Dividing Herbs
It's not a fun job, but it's gotta be done. Some perennial herbs, in fact, many, need to be divided (dug up, separated into smaller pieces, replanted) on a regular basis, at least every 3 to 4 years. My herbs are long over due. I have a lot of work cut out for me!
This is what undivided oregano looks like! The brown stems are what is left after I cut back the spent flowers. You see how quickly the plant (perhaps dozens of plants!) come back.
I need to divide my French tarragon, chives, oreganos, some thymes, lemon balms, and mints.
What to divide? If the herb grows in clumps (think chives) or send out underground runners (mint), they will need dividing. Woody herbs, such as rosemary and sage, do not need it, and lavender dislikes it. You'll know when your non-woody herbs need it. There may be a bare center where in the past the plant filled in the entire area. Or, the leaves and flowers are smaller than they used to be. If your plant is growing in a container, these will be more obvious. In mints you will see small plants and runners popping up all around the container walls.
This spearmint has been years too long in the same container. What look like roots are actually the runners going around and around the container walls trying to find soil in which to grow. Poor little spearmint... All those upright stem pieces will actually become new plants if given the chance. This is why mints are so invasive, their underground runners.
When to divide? My herbs are all spring bloomers, so fall, when the nights are cooler is best. If you have fall bloomers, divide in early spring. In many cases the plants are cut back after blooming anyway, so that is a good time to divide them as well.
I've cut back the French tarragon, so all that's left is the dividing.
How to divide? That's the easy part! It's time consuming and dirty, but easy. Dig out the plant, and gently remove enough soil to see what you have. The plant may have several distinct smaller plants that can be gently pried apart with your fingers. Some may need a shovel cut cutting the clump into pieces (chives are one of these). Shake off the remaining soil and prune off any dead or broken roots and branches. Then, replant! Don't forget to amend the soil some (dig in a shovelful of compost and a few handfuls of sand or even gravel for those Mediterranean herbs!). If your herbs are in containers, refresh the soil by loosing up what's there, and adding in new potting soil. Never use garden soil in containers. Mints prefer completely new soil each year, the picky things!
Aftercare? Cut back top growth by about 1/2. As you see in the spearmint photo below I didn't do that. The plant is still blooming, and the pollinators are loving it, so I skipped that step. Thoroughly water and you're done, for at least a few years!
My spearmint has been divided and replanted. I planted one piece back into the container, and four into the ground. Yes, it's invasive, but I have a planned mint area, where the pineapple mint is already thriving, and a lemon balm has been newly cutback.
What about all those "extra" plants you end up with? What's the problem with extra plants? Well, in the case of dividing herbs, you will have lots and lots of rooted pieces you don't want. I pot them up in little leftover nursery pots and once their growing well, give them away. I take them to co-workers (just the other day one woman told me all her mints but one came back), or post them on local "free stuff" sites.
The best part? Well, it's all the new "free" plants of course!
This is what undivided oregano looks like! The brown stems are what is left after I cut back the spent flowers. You see how quickly the plant (perhaps dozens of plants!) come back.
I need to divide my French tarragon, chives, oreganos, some thymes, lemon balms, and mints.
 |
| germander |
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| onion chives |
This spearmint has been years too long in the same container. What look like roots are actually the runners going around and around the container walls trying to find soil in which to grow. Poor little spearmint... All those upright stem pieces will actually become new plants if given the chance. This is why mints are so invasive, their underground runners.
 |
| spearmint runners |
When to divide? My herbs are all spring bloomers, so fall, when the nights are cooler is best. If you have fall bloomers, divide in early spring. In many cases the plants are cut back after blooming anyway, so that is a good time to divide them as well.
I've cut back the French tarragon, so all that's left is the dividing.
 |
| French tarragon |
How to divide? That's the easy part! It's time consuming and dirty, but easy. Dig out the plant, and gently remove enough soil to see what you have. The plant may have several distinct smaller plants that can be gently pried apart with your fingers. Some may need a shovel cut cutting the clump into pieces (chives are one of these). Shake off the remaining soil and prune off any dead or broken roots and branches. Then, replant! Don't forget to amend the soil some (dig in a shovelful of compost and a few handfuls of sand or even gravel for those Mediterranean herbs!). If your herbs are in containers, refresh the soil by loosing up what's there, and adding in new potting soil. Never use garden soil in containers. Mints prefer completely new soil each year, the picky things!
Aftercare? Cut back top growth by about 1/2. As you see in the spearmint photo below I didn't do that. The plant is still blooming, and the pollinators are loving it, so I skipped that step. Thoroughly water and you're done, for at least a few years!
My spearmint has been divided and replanted. I planted one piece back into the container, and four into the ground. Yes, it's invasive, but I have a planned mint area, where the pineapple mint is already thriving, and a lemon balm has been newly cutback.
 | ||
| spearmint -divided and replanted |
What about all those "extra" plants you end up with? What's the problem with extra plants? Well, in the case of dividing herbs, you will have lots and lots of rooted pieces you don't want. I pot them up in little leftover nursery pots and once their growing well, give them away. I take them to co-workers (just the other day one woman told me all her mints but one came back), or post them on local "free stuff" sites.
The best part? Well, it's all the new "free" plants of course!
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