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Dividing
Perennial Plants
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Have you noticed your Iris or Black-Eyed
Susan looking a little pale or your prize Chrysanthemum beginning
to outgrow its space? Is your Daylily, Peony, Primrose, Poppy
or Aster dying out in the center? If so, fall is the right
time to divide and replant these or other spring and summer
blooming plants that grow back year after year.
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What
you need to divide or plant perennials |
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Garden
Tools: spade or shovel, heavy-duty sharp knife
or pruning saw, pruning shears, scissors and
water hose.
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Plants:
Asters, Daylilies, Bee Balm, Chrysanthemums,
Goldenrod, Iris, Salvia, Veronica, Peony,
and many other perennials do well when divided
during autumn.
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Water
and Mulch: Water thoroughly and cover soil
with mulch made of chopped leaves, wood chips
or evergreen boughs.
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Dividing established perennials during
autumn months is the easiest and quickest way to make them
healthier - while gaining new plants for your garden or for
sharing with your neighbors. The best candidates for division
are perennial plants that have large, healthy clumps and have
been in the ground several years.
To divide your perennials:
- Try to divide dormant perennials
on a cloudy day when the weather is dry, making sure each
plant division has more roots than shoots.
- Use a shovel to dig deep all the
way around the plant and gently lift out of ground with
your hands.
- Keep as much of the root system
intact as possible. If working with a very large clump,
force the shovel under the root ball to loosen before you
lift plant.
- Shake off loose soil and wash the
crown with a garden hose until you can clearly see roots
and crowns.
- Each division should have two to
five strong shoots with ample roots attached. Divide the
plant into smaller clumps either by hand, or with a knife
or spade. Roots of some older clumps can be so tough that
you'll need to chop them with a hatchet.
- Remove any dead areas and cut back
remaining foliage to half the height of the original clump.
Tall plants like Iris should be cut so the outer leaves
are slightly shorter than the center leaves.
- Replant divided perennials promptly
so roots don't dry out. Set plants out at the same depth
as before, making sure to replant one division back into
the original hole.
- Dig the hole slightly larger than
the division to allow space for the new plant to spread
out its roots.
- To finish up, water thoroughly and
apply mulch to keep soil from drying out and to protect
the plant's root system.
- Keep the soil moist until your new
plant becomes established. Wait until spring before adding
fertilizer.
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