Dividing
Rhizomatous or spreading herbs such as mint
Keep knives and spades sharp and cut away from your body. Cover any cut, as garden soil can carry tetanus, and keep your tetanus cover up to date.
- Where to get help
- Your GP or practice nurse.
Spreading herbs get woody and congested and lose flavour and vigour. Division refreshes them and is the easiest way to make more plants for free.
When
When dormant from late autumn to early spring (October to March), or in spring just as fresh shoots appear. Avoid the peak of summer.
How
1) Dig up the plant or knock it out of its pot. 2) For small plants tear the rootball into sections by hand; for tough, established clumps cut through the mat of roots and rhizomes with a spade or serrated knife. 3) Make sure each piece has healthy white roots or rhizomes and a growing shoot. 4) Pot up or replant each division in fresh compost. 5) Cut the top growth back to fresh low growth and water in to encourage bushy regrowth.
Notes
Mint, and many spreading herbs, run everywhere, so grow divisions in a sunken bucket or pot to keep them contained.