Hub City Times

Top Menu

  • Contact Us
  • E-Editions
  • Subscribe

Main Menu

  • News
    • Around the County
    • Arts & Ent
    • Education
    • Government
    • Local
  • Covid 19
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • Sports News
    • High School Sports Scores
    • Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
  • Coming Events
  • Business
  • Obits
  • Classifieds
    • Place Ad
    • View Ads
  • Legal Ads
    • Our Legals
    • Statewide
  • Senior Photos 2021
  • Contact Us
  • E-Editions
  • Subscribe

logo

Hub City Times

  • News
    • Around the County
    • Arts & Ent
    • Education
    • Government
    • Local
  • Covid 19
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • Sports News
    • High School Sports Scores
    • Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
  • Coming Events
  • Business
  • Obits
  • Classifieds
    • Place Ad
    • View Ads
  • Legal Ads
    • Our Legals
    • Statewide
  • Senior Photos 2021
Outdoors
Home›Outdoors›Gardening tips: Split plants for perennial health

Gardening tips: Split plants for perennial health

By Hub City Times
September 27, 2014
1304
0
Share:

By Bud Arnold

Horticulturist / Garden Center Manager, Schalow’s Nursery

Even though the temperature outside is dropping, there is no need to replace your gardening shovel with your snow shovel just yet. Fall is a great time to split perennials to improve their health. Most perennials respond quite well to splitting at least every three years. Splitting perennials is not difficult, but it does take a little time.

The first step is knowing when to split. A great rule of thumb is when your plant looks the best it has ever looked, divide it that fall. A healthy parent plant is going to yield healthy babies. Other clues that it is time to split include when the center of the perennial is producing smaller leaves or if the middle of the plant dies out.

Now that you know when to split, the next step is learning how. The tools you will need include a sharp shovel, gloves, hand pruner, trowel or knife, and water for soaking the plants when finished. Now it is time to get down and dirty.

  1. Use your shovel to dig at the drip line or outer edge of the leaves. Cut back the foliage of the plant so you can work with it more easily. Dig a trench around the entire plant, severing all the roots cleanly. Then dig under the plant at an angle, and pry the clump out of the ground. With larger, heavier plants, you may want to slice the whole plant in half or quarters before popping it out of the ground.
  2. Once you have the plant removed from the ground you can begin splitting. Usually your hands work the best, but you may need to use a trowel or knife to divide large plants into approximately four or five sections called plugs. You are inevitably going to get more plugs than you need. Plant the plugs you want back into your landscape and the rest make great gifts to give to friends and neighbors.

Now that you have your perennials dug, divided, and divvied up, water them in, and let them do the rest of the work. At least for the next three years.

For more information on Schalow’s services or for landscaping-related questions, call 715-591-3478 or visit http://www.schalows.com/.

TagsFeaturedgardeningoutdoorsschalow's nursery
Previous Article

KEEP brings ‘Enormous’ fun to Marshfield youth

Next Article

Eau Claire Regis rallies past Spencer/Columbus football

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • LocalNews

    Marshfield man struck by train

    July 30, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • Photo Gallery

    Photos from Relay For Life in Marshfield

    August 2, 2014
    By HubCityAdmin
  • News

    Cancer gets lapped at Relay For Life

    August 2, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • Business

    Hotel Marshfield combines sophistication with comfort

    August 6, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • Arts & Entertainment

    New Visions Gallery fundraises in style

    August 8, 2014
    By Hub City Times
  • BusinessFood

    Marshfield Farmers’ Market in full bloom

    August 9, 2014
    By Hub City Times

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

About Us


Hub City Times is published by Multi Media Channels LLC, N2919 County Road QQ Waupaca, WI 54981.

Copyright © 2020 Multi Media Channels, All Rights Reserved. Designed by MMC Team Awesome
×