Dividing and Transplanting Plants in the Spring

Lets Divide those plants...

For the most part Spring is the best time to divide plants in the garden.  At this time of year the plants are in the strong growing stage and will be easier to work with and transplant to their new location.  It also is a less stressful time to do dividing as well.

Most perennials do best when divided at this time of year,  however there are some that prefer to be divided in the Early Fall. 

The beautiful long living Peony is one as well as Iris & Poppies, basically any plant the comes to flower in the Spring should not be divided at this time.  You should wait till late Summer or early Fall to do so.

So How do you know when your plant needs to be divided?  This is really not as hard as you may think.  Rule of Thumb is most Perennials will need dividing in their second or third growing season in the garden, 2-3 years. 

You can also tell if a plant is ready by the way it grows.  Day Lilly will begin to grow in large clumps, sometimes out growing the area they are in.  Plants will also start to grow in circles.  This is where the inner section of the plant will have no growth and will have an outer ring of growth looking much like a band instead of a mound of plant.  If your plants have gotten to this point it is critical to divide and transplant at once.  Plants is this shape and form are really suffering and if not tended to by the next growing season you will most likely loose the entire plant.

Mosses & Ferns as well as Thyme will simply look as if they have died and will produce little greenery when they are in the critical stage. 

Watching your garden for these signs will allow you the comfort of knowing when its time to get to dividing.

So how do we divide?

This is also an easy thing to do and all that is need is a spade shovel and a sharp sturdy knife.

Once you have selected the plant or plants that need to be divided the next step is to decide where they will be placed before you start the dividing process.

Select an area in the garden to place then or have pots filled with garden dirt ready if you will be giving the plants away.  You do not want to leave the roots of the plants exposed to the air or sun for any prolonged period of time as this can cause the plant to go into shock.

Once this has been decided ready their new home in the bed to which they will be going. 

To do this you want to have the holes dug for them.  The holes should be double the size of the plant roots and deep enough to cover over all.  Have a source of water ready as well as they will need a drink when they arrive at their new home.

To divide the plant you will need to use the spade shovel to dig around the full mound of the plant.  Try not to get to close to the plant as the root system may be damaged by the digging,  a good choice is about 2-3 inches outward of the plants base.

With you spade in hand break through the soil in a circular movement around the plant.  This will loosen the dirt around the plant.  Once you have broken through the earth you can now go over the whole area and with a good push of the spade with your foot up root the entire plant.  Digging deep enough will get the spade under the root system of the plant with out harming it.

Once your plant has come out easy from the ground you will have a clear view of the roots.

Some plants only need to be divided in half, while others you can divide in thirds.

With a sharp knife cut through the center of the plant straight through the root system.  Move your plant to its new location and place in the hole, add a good drink of water and back fill with garden dirt.

Y ou do want to make sure that your transplanted plants get a little TLC for the first few weeks in their new location.  Water daily..  this allows the roots to develop in their new location.  After a few weeks your plant will be happy, thriving and growing...
The plant can now benefit from its transplant and dividing and you get the benefit of having more beautiful Perennials to enjoy!
Tomorrow... Planting Seeds in Early Spring