Daylilies - these easy-care plants are space-saving, location-tolerant and frugal. Sometimes it may be necessary to share them. But why and how does this work without damaging the plants?
Why should you divide daylilies?
In the course of its life, every daylily, no matter how well cared for, will become lazy over time. Even the best fertilization does not help. For this reason, it is advisable to divide the daylily from time to time.
Dividing/rejuvenating has the wonderful side effect of propagating that plant. This is the easiest, fastest and most proven propagation method for them. The result is true-to-variety plants.
The right time to share
The right time to divide the daylily has come outside of its growing season. This means that it can be divided in spring before sprouting or in autumn after flowering without suffering major damage.
How to do it
If you want to divide the daylily to propagate, choose a healthy mother plant that appears robust. Carefully dig out their roots in spring or autumn, for example with a digging fork. Before that, you can cut the leaves of the plant down to 15 cm. This makes it easier to see the root area. Alternatively, the leaves should be cut off after dividing.
Now the roots are freed from remaining soil. This can be done with water if the soil adhering to it is clayey. Otherwise you can shake off the earth. With a knife, each root is cut in half (vertically downwards). If there are already prominent sections, they can be broken off by twisting and turning. Fist-sized pieces of root are best.
It goes like this:
- Plant roots separately from each other (distance of 50 cm).
- should be 2 to 4 cm below the soil surface
- correct location: sunny to semi-shady
- Suitable substrate: rich in nutrients, humic, loose
- Water regularly for 2 weeks
tips and tricks
If the roots are already dug up, injured root parts and leaves that would otherwise rob the daylily of unnecessary strength should be removed.