Last Updated on August 15, 2022 by Ellen Christian
Wondering how to divide plants? Check out these tips for dividing your plans so that they are healthier and more vibrant.
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I love gardening and spending time outside. If I had my way, I would be at the garden center every day buying new plants, bushes, and flowers. Sadly, I only have so much room in the garden for plants. Each spring, I find myself having to divide the plants because they are getting too crowded.
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How to Divide Plants
Not everyone knows that you often need to divide plants to continue to have blooms year after year. When the plants get too crowded, they compete for the nutrients in the soil and they just don’t get enough to be healthy. Dividing them allows them to have the room they need.
Typically, if the plant comes back year after year (perennials), it will need to be divided occasionally.
When your plant has grown to twice its size in about two or three years, it will need to be divided. Today I am dividing and transplanting my Egyptian Walking Onions into their new home.
Spring is the best time to divide plants because the plant’s root system is not as developed.
Dividing plants
- Soak the plants well the day before you plan on dividing them or divide them the day after a good rainfall. It is less shocking to the plant that way.
- Before you dig up your plants to divide them, decide where the ones you dig up will go. Make sure you have a hole dug so the divided plant is out of the ground for as little time as possible.
- Using a shovel with a sharp edge, dig up and lift out the entire plant you want to divide.
- Try to get as much rootball as possible without damaging the plant.
- Starting in the center of the plant, carefully pry the plants apart. If you are working with a large clump, you may need to use two shovels to pry it apart in the center.
- Continue separating until the plant will fit in the area you have prepared for it.
- If you only want to remove a small portion of the plant and it does not have a vast root system (like spreading ground cover), you can simply dig up the part that has spread too far. To avoid shock, you need to water your plant well the day before.
- Replant the new plant in its new location as quickly as possible and water well. Remember not to do this in the hottest part of the day or leave your plant in the sun too long.
When I’m working out in the yard, whether gardening or pruning trees, I make sure that the clothes I wear are comfortable and made for yard work, I want to be able to move freely and be protected simultaneously. Duluth Trading Company makes hot weather workwear designed with athletic-inspired performance technology.
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Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
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