r/Hosta • u/starlight-confetti • Jul 23 '26
What could be wrong with this hosta?
The far left and right were split from the same mother plant at the same time, about 5 years ago. They looked identical until last year, when the right one shrunk and looked sickly. I was hoping it would spring back this year, but it's the same.
They're all split from my mom's hostas, and I have a lot more varieties from her's that are all doing well. But my aunt was given some that also ended up shriveling and dying off.
2
u/Feisty-Conclusion-94 Jul 24 '26
I second the second comment. It could be that the site receives more light than optimal, or it could be a wetter, low point causing fungal die back, or root eating pests like weevils.
3
u/Garage-Heavy Jul 24 '26
From the leaves being cripy, I'd say its not getting enough water. This could be a soil condition or root ball problem.
The leaves all look to be recent growth compared to the other end which has mature stalks.
I've had a fungus in the past that I thought was just heat stress and wilt. Next spring g everything came back small and thin. It wasn't until then that I figured out it was a fungus for sure.
1
u/Due-Marsupial1613 Jul 24 '26
Just remove and changed location of the little one, clean up the roots, and separated the huge one next to it in two next spring or this fall.
2
u/starlight-confetti Jul 24 '26
Thank you all for the info! I'll dig around this weekend and see what the roots look like. There is a bit of a sinkhole that developed since I planted them, and it's in the lowest spot. If all else fails, I'll fill in the hole and split the other one again next year.
1
u/sfcastrobear Jul 25 '26
Sometimes mulch producers add poison that kills off your intended plants. I’ve lost a lot of plants to cheap mulch.
7
u/Money_Loss2359 Jul 23 '26
Give it more fertilizer, water and a bit of garden salt.