Dividing potted hostas

christomargo

Hi, I have quite a few a Hostas that have been growing very well in pots for a number of years and are now ready to be divided this autumn. So that I don’t transport slug and snail eggs to the new planting positions, can I rinse off the soil and replant them with bare roots?
They look like lace doilies at the moment so I just know the pests are lurking in there ready for a new feast next year. I use nematodes, beer traps and slug pellets but nothing works ☹️

Wilderbeast

You can do that no problems, slugs will still find the hosta though so keep up the prevention

Posy

Yes, the problem is not in the soil because slugs will come to the plants anyway. If you keep them in containers, it's easy: get a dish or tray at least two inches deep and fill it with water. Stand one or two bricks in the water, away from the edges and with their surface above the water. Put the container on the bricks and ensure that the leaves do not touch any other plant. No slugs.

christomargo

Posy said:

Yes, the problem is not in the soil because slugs will come to the plants anyway. If you keep them in containers, it's easy: get a dish or tray at least two inches deep and fill it with water. Stand one or two bricks in the water, away from the edges and with their surface above the water. Put the container on the bricks and ensure that the leaves do not touch any other plant. No slugs.

Thanks for the tip! I know they’ll find them anyway but if I can start out with uninfested soil I can at least have some chance of unshredded plants, particularly if I follow your tip of using bricks and water 😊

christomargo

Wilderbeast said:

You can do that no problems, slugs will still find the hosta though so keep up the prevention

Thanks! And I certainly will 😊