When and How to Divide Your Perennial Bulbs

One of the advantages of using perennial bulbs is that as the years go by, you will be able to divide a single plant into many different perennial bulbs. Knowing when to divide your perennial bulbs is in fact crucial to the continued health of your perennial flowers, since crowded bulbs will produce less and less as the years go by, while those that have been divided will continue to flourish.

When to Divide Your Perennial Bulbs

Generally, perennial bulbs are divided in the spring. Each year you should keep an eye on your perennial bulb plants, and mark those which seem to be performing poorly. It is likely that those are ready to be divided. You can also look and see if you see any "heaving" at the base of the plant - another sign that the planet would benefit from division. Most perennial bulbs should be divided every three to five years.

How to Divide Your Perennial Bulbs

This is not a difficult task. In fact, I find it analogous to digging potatoes and am often excited by the treasures that can be found at the base of each perennial bulb plant.

First you need to lift the entire plant out of the ground using a shovel. Dig deep and wide, to keep from damaging any portion of the plants bulb system or roots. Once you have dug up the plant, try to clean it of excess soil by shaking it. Once the excess soil is gone, you will be able to see that the bulb is actually made up of several "bulblets" (or rhizomes) that can be easily broken off, or if necessary, cut off with a sharp knife. Do not worry excessively about damaging the plant when removing bulbs, it will recover quickly and will benefit greatly from the division. However, do discard any parts that seem to be bad - either rotting, mushy or smelly.

Do divide the bulbs into good size portions, however, so they will get off to a good start (do not divide them too small, in other words). Make sure each bulb has plenty of roots attached to it as well. Once you have divided the bulb clump into many different bulblets, you should replant all the bulbs at the same depth of the original plant (or give away the extras if you do not have space for them - they make wonderful gifts!).

Do make sure that if you do not plant them right away into the ground that they never dry out, as this will destroy the bulb. If you plan to store the bulbs, you may want to refer to my article on How to Store Perennial Bulbs to help you care for them while in storage.

Those are the basics of dividing your perennial bulb plants.
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In the book you will find nearly six hundred different entries about different bulbs and tubers you can grow, including detailed descriptions of the blooms, the plant size, hardiness levels, native areas they are found in, and their bloom seasons. The book is wonderfully written and each entry contains photographs of individual bulb blossoms. Easily one of the most definitive books on the topic, and a necessity for any serious perennial bulb gardener! Click here to get it on sale now at Amazon.com!