Hosta As Houseplants?
by Fred Davis, MG, Hill Gardens of Maine, Palermo (To view other previous articles, click Archives)
Welcome through Our Garden Gate! Here's a question from one of our web site visitors, and my response:
"Hi-- For a variety of reasons, I and several co-workers here have inherited some rather unhappy hosta in pots. We are wondering what we can do to revive them, and whether they can be raised as indoor office plants. So far, everything we have found on hosta refers to their care and feeding when they are outdoors, and no one we've talked to has ever tried to raise them inside. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks-- EH, Bismarck, North Dakota"
Hello, Elizabeth....Thanks for your inquiry. There's really no valid reason to suspect that hosta wouldn't thrive indoors in containers—providing a few essential conditions are met.
Hosta have a very robust and large root system, and will need a container considerably larger than most common houseplants. Minimum 12" for a medium-size hosta. (Roots in improved garden soil will spread 18+ inches in all directions—including down—so give them some foot-space.)
A key—and inescapable—requirement is correct soil pH. Lime must be added to maintain nearly neutral pH (your State University Ag Department can provide reliable soil-testing service at a reasonable cost; contact your local Cooperative Extension Service for assistance and instructions). Any medium- to high-quality houseplant potting mix will suffice; add 1 cup of ground limestone to one 20-pound bag. Thereafter, add an ounce or so to the container once each following year.
Trim away all damaged, decaying, or unsightly foliage, and gently wash remaining leaves with a damp sponge or moistened, soft towel. Resist the temptation to coat foliage with products that're supposed to make leaves shiny...they can plug pores and, if used heavily, will attract even more dust...unless you like polishing leaves every week.
As you likely already know, moisture must be maintained—but not a "soggy-bog." And while you may wish to place a saucer or tray beneath each container to protect furniture, that saucer should never be filled with water. Irrigating should be done in a sink, where a flush of water is allowed to completely drain before return to the saucer. (Any sign of whitish-yellowish-brownish deposit around the container's lip or drainage holes is an indication of fertilizer salt buildup—and must be dealt with quickly: Scrape or soak deposits from all surfaces, place the container in a sink, tub or shower, and flush it out thoroughly.)
Hosta (and most other indoor plants) benefit from an occasional shower using slightly-lukewarm water. A shower stall or spray hose attached to the kitchen sink works well. Bathe them once every 2 or 3 weeks—removes dust and cat hair, serves to keep plant's pores open and efficient, and prevents salts build-up.
Every 3 months or so, add a teaspoonful of Osmokote (14-14-14 +/-) per one-gallon-size pot's worth of soil. (By the way, a standard "one-gallon" black plastic nursery container is actually 3/4-gallon. (I've been in the nursery business for years, but I'll never understand why most nursery operators insist on calling 3 quarts a gallon. There must be some slick 'n mysterious, big-city marketing tactic in play here! They use a 6-quart container for a plant, then call it—and price it—as "2-gallon!" Personally, I always feel significantly short-changed when I'm asked to pay $14.99 for a 2-gallon plant that's about the right size for a $6.99, 1-gallon pot.) Enough of that...back to basics:
Most hosta are grown in partial shade. A couple hours of very bright window light early in the day, followed by bright, conventional, fluorescent lighting during the remainder, should suffice. Be aware of drafts, especially during winter months. Allow your plant to "talk" to you. Continuous production of rich, dark green (variegated or other color) leaves, standing tall, lustrous and healthy say, "I really like it where I am!" Leaves which droop, hang, appear dull and possibly faded are saying, "Something is really wrong, here!" Improper pH? Insufficient moisture? Fertilizer salt build-up? Far too much light? Attack by hoards of tiny insects? Your job: Play Sherlock Holmes, then react accordingly. Far better, however, is to be pro-active—prevent problems before they occur.
Spider mites could present an annoying, but manageable, problem. Tiny insects (about 25-30 of the little critters lined up nose to tail might stretch an inch) mites usually congregate at or near the tips of new growth. Mites are piercing-sucking insects, and cause curling and distortion of leaves, and speckled discoloration on the upper surface. Most large garden centers and farm 'n garden stores carry a highly effective natural insect control called "Pyrethrin." That's the one; follow label directions, be sure to avoid inhaling spray mist, and wash up with soap and water when you're done. Yes, it's supposed to be natural and safe, but I still don't want anything in my mouth, eyes or lungs that can kill a bug. Indoor plants should never be sprayed with toxic pesticides for obvious reasons: children, pets, your lungs and bone marrow.
That should give you some guidelines....it's really not as complicated as it sounds. Apply modest intelligence and common sense. Hosta are easy; they've been said to grow on a bald man's head! So, jump right in and enjoy.
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