The special thing about the propagation of the African lily is the constant spread of the root rhizome, which should be divided regularly when cared for as a container plant. However, there are a few things to consider when it comes to the abundance of flowers on the African lily.

The right time to divide the African lily

The best opportunity for cutting up the Agapanthus rhizome is in early April, when the African lily is being moved from its winter quarters to the outdoors. If your Agapanthus plants are fertilized regularly, then the root rhizome will have pushed almost all of the soil out of the planter about 3 to 4 years after the last division due to its growth. Nevertheless, make sure not to place the individual parts of the African lily rhizome in containers that are too large, as a certain narrowness of the rhizome has a beneficial effect on the development of the flowers.

Restrictions on Agapanthus Flowering by Sharing

Do not be surprised if the agapanthus offshoots do not flower in the year of division. It can sometimes take up to 2 or 3 years for the spherical flowers to reappear at flowering time in summer. If you already have several African lilies on your terrace, then it is advisable to divide individual specimens in alternating rotation. You can always admire a few blooming specimens while the freshly divided plants grow back into their planters.

The ideal tool for dividing the African lily

The root rhizome of the African lily forms an extremely solid and fused body. This cannot always be dealt with optimally with conventional dividing instruments such as a normal plant spade. On the other hand, possible tools can be:

  • a solid saw
  • a sharpened axe
  • a flat chisel and a hammer

To avoid injuries when dividing the rhizome with these tools, you should secure the rhizome against slipping. For example, you can clamp the rhizome with screw clamps on the edge of a plant table and then start the saw.

tips and tricks

Freshly divided root rhizomes of the African lily should be planted in correctly dimensioned planters with sufficient soil. So that the plants bloom again as quickly as possible, the planter must be neither too small nor too large.

Category:

Vegetable garden