Divide hostas now while they are sprouts?

My hosta is just now sprouting up is it ok to divide them now while they are sprouts? their are about 10 or 15 in each little clump. What do you all think?
Thank you all Margie :-?

moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic

 

Yes Margie, it is much easier to divide earlier in the season as you can avoid leaf damage and the divided plants will look more symmetrical. Smaller plants I divide by hand or with a garden trowel. Larger plants with 40 to 60 or more sprouts are done with a shovel.

Jerry

 

I like to divide my Hosta's as soon as I see the sprouts poking through the soil.

 

In my last house I must have had tousands of $ worth of Hosta. I think I set up the whole town with divisions.
I even left some out on top of the ground for 2 years. That means it went thru the 4 seasons with exposed roots on top of the ground. In MAssachusetts, snow and ice.
They still grew. Then I finally planted them and they grew beautifully.
Hostas can be diveded pretty much anytime but they are easier when they are just popping in spring.

 

One lady wanted me to divide one huge hosta she had been given and plant the divisions. I had to use Grandfather's ax to cut into the hosta. The plant was so solid it hardly wanted to break apart.

 

Couple years back - prior to me ever knowing that hostas have solid wood roots I bought a gorgeous 5 gallon pot that was just overflowing. I ended up giving the daughter enough to grow a 10' row and I have 5 large pots of them myself. Took an axe to get them all cut apart.

 

I had a lovely hosta that the deer kept demolishing, gobbling it up like it was candy. In disgust, I dug the whole thing up and threw it on the compost heap; where, you guessed it, it flourished!! It was so beautiful there, I had a change of heart & it is back in my garden. I keep applying Deer Away to it.

 

Islandlife, It is a pleasure to know that I was not the only one to use an ax to divide hostas!

 

Yeah the shovel just wasn't working

 

Islandlife, Do keep the shovel. It will be needed to dig a hole to plant hostas.

 

I think Hosta are a plant that can take the most abuse...deer mutilate them the whole growing season. Actually most plants survive deer attacks. Deer and voles probably do the most damage to trees than anything. If they scratch the bark of a tree all the way around, called girdling, that tree will die. I cut back or trim my plants during the whole growing season. I may consider weather they have flowered or not but that's it. I started thinking in this way when I realize that deer munch all summer and my plants actually fill out and get stronger. They do me a nice service, except, like my hubby, they don't always leave the plant looking nice and even. LOL

All that being said, I would like to tell you that I dig, move or pot up plants just about anytime. The key is to water, water, water if moving or splitting them. They may quit blooming, die back or just look sad for a while but by the next spring they should come back nicely. That's my 2 pennies worth...

 

@waretrop , yes my compost piles are overflowing by the end of the growing season & the bulk of it is garden trimmings & weeds instead of kitchen parings!

And I agree, plants are pretty indestructible creatures if you know what they need.

 

And I call it the plants "will to live"... It will try to continue by hook or by crook...

 

I wish I had a photo to post of all the tomato, squash, herb & perennial seedlings I have growing in and around my compost bins!

I gave a fellow gardener a n extra hosta plant & while getting some compost to fill the pot with, the neighbor noticed how many escapees I had growing in & around the compost bin. He said he could fill his garden up with my escapees!