How to Divide Iris Bulbs

Iris bulbs (known as rhizomes) propagate quickly and can crowd your garden. You can share your iris plants with friends or family and encourage your iris bulbs to bloom better while giving them breathing room. Just follow these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Garden spade or pitch fork
• Clean knife or pruning shears

1. Lift the iris bulbs out of the planting bed, using a garden spade or pitch fork.
2. Gently shake bulbs to remove any dirt or soil.
3. Locate the point where a new bulb is growing from another bulb, such as where it has forked off to create the new growth.
4. Use a clean kitchen knife or disinfected pruning shears to cut the bulb at the point where it has split off to start a new bulb.
5. Inspect and discard any bulbs that do not look healthy or show signs of rot.
6. Cut the iris leaves on all the bulbs down to about 8 to 12 inches so the plants are easier to work with and stabilize better after you replant them.
7. Amend the bulbs' planting bed with nutrient-rich soil or compost before replanting the irises.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use a clean knife or disinfected pruning shears when dividing the bulbs to keep them healthy.

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