channel. Blessings to you all. Thank you again.

[@sammysworld5485]

Yes they are super easy to divide & grow. I have spread several in my yard that I had for years.

[@pamelamercado6902]

Your plants in the back ground look so inviting I just love your set up. I saw a plant at one of the big box stores my husband thought it was way too much but after I explained to him how many plants I could get out of that one then he was glad to pay for it. You're right no matter what state you live in hostas are a big seller.

[@ripleymccauley3071]

Wow, sorry for all the rude, know it all comments! People need to realise there are more than one way to do things and you all do what works for you. I’ve learned all from your videos. I really appreciate how you explain everything.

[@EveBrandy]

I can't tell you how incredibly helpful these videos have been to me. I feel as if I will be so prepared to hit the ground running in June. Dividing Hotsas already growing at the new place is exactly where I'm getting my initial stock for next spring. I will also have time to start pots to over winter this fall! Come on June 🎉 Thank you endlessly in advance ❤

[@farmyourbackyard2023]

The majority of the volume in the original pot was root mass. The plant had consumed the potting mix as it broke down. Sometimes, when I'm dividing perennials and I make a "mistake", I just tuck that mistake root/cutting/material in with one of the divisions. If it makes it, then great. If it doesn't, then it will break down.

[@crystalruth3733]

The nursery is looking awesome!!

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Thanks!!

[@cynthiagustafson2541]

Looking forward to those hostas being available!!

[@wordvendor1]

Cool! Another great video! Thanks SDF!💜

[@manuelbarrera5462]

Nope, not yet, I got all of mine really young, I'm gonna wait just a bit. Happy Savvy Saturday!

[@deanacanfield200]

Excellent video, thank you for sharing your experience and skill.

[@hasupatel8981]

Thanks I am a hosta lover .❤

[@anniathome]

I so appreciate your willingness to teach us the necessary skills to be successful! Blessings!

[@savvydirtfarmer]

That's what my channel is for - sharing what little I know encouraging many others to get started figuring out their own way.

[@anythinguploads2161]

Came across your channel a couple of weeks, enjoy your content. Starting again with a mini nursery. First time I was working 70 plus hours a week already so it wasn't a wise choice. Set it up fully and had some plants going but didn't follow through to actually sell the plants. Facebook marketplace wasn't around then too and I just couldn't find the time. I recently bought 3 hostas for my garden. I just looked at the tag and they have patents on them still. Hopefully I can come across non patent ones in this area if i decide on hostas in the future. Appreciate you!

[@denisebalog994]

Thank you Craig for sharing your knowledge with us. I purchased several 4" pots from your last summer big box summer sale video and they wintered over nicely. I don't know if I should hold tight and let them continue to be my "seed" or get them ready to have a mini sale with the Black Eyes Susan and Shasta Daisies I started from seed. They are doing great! I retire June 2nd but I am like a race horse at the gate. Co-workers already cleaned out my tomatoes and have asked to buy whatever I have. 🌼🌱🤗 I even have some Elephant ear plants I wintered over nicely. Thank you to you and your family for being a part of my new season in life. Counting down the days🙌 Sell now or wait?

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Sell them. Use the money to buy more. The time to sell any plant is when it’s ready.

[@loismaddux4800]

I love hostas too!! My favorite!!

[@alyssaperry2994]

I was given the opportunity to dig up free hostas and other perennials in February. I divided them right after I dug them up and I potted them. Made a grow room in my basement and now I have a ton of potted leggy hostas. I think I'm going to let them overwinter in pots this winter and see if they come back looking better next year. I will probably divide them again before fall though. I love dividing plants! This is my first year doing something like this.

[@beckysmith7142]

Thanks! Good information! I too love hostas!

[@jkkelley7582]

Going to divide this year!!

[@John_GGG]

I’m hoping to get a giant hosta from a friend and grow it. I divided others last year👍. Thanks for the push.

[@twigandroot]

Hey Savvy, I hope you're doing well

[@ejfishes7610]

Great video Craig! I split a lot of mine last part of summer/ fall & they’re just starting to wake up here(northwest IL).

[@davesgarden9993]

Everything is looking great! Later in the season you might try getting Mums for fall color. People go crazy for them :)

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Having a terribly hard time locating a mum grower around here that I wouldn’t be in direct business conflict with

[@jeanmyszka387]

Love your channel! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Can you do a video on your fertilization protocol? I remember you doing one a while back, but I would appreciate another. Thank you, God bless you and yours.

[@lilyrosedaisyvioletsweetpe1207]

💚💚

[@SeededGarden]

If I'm not mistaken, a rule of thumb regarding hostas and sunshine is: The lighter the leaves, the more tolerant to sun it is. Dark Blue Angel hostas don't like much direct sun, but Stained Glass or Patriot hostas can tolerate more sun. And you got 17 divisions from a QUART Shasta Daisy? ! I'm gonna go do that soon! I've got plenty of Shastas! And one question: Do you have slugs? Here in the PNW, I have to put my plants up on tables or shelves outside, otherwise the slugs will get into them if they're just on the ground.

[@savvydirtfarmer]

I think the hosta rule of thumb is backwards. Slugs? We have a few for sure, but they aren't a problem just yet.

[@danradtke1663]

👍

[@stephaniegeorge7390]

Thank you so much for these videos! What can I start now that will be ready for summer and fall if I wasn't prepared for spring plants?

[@savvydirtfarmer]

At this point, if you want to start now, I'd just buy and resell plants... keep the money and buy more. Build infrastructure (ground cover, pots, irrigation, etc....), buy small plants/plugs/starts/liners to load the wagon for next year.

[@nel6211]

Even if you screw up and just have the rhizome left, you can put that in a pot and it will grow into a nice plant. I took a big chunk out of 2 my hostas and now have 24 plants in trade gallon pots! Not sure what I 'm going to do with them yet.

[@spacebirb4339]

Here in my country Hostas arent very popular and you can get better with anything that you can divide like Tulips or Grass. I have to say that Europe is very different even then comes to plants than America which is cool after all.

[@1972taco]

In my country, the Netherlands, hostas arent very populair. Snails killed their reputation. Besides there are much more alternatives on the market today, like epimedium for example. Beautiful flowers and leafs and snail recistant!

[@ExcursionEase]

Really enjoying your channel! Can you help me how figure out how to overwinter potted Hosta and other potted plants in zone 6? We do get snow and ice here and I assume I can't leave them on the ground or on the porch the whole winter as they surely freeze.

[@savvydirtfarmer]

I’ve always left mine outside. Frozen solid, stuck to the ground, buried in snow… rain, whatever, and have typically lost very few, if any

[@ExcursionEase]

@@savvydirtfarmer Thank you!

[@kburkes4245]

Question: the hostas I got from you last year are just now starting to unfurl. They're not completely open yet. Do I need to wait until they're fully leafed out to divide them? I am probably a zone behind you in temps.

[@savvydirtfarmer]

I would wait... others would say do it now. I don't think it really matters. I like to wait so I can see better how the plant is growing... helps me divide it better.

[@LibertyFallFarms]

Thanks for this video Craig. Do you have a rule of thumb for the amount of plants that you hold back for splitting?

[@savvydirtfarmer]

I don't and I need to work on that. This last weekend I accidentally sold some of my "mother" plants/ How in the world does that happen? We did 70 transactions in about 2.5 hours (do the math on that). People everywhere. Plants flying out of here so fast I can't keep up with what's what. And, yeah, they got some of my Mother plants. My fault, obviously.

[@LibertyFallFarms]

@@savvydirtfarmer please keep sharing your growing pains us. I believe that will help many succeed when they kinda expect these “lessons “. Also I want to thank you for your desire to educate. Your videos with you and your family has brought back SO MANY memories of me and my dad! He was the head nurseryman at Grassland Nursery in Muscle Shoals back in the 80’s… I had my first paying job there.. Plus he did exactly like you did in Paris.. We went out to business to trim shrubs. We came back with bags of clippings.. We spent hours dipping cuttings in hormone and then placing them in a heated propagation frame.. Cherish these moments with your family. They will remember these days long after you are gone. Thanks again for bringing back the memories and God bless!

[@savvydirtfarmer]

@@LibertyFallFarms I sure appreciate that.

[@hosta127]

I have probably a hundred bare-root hosta that I dug up before a demolition project would have sent them all to the landfill. So I’m wondering the best way to overwinter them. Should I just lay them out on the ground (I would put them on the north side of my house) and cover with soil? compost? mulch? I have sand, compost, soil conditioner and hardwood bark mulch, but no topsoil. And how deep should I cover them? Thanks for being so available to answer questions as we newbies make our way through the first year.

[@savvydirtfarmer]

You can do that. Just don't let the roots dry out and you should be fine,

[@crystalchristine8852]

Have u heard of Gilbert h wilds annual hosta sale going on now..: where u can get random pull or unnamed hostas for $1 a barefoot? I ordered 101.. 99 came up after I potted them! So worth it!

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Sounds like a good way to get cheap plants, but I don’t have any use for unnamed Hostas in my nursery.

[@okpalms1]

Great! So if you divide now and sell next season, how do hostas in trade gallons need to be over wintered?

[@savvydirtfarmer]

I don’t do anything. They sit out in the weather… cold, rain, snow, whatever. Can cover with plastic if you like but I rarely lose any

[@okpalms1]

@@savvydirtfarmer good info! Thank you

[@russhuslage6900]

wondweing wher you live that can leave them outside during winter we have been putting them in a shed but we are going to soon not have enough room

[@savvydirtfarmer]

NW Alabama, zone 7

[@ORIGINALSECRETSCRATCHER]

Is it true, that I can trim off the long, dangly roots and it will not hurt the plant? As long as I do not cut the main taproot. Is that correct?

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Yes

[@kckola4553]

Are most hosta plants patented as so many other plants are? Is there a list, or do we just trust the tags at Lowe's etc...?

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Most hostas? I'd say not. many hostas? Absolutely... as is the case with so many plants. Many of Lowe's plants of any kind are patented, but many are not. There is something of a "family" of hostas that are common, unpatented varieties that are very nice and highly desirable. Most patented plants have some sort of specific labeling or branding on them. When you buy from wholesalers, they are responsible for labeling them as such, either on the plant itself or on their availability listings. It's all a tad confusing, I know. List? I don;t know of any particular list, but you can search plant patents on the google patents database.

[@cyndismith4939]

Know im a little late to the?game but wanted to add that a lot of plants at Lowe's say "patent pending" with no # on the tag and they actually have patents that have long since expired. Green Giant was one I found that stood out to me because of watching your channel for the last year or so.

[@paulinegoundry2288]

O I have a patriot. It's fairly big. And I need to split it. But it's in flower at the moment. Can I split it after its flowered. Thx

[@paulinegoundry2288]

I'm in the uk

[@paulinegoundry2288]

Also can you tell me if the hosta first frost is a dwarf hosta? thankyou

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Divide hostas any time you want... blooming or not. First Frost? Not a dwarf

[@paulinegoundry2288]

Thankyou. That helps. I also have a sugar and spice and I think the other one is called autumn lily ( someone took a leaf snap) it has no .label so I'm just going off his bingo to me off a gardening club were in. I the advise I'm reading on different sites are conflicting so I'm getting confused as to how big these are. Also I'm finding a august moon and can august lily ? Are these the same hosta . Can you help me plz thankyou so much

[@thecrimsonhosta7042]

Do you have a list of rapid or faster growing hostas?

[@savvydirtfarmer]

I do not. But any hosta, unless it's a miniature, is relatively fast growing each season when they come out. Generally, the larger the hosta variety, the faster it grows.

[@SeanJones-vb2wh]

Why dont you use a polytunnel to grow plug plants in flats or linners

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Haven't seemed to need it so far

[@kstellad]

Where do you find your patent info? I’m googling and can’t find patents for hostas

[@savvydirtfarmer]

try this ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html

[@barebones5884]

The adverts that are being served up on your channel are too long. This one advert which is 46 minutes keeps coming up and I am pretty sure many people are skipping them. I find that when an advert is under a minute, I will usually watch it to support a channel. Perhaps you could look into this? Are you able to choose? There are some as short as 20 seconds. Great video as always

[@savvydirtfarmer]

Thanks for watching! I have no say whatsoever into the ads. I never understood those real long ads, as if ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ever watches them. I certainly don't.

[@EveBrandy]

I too try to watch ads. My understanding is if you let it play 30 seconds the content creator makes all they're going to off that. So I will let it play 30 and then skip.😎

[@ScarletKnightmare]

I've heard that hostas are edible. Has anybody here tried that?

[@EveBrandy]

Yes they are, all of them. Try new shoots for best taste. Not bad, not fantastic.

[@Bea768]

@@EveBrandy I tried them too. They kind of taste like asparagus.