Some perennials can be propagated particularly quickly and easily by dividing their root ball or rhizomes. With the bearded iris planted in many private gardens, division serves another purpose beyond propagation.
How do I propagate bearded irises by dividing?
To propagate bearded irises by dividing, carefully dig up the rhizomes, separate old rhizome parts and divide the rest into 10-15 cm pieces. Shorten the roots and foliage, allow the rhizomes to dry and do not plant them too deeply.
Getting the lazy bearded iris back on track
With bearded irises, it is not uncommon for plants to become lazy after a few years in one location. This is usually not due to insufficient fertilization or illness, but simply requires special care measures. In order to stimulate the flowering of bearded irises again, the rhizomes of the plant are simply dug up, divided and replanted in a new location or in freshly loosened substrate. At the same time, division also gives you a larger number of plants, whose root rhizomes you should divide and transplant again after a few years.
The optimal procedure for dividing the rhizomes
You can carry out the following steps equally for all varieties of bearded iris:
- Carefully expose the rhizomes with a spade or digging fork
- Carefully pull the fine roots with the rhizome out of the soil
- slightly shake off excess soil
- Place rhizomes of one plant variety in a container (so as not to mix them with the rhizomes of other clumps)
- separate old rhizome parts with sharp planting scissors
- Short roots and foliage
The particularly old rhizome parts, which are visually easy to recognize, can simply be cut off with sharp planting scissors (€14.00 on Amazon) and disposed of. The remaining parts of the rhizome are divided into approximately 10 to 15 cm pieces and allowed to air dry for about half an hour. The roots grow better after planting if root growth is stimulated by light pruning. So that the shortened roots can adequately supply the plant during the growth phase, the foliage is shortened in a fan shape to a length of around 15 cm.
Do not plant rhizomes too deep in the soil
The rhizomes of the bearded iris grow just below or directly on the surface of the earth. You should therefore not plant the rhizome parts too deeply into the soil during division and propagation. Otherwise it could happen that the bearded iris doesn't bloom at all.
Tip
Different varieties of bearded iris bloom at different times. The best time for dividing and propagating is directly after flowering, as the plants are then in a certain dormant phase.
