Hosta Damage

Question

My hostas were coming up very nicely when we were hit with a hail storm…Pea/marble sized driven by the wind. Should I leave them alone to see if they will grow more leaves, or cut them to the ground to see if they will send up new shoots?

Answer 1

I’m sorry you got hit by a hail storm! There’s no harm in leaving them alone, and in fact you might do more damage than good by cutting them back. The leaves should continue to grow (although yours are pretty badly damaged, so they may not come back as full and beautiful as you’re used to). If they were mine, I’d clean up as much debris and loose matter as possible, maybe give them a light layer of mulch, and leave them alone. I’ve had hostas that were eaten almost down to the ground over the years by deer and they always bounced back, just not as big.

Here are some articles that may help you:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/hail-crop-damage.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/hosta/cutting-back-hosta-plants.htm