How to Uproot Perennial Chives

Perennial garden chives add style and visual appeal to herb gardens and flower gardens alike. Nestled among flowering plants, their spiky leaves send up globe shaped blooms of rich purple that seem to float above the ground providing a nice contrast in color and texture. Chives are more than just a pretty plant; they are practical too. The young leaves can be snipped and used as a seasoning that resembles mild onion. Clumps of chives spread quickly and will need to be uprooted and transplanted in a new area within a few years. Fortunately, chives transplant well and are easy to uproot.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spade
• Fresh water

1. Using a spade, dig underneath the root ball of the clump of chives. You may need to make a sharp cut on both sides of the clump to get the entire root system.

2. Slide the mound of chives into the shovel and lift them from the original spot. If you wish to remove them completely from the original area, be careful to remove any traces of the roots and/or shoots.

3. Remove any weeds or grass in the clump of chives before transplanting to a new area. For a clean start, you need a clean clump of chives to begin with. Any weeds or crab grass that is in the clump will easily regrow in your new location.

4. Dig a hole slightly larger than the size of the root ball in the new location.

5. Shake the mound of chives to loosen old soil and expose fresh roots. Use your fingers to gently loosen the root ball and spread the young roots out.

6. Gently place the chives in the hole you have dug in the new planting area. Spread the new roots out so they have plenty of room to grow in the new soil.

7. Completely cover the root ball with soil and pack down firmly.

8. Water with two quarts of fresh water.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wish to divide the root ball to create more than one planting of chives, this can be done easily. Once you have uprooted the entire plant, simply grasp a section of the clump at the base and pull gently to separate. Plant individual clumps in new locations.
• A mound of perennial chives is actually many individual plants that grow together to form a mound. You can separate these plants easily and replant as many, or as few, as you wish.
• To prevent chives from spreading to other areas of the garden, pick the blooms before they have a chance to go to seed.