How To Divide Bulbs Properly

Among the attributes of bulbs which make them so attractive is the ability for the gardener to divide their bulb plants to produce new growth, share with friends, or just plant in various parts of the landscape.

What's more, many bulb flowers end up overgrown, and decreasing the growth through dividing bulbs is the easiest way to get things back under control. It is typically simple to tell when a planting of bulbs must be divided. One certain indicator is when a formerly well blooming planting of bulbs has started to supply only sparse blooms. Usually the culprit is overcrowding, and the answer is to divide those bulbs. Correctly dividing the bulbs will lower the overcrowding and permit the other bulbs to bloom vibrantly.

The methods used to divide bulbs depend on the actual sort of bulb to be divided. There are actually five different types of bulb flowers – true bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes and tuberous roots. The procedures for dividing each variety of bulb differ, so it is important to know which variety you are working with. Any good gardening guide will tell you which type of bulb you have, and that information is generally made available when you buy the bulbs as well.

True bulbs

To divide a true bulb, you will need to start by cautiously removing the original bulb from the smaller bulb growing at its base. When dividing lily bulbs, you ought to be careful to first clear away the outer scales from the basal plate. After the outer scales are removed, the ends of the bulb should be dipped in a rooting hormone, and the bulb ought to be planted right away.

Corms

Corms are not true bulbs, and they renew their growth each season via the development of a new corm, and occasionally also small cormels growing on top of the original corm. To divide corms, the gardener should simply divide the healthy new corms, as well as any cormels, from the original corms.

Tubers

As tubers mature, they increase both their size and the amount of growing points. However, most tubers do not form distinct increases. Therefore, to separate tubers, a big tuber should be cut into several sections, being certain that each segment contains at least one growing point.

Rhizomes

The new growth on rhizomes is produced from growth points located at their sides. Rhizomes are divided by breaking the sections apart at the natural divisions between them, being sure that each of the new divisions has at least one growth point on it.

Tuberous roots

A tuberous root will contain several growing points. A few, like daylilies, form separate and distinct plants, which can simply be pulled apart. This kind of sectioning is commonly performed in fall or summer while the plant is still in its growth stage. Other tuberous root plants, such as dahlias, are more difficult to separate. In order to separate more difficult plants like dahlias, you will need to cut the clumps apart so that each root has a growth bud from which to start. With these types of plants, it is best to separate them in early spring, before planting.