Hi all! I was recently gifted a hosta (I think the 'guacamole' type?) by a friend who gave it to me in a 17in wide and about 20 in tall pot. I'm currently trying to keep the plant in the pot and grow it indoors (I live in DC and don't really have the ability to grow it in the ground outdoors).

Ever since I got the plant, it hasn't looked great. It's been droopy and getting more so by the day. I've tried putting it outside and then moved it back inside, and I've tried watering and not watering. I'm not really sure what's wrong. Some of the leaves have gotten dry and brown at the ends, but the soil is still damp near the roots.

I've tried looking this up and trying out different solutions, but I'm getting some conflicting advice, so I'm all ears and appreciate the help in advance!

Welcome to the site!

Hosta's are outdoor plants, you can grow them in containers. Believe your location is 7B, which would allow it to grow year round in a container.

Does the container have drainage holes?

https://northerngardener.org/g...

Oh great! The container has holes, yes. Will the plant survive the winter? It's going to drop below 40 degrees F next week.

aubswalsh, at this point I would just cut the leaves off, leave about 1/2 above the ground. Put a saucer under the pot and treat it like a house plant. Hostas can be grown in a pot but the leaves need some help. When you cut it, then give it half strength fertilizer. Do you plan on using a grow light? You can do this!! Welcome to the forum!!

i've never tried growing hosta indoors.
My guess would be that it was dug from outdoors and may have lost roots in the process, also may have been getting nature's signals that summer's over and it's time to go dormant.
I guess you can try in indoors but if it doesn't perk up in a few weeks, place it outside.

aubswalsh said: Oh great! The container has holes, yes. Will the plant survive the winter? It's going to drop below 40 degrees F next week.

If freezing conditions are forecast, just bring the plant indoors, during the winter when it is not freezing, they require very little water, just an occasional watering.

Your hosta should be outside as it need min. 30 days of below 43 degrees to come back. And I would not fertilize in the Fall, you do not want growth right when it wants to go dormant. Wondering if they had just divided it and potted it up before giving it to you. Leaves should be getting brown at the edges this time of year and are you letting the soil dry out a bit before watering?

NJBob, I took it that they wanted it to grow inside during the winter months. With the leaves that droop the only way to get it to come back is to cut and fertilize it.
By treating it as a house plant it will get a better start on growth come spring. Personally, I grow all ours in the ground and just finished cutting them back for the
winter months. But know of other gardeners that grow in pots. I am also concerned about the size of the pot, it might be lost in the larger pot as it appears to be just one eye.

Thank you all, this is very helpful! I've been curious as to whether the pot is too large also. karmahappytoes when you say cut the leaves off and leave "about 1/2 above the ground," do you mean half of the leaves or cut it so that 1/2 of the stems are sticking out of the soil in the pot?

aubswalsh, I personally would find a smaller pot and then sink it into the larger one, double pot until the one eye is larger. I would cut the eye 1/2 inch above the soil. If growing in pots you want them to be root bound, so smaller pot. Do you plan on keeping the hosta in a pot? Best of luck!

Even if wanting as a house plant it needs to die back and have the 30 days of cold temps.

karmahappytoes is the "eye" where all the stems originate? I do plan to keep the plant in a pot just because I'm in an apartment and rent, so I'm not sure how long I'll be living in my current location.

NJBob are you saying I should just put the pot outside and let the cold kill the leaves, essentially? And then what would be the next step after the 30 days? Also, I haven't watered in at least a couple of weeks now, as I thought maybe it had been over-watered (it rained a decent amount on it a few weeks back when I had it outside).

Thanks to everyone! I appreciate your expertise

aubswalsh, yes to your question. Why not leave it outside if you have a place that is allowed. Making sure that the pot has a drainage hole so it won't sit in water. It would do much better outside and not a house plant. Just make sure it's close to the foundation of the apt. even if you are a few floors up. Just let it do it's own thing, in the spring it should thrive. I have many friends that grow them in pots so they can move them around. I have some hosta seeds if you want to try starting some that I have harvested from our collection. Let me know.

Agreed. They do not make good house plants. You don't want it to be wet and go through a freeze-thaw cycle, but in your zone, it will probably do fine in a pot outside in the winter. But they NEED that period of dormancy. I suspect that if you haven't already rotted the roots by having them in soil that doesn't dry out sufficiently, that it should survive. I wouldn't water again until spring.

Yes put it outside in an area that it will get some rain when it comes and as protected an area as you can put it. Hoe it makes it for you.

I have inadvertently left hostas in pots over winter here in Pa and they come back . Most are tough as nails.

Ah that is all super helpful, thanks everyone! I'll put the pot back outside in a fairly protected location close to my building and keep an eye on it throughout the winter. Thanks for all of the tips!