How can a plant have multiple stems?
Herbaceous plants have a basal region called a crown they regrow from. The crown can form basal breaks. This means there is a region of meristem that has the potential to form new stems as the plant ages. This way the plant grows larger by growing broader as it ages rather than taller like a tree that has just one stem. Herbaceous plants like a hosta have growth ‘eyes’ or buds across the crown that will each produce another stem when the plant breaks dormancy. If the plant is dug up and all soil washed from the root clump when the first shoots break the soil surface in spring it is easy to divide the ‘eyes’ with out damaging the still furled leaves. As herbaceous plants age they grow more ‘eyes’. A 5 year old Hosta may contain 4, 5, & maybe more eyes if it is in optimal conditions with no predation by deer or slugs. Herbaceous root division requires that a bud (or eye) be included in each piece to be able to regrow. Dig around the clump about 6 inches out from the crown where all the s
