Of all those garden chore we do , dividing plants might be one of my favorites . Not only does it make my genus Funka happier and healthier , but I get a clump of new plants to fill up empty spots in my garden … for gratis !
There are several reasons to divide your perennial .
The first is if you need to regurgitate your plant to put starts in new place or expand your existing bottom . The second is to reduce the sizing of a plant if it ’s grow larger than you prefer .
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
And the third reason is to brush up the plant if the centerstarts to wrench yellowor become sparse , or if it is n’t sending up prime .
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Crowded plants can never reach their full potential , and have ’s be honest : herd overcome the purpose of raise ornamentals . Without enough space , flora look moth-eaten and detract from the overall appearance of your garden .
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
Diving plants is a multi - purpose horticulture attempt , earmark you to meliorate the health of your works while gaining free ones at the same metre . If it ’s clock time to divide your Funka , for whatever intellect , we ’re here to help .
Here ’s everything this guide will incubate :
What You’ll Learn
When to Divide Hostas
Preparation Tips
Dividing Your clod
Aftercare
I ca n’t expect to get started , so here we go !
In ecumenical , most plants do well if you divide them in the spring or fall , hostas included .
The grounds for this is that there is less chance of heat energy accent and of the industrial plant drying out . Spring and spill weather tends to be more dampish with broken temperatures than in the summer .
I in person prefer the fall because hostas are getting ready to go hibernating and the leave are n’t involve lots of water system and nutrient .
Flowering is usually eat up , and the plant will have some prison term to scrunch up down and settle in before it needs to start growing again in the springiness .
You do , however , ask to be aware of any unexpected frosts or hard freeze in the fall .
Provide trade protection by report the works in pine bough or cardboard whenever the temperature are betoken to drop below 33 ° F for the first few weeks after disunite to be on the safe side .
you’re able to remove the cover as soon as the daylight warm up up again .
In the springiness , your plant is gearing up for the vivid growing season , and is more probable to have stunt growth or to become stressed if you dissever it .
If you choose the downfall , you want to start on the caper about four weeks before the first average expected hoar day of the month .
In the spring , disunite when the shoots have issue from the soil but have n’t yet unfurled . ( This also happens to be the best time to run through the shoots , by the way ! )
Having said all that , I ’ve divided Funka in the middle of summer when they became too large for my garden , and they were n’t any bad for the article of clothing . Do n’t feel like you must hold off if you really need to get the job done .
So , what ’s the right age to divide a genus Hosta ? Some of the larger hybrids and cultivar can take four or five years to reach maturity date .
Smaller 1 age in two or three years . Do n’t divide before your plant has gain maturity if you may help it .
It ’s not the end of the world if you need to prematurely split a industrial plant that is becoming pot - jump or if you want to diffuse a new plant quickly . Just have sex that your plant will take a flake longer to reach maturity as a solution .
Assuming it ’s not raining , give your babies a nice , long drink the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. before you aim to start your piece of work .
You want the soil to be workable and at large . You do n’t want it to be too sozzled , however . If the undercoat is boggy from lots of rainwater , hold off until it dries out a bit .
Then , trim away any yellow or dead foliage if the leaf are present , and any shaft ( the flower stalks ) .
Before you dig up your existing plants , it helps to prep the place where the divisions are going to be planted , take on you ’re going to be replanting the division and not just concentrate the overall sizing of your plant .
Doing this resultant in less shock , since there is less time for the root to be entrust exposed to the elements .
For tips on setting your genus Funka up in the ground or a container , read our growing scout .
When deciding where to move your industrial plant , do n’t seek to take one from a shady spot to a cheery one during the outflow or summer ( another reason why I prefer to do this garden task during the fall ) .
While an established hosta can often handle quite a act of sun , a Modern division will in all probability suffer sun scorch and could even die .
If you desire to take your divisions to a sunnier spot , put them in a container first and then step by step move them into the sun over a full stop of several week .
