Things You'll Need:
- Garden Fork Shovel Garden Hose Sharp Knife Hedge Trimmer Pruning shears
-
Step 1
Use a hedge trimmer or pruning shears to cut the leaves of the iris down to about half a foot. All of the blooms on the tops of the leaves should be removed.
-
Step 2
Use a garden fork to dig around the iris rhizome, leaving several inches of space between the fork and plant. Leaving more space will reduce the chances of piercing and breaking off pieces of the plant underground. Using a shovel to dig is likely to cut more of the plant underground than a garden fork.
-
Step 3
Use a hose to wash the soil away from the plant to make it easier to cut. Cutting through dirt will dull knives very quickly.
-
Step 4
Use a sharp knife to cut straight down through the center of the rhizome, making two halves. If it is a very big plant, you may be able to split each half again, creating 4 plants.
-
Step 5
Dig shallow holes for each of the new iris plants with a shovel, set the plants in the holes, and surround them with dirt. Irises should not be planted deep in the ground, so make sure not to completely cover the rhizomes; the tops of the rhizomes should be just around surface level and partially visible.
-
Step 6
Water all the split irises immediately after planting.
