Dividing Agapanthus
Our indigenous agapanthus plants are truly a wonderful addition to the garden. They are easy to grow, virtually pest- and disease-free, and produce clusters of perfect blooms on the ends of their soldier-stiff stems.
Although agapanthus don’t mind being a tad overcrowded, they will in time lose their natural vigour and will need to be divided and replanted – an added bonus is that this will also give you a lot more of them. Since the flowering peak of most is over, autumn is a good time to start dividing agapanthus.
READ MORE: Learn more about Agapanthus in this article.
Dividing Agapanthus
To make the job easier, water your agapanthus patch the night before.
Use a garden fork to lift up the clumps – you might need a helper with another fork to assist you.
Shake the old soil from the roots and gently tease the individual plants apart from each other.
Clean up the divided plants, removing old leaves and accumulated debris, and cut across all leaves about 8 – 15cm above their bases.
Also remove old fleshy roots and shorten the remaining ones.
Keep the divisions shaded while preparing to replant them by prepping the soil with ample compost, bonemeal and a general purpose slow-release fertiliser.
Replant, and water them deeply.
Agapanthus Care
- Plant in good, well-draining soil.
- Use a soil mix with quality compost and bonemeal to pamper their roots.
- They can be planted in semi-shade, but the more they bask in the sun, the better they’ll flower.
- Even though they are drought-resistant, they do need a bit of watering, especially young and potted plants.
- Feeding potted aggies regularly with a liquid plant food will keep them lush, while garden aggies will love a feed in spring with a slow-release fertiliser.
- Deadhead any sad flowers regularly at the base of the plant.
- Divide every second or third year in autumn, after their flowering season, to give their roots time to settle during winter.
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