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Splitting a Phormium and organic feed..
filmbuffy
Posts: 77
hi there,
I have a large apx 6 foot phormium in a pot that i now no longer have room for. I dont really want to get rid of it so thought i could divide it up maybe into two and plant in different places.
can anyone offer some advice. im not even sure how to get it out of its pot its so heavy.
also i have some manure left over and sure i heard you can make an organic plant feed out of this. ie maybe to use on tomatoes and green beans that i am growing.
anyone know about how to do this and if it is works well.
0
Posts
I split two, a couple of months ago, that had been in their pots for several years and were pretty solid. It's often easier to get them out when they're a bit dry, especially in a pot that shape. You can tip them over on their side and pull them out. They don't mind being dry for a little till you've done it, and once you've split them, you can sink them into a bucket of water to re hydrate before planting them up as Verdun describes.
And in case you're wondering, all my bits have grown away well - no deaths!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
brilliant thank you guys thats so helpful. i will see how i get on.
i have deliberately not watered it. but with these little bouts of heavy showers its been a bit difficult to keep it completely dry.
so all the pointy tall leaves i can cut back a few feet? as these are the newer growths arent they?
im hoping it will produce new pointy leaves again if i cut it.
Don't worry too much - if you lift it up and it feels a bit lighter then it'll be dry enough - if that makes sense! Poke your finger into the soil and see if it's quite dry too. You can tease it away from the edge of the pot a bit as well. they can stand quite rough treatment.
You might find it'll split into 3 or 4 plants quite easily, and as long as each bit has some root, it'll grow, so pot up smaller sections if you want more than a couple. The reason for cutting back the longest growth is to help to prevent stress - the roots can only support so much top growth so leaving it on will just result in it dying back anyway. You could probably take off half the height you have there, and then once you've replanted, anything that also dies back can be cut out, leaving the healthiest bits. You'll see new, young shoots coming through once the plant establishes.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...