Best time to divide hardy pond plants???

[Nanner]

So is it best to divide in the spring when things are getting ready to take off and grow? I believe iris are best in late summer. Heard if you do it in the spring they might not bloom that year. Have some pickerel weed needs dividing next year and was thinking when best to split?

Many thanks!

 

[Lisak1]

I divide whenever I have time to divide. Spring, fall, summer - whenever. I'm sure there are better and worse times, but doing it when you have time is better than not doing it at all!

I've heard that about irises, but I also know that @addy1 sent me some irises that she culled from her pond. I planted them and they bloomed the same year. So who knows. Maybe some are pickier than others. I've had irises in my garden that stopped blooming because they needed to be divided and they bloomed as soon as I split them and moved them to a new spot.

 

[adavisus]

Aquatic iris need to be well rooted before they will flower. If you can lift them with intact roots, no problemo

Same goes for all pond plants, generally....

 

[addy1]

I just yank divide etc when I have time, no hard rule. The plants just grow!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Heard if you do it in the spring they might not bloom that year. Have some pickerel weed needs dividing next year and was thinking when best to split?

Many thanks!

Best time for dividing is Autumn, plants are known to take hold better so they'll be nice and strong the following Spring, but early Spring is the second best option. Sometimes plants won't bloom after a Spring division, especially if there's a lot of roots cut off in the division. I've seen plants that grew considerably smaller that year but still bloomed.

I look at it as I'd rather divide now than wait until this coming Autumn, but I'd rather have divided last Autumn than have waited until now. The sooner you divide, the sooner you'll see the plant strengthen back up and fill back in.

 

[Linus_Cello]

If the pot/tub is stuffed to the gills, repot now. Otherwise, if it can wait till fall, repot