Hostas are very appreciated plants to give gardens and exteriors a touch of light and color thanks to their great decorative potential. Its striking leaves, especially in the nuanced varieties, do not even need the beautiful flowering of the plant to embellish any corner.
If you want to learn how to care for these plants, which are very undemanding and suitable for beginners, join us in this EcologíaVerde article on the host care.
Characteristics of the hosta plant
We call you hosta or beautiful, although in reality it is not a single species but a whole genus of plants, the Hosta, which is part of the Agavaceae family. There are about forty species of perennial plants, of great diversity in terms of size and color of their leaves, although all of them stand out for their great ornamental value. They are plants native to China and Japan, widely used both in outdoor spaces and in the decoration of floors and interiors.
The most common species that are marketed can grow to sizes of about 150 cm in diameter in ideal conditions, with leaves that, regardless of their size, stand out for their marked rib. These can have very different shades of green and even patterns such as the nuanced varieties, with the edge of their leaves almost white and highly appreciated for this characteristic.
Flowering, which occurs at the beginning of summer, gives rise to grouped inflorescences in the form of little white bells arising from the flower stem.
Location for the hostel
The hostas or beautiful They can be grown both indoors and outdoors, although it is true that it is more common to find them in gardens and green areas, especially in shaded or semi-shaded areas.
The best thing to do is to locate them either foot of a tree that protects them from the direct sun or find a place in the shade, since these plants need a high environmental humidity to grow strong and quickly. However, it is important to pay attention to which specific species of hosta you are growing, as there are some small ones that need more exposure to light.
Soil for the hosta
The hosta is not a particularly demanding plant in terms of the soil in which it is grown, the most important thing being to take care of its only true requirement: humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to give it a soil capable of retaining that certain level of humidity that the plant needs, both in the ground and in a pot.
The hosta, like almost all plants, does not tolerate waterlogging, but it will appreciate a clay soil with the ability to retain moisture but keep sufficient drainage. If your soil is not capable of retaining moisture, you can improve its properties by adding vermiculite and perlite to the soil, which will improve its properties of balance between water retention and drainage.
In a pot, the universal mixture with earthworm humus, coconut fiber and peat in equal parts, plus a handful of vermiculite and perlite, will give excellent results. The plant is not very demanding in terms of organic matter in the substrate, but it will also appreciate one rich in it.
Irrigation for the hosta
Given the main requirement of the plant, which we have already mentioned, it is easy to realize that proper watering is vital for your hosta to be in the best condition. You must water often enough so that the substrate does not dry out never at all, although, as always, avoiding puddles at all costs.
If your hosta is in a dry environment, it will also help a lot if spray some water on its leaves although, yes, always early or late in the day, so that the drops do not have a magnifying effect with the sun that falls on the leaves. If, on the other hand, the plant is in a humid environment, it will need less watering.
Subscriber for the hosta
The best thing, as always when the plant does not have very specific needs in terms of nutrients, is to use organic and ecological fertilizers. You can add compost around the stem of the plant every 15 or 20 days during the spring and summer months, thus allowing the plant to have nutrients on hand to continue developing.
Here you can learn about How to make homemade compost and Types of compost.
Dangerous pests for the hosta
Being plants that need a humid environment, hostas are one of the most appetizing foods for snails and slugs, which will not hesitate to go to them to devour their leaves. For this reason, it is common to plant them in containers even outdoors, as it makes it easier to keep these avid mollusks at bay. In any case, it is enough to frequently review the state of the plant to remove by hand any unwanted visitors and, if the problem becomes serious, use ecological traps like the one on the beer plate. Still, we recommend limiting these methods to cases where they are really necessary.
Here we tell you how to eliminate slugs and snails naturally.
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