Multiply by Dividing

We all enjoy finding bargains, and getting something for free is even better. When it comes to perennial plants, it’s easy to get more of them for free. All it takes is a little bit of manual labor. And early spring is the best time to do it.

Perennials that have been in the ground for more than three or four years become crowded and don’t produce as many flowers as they did when first planted. They will benefit from being divided. Just dig them up, cut them into four or more sections and replant.

If you’ve never done this before, don’t worry. It’s easy and virtually fool-proof. The best time to do it is early spring when the plants start coming up.

There are two basic methods of dividing perennials. The easiest way is to dig up the whole plant. Use a long-handled shovel and put the blade straight down into the earth about an inch or two out from the edge of the plant. Make deep cuts (at least 6 inches, so you’ll preserve most of the roots) all the way around the plant. Then put your shovel into the cut and pull back, trying to lift the plant. You may have to move the shovel around the plant, pulling back each time, before the plant is free.

The root ball will be quite heavy, so be careful not to hurt your back while moving it. If you have room, put the plant on the ground right beside its original hole. If not, take it to a bare spot of ground or to a potting bench.

If the plant is on the ground, you can use your shovel to cut the plant in half, then in half again and you’ll have four new plants. If the plant is large, you can make more cuts and get even more plants. One seasoned gardener we know divided one large hosta into 13 separate plants.

If the plant is up on a potting bench, use a hand trowel to make the cuts. Or, to avoid cutting the roots, you can use two hand forks, pushed into the plant back to back. When you pull the forks apart, the plant should divide easily.

However, if the roots are too thick for the forks, you’ll have to cut the plant apart by using a hand saw or old steak knife. More experienced gardeners, like Lavalette’s Mark Springer, use a machete to divide plants.

Make the cuts between where stalks are coming up. Each division should have at least three stalks. Don’t be afraid of hurting the plants. In early spring, they’re pretty strong and ready to grow.

The plants divided by the above method will be smaller for a year or two than the original plant was, but should reach maturity again by the third or fourth year. However, if you have a large specimen plant, like a hosta, that you want to keep in its place, there’s another method to get divisions from it.

Use your shovel and cut narrow pie-shaped sections of the plant. You can easily take three pie-shaped sections, spaced evenly around the plant. It’s a little more difficult to get these out of the ground without damaging the rest of the plant, but gentle persistence will pay off. Fill in the pie-shaped empty spaces with organic-enriched soil and the mother plant will quickly fill in and by mid-summer you won’t be able to tell part of the plant had been removed.

Now that you’ve got a bunch of divisions, you should either put them into the ground or into plastic pots as soon as possible.

When putting divisions into your beds, mix some good organic matter (compost, mushroom compost, peat, etc.) into the hole. Put the plants exactly as deep as they were originally. Water well every few days (unless it rains) for a couple weeks to give the plants a good start.

If you’re putting the divisions into plastic pots, use even more organic matter or regular potting mix to fill the pots. Water well every day or every other day, since pots dry out quickly. You can leave the plants in these pots for several weeks until you decide where in your garden to put them, or you can give them to friends or trade them with neighbors. Or take them to the Master Gardeners Perennial Exchange, which will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday April 22 at the Huntington Museum of Art’s parking lot.