Every span of days , move the container to the sunnier location in increments of about 15 more minutes of exposure each time . This will assist it to adapt to the sunnier conditions beforeyou transplant .
Diving Your Clump
Pull your spade out and have ’s start . If you ’ve been using your coon in other parts of the garden , it ’s a good estimate to sanitize it first . Wipe it down with a result of one part bleach to 10 contribution water to nullify spreading anydiseases .
Now , fag around the entire margin of the clump about six column inch out from the radical . Then , shove your spade under the plant and tilt the handle back toward yourself to make leverage , and comfort the plant out of the ground .
On a big , full mature plant life , the tooth root can extend downwardly up to 18 inches or so , so labor down as late as you’re able to .
Your aim is to get a ripe chunk of the root system out . However , as long as you get at least some intact rhizomes , your divisions will probably still survive . That ’s one of the wonderful things about genus Hosta – they ’re tough .
Pull the clump out of the ground and put it on a tarp , cementum terrace , or lawn in full shade . Rinse away the crap from the roots and try out them . Trim away any that expect beat or mushy .
you’re able to skip this step if you trust , though it ’s particularly useful if you ’ve had any kind of rot or fungal issues in the garden .
The soil can act as a protective roadblock , so do n’t wash it aside if you ’re transplant in the summertime while your Funka is actively spring up .
Now that you could test the roots clearly , it ’s easier to tell where to carve up the works . Squat down and really face to see where the rootage attach to the rhizomes , and the rhizomes attach to the stalk and leaves ( the crown ) .
Be cognisant that a few species have hempen origin rather than rhizomes , so do n’t panic if you ca n’t discover them !
As long as you have some rhizome attached on the form that do have them , the crown will in all probability reemerge and put on Modern growth after transplanting .
But just to be safe , I like to get a big clump of rhizome and a few buds in each clump that I part . Typically , I make about four divisions from one 18 - inch - wide clump .
To separate the base and crown , verify your tools are blank as described above .
expend asharp tongue , scissors , or the spade you dug the genus Hosta up with and sever the plant at your chosen spots .
If you ’ve had putrefaction or fungous issues , now is the time to treat the theme with a copper fungicide dust . Lightly dust all of the rootage and the base of the crown before you put the whole thing back in the ground or in its container .
Speaking of copper fungicide , this stuff and nonsense is a lifeguard . I always keep some in my gardening kit , since it works against a massive compass of fungal disease such as rust or blight . It ’s also safe for use in organic garden .
Bonide Captain Jack Copper Fungicide
If you do n’t have any yet , you could purchase one- or four - pound containers ofthis product from Bonide at Amazon.
Now , it ’s time to put those division in their newfangled habitation . care for them as you would any young transplant , which you canread more about in our guide .
Heat and direct Lord’s Day are going to be your freehanded challenges when help divisions to become prove .
Keep the divisions watered well , and do n’t let the soil dry out .
If you stick your finger in the soil and it feels juiceless up to your first knuckle , it ’s retiring clip to water . You might also want to mist the foliation if you have a hot spell .
An in of wood or strawmulchcan help the grunge retain wet .
Do n’t fertilise your hosta for a few calendar month after separate . If you completed this process in the fall , you could start your normal fertilizing schedule in the saltation .
A Healthy Hosta Is a Happy One
Dividing is n’t just a fashion to get barren industrial plant . It ’s also a way to keep your hosta sizable and look its good .
luckily , for those of us who are otiose gardeners from prison term to clip ( speaking purely for myself , here ) , it ’s not a difficult task .
Hopefully , you feel prepped with all the info you want to tackle dividing your plant . And for more data ongrowing hostasin your garden , jibe out these guides next :
photo by Kristine Lofgren © necessitate the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally published September 6th , 2021 . Last updated : May 17th , 2025 . Product photo via Arbico Organics . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Kristine Lofgren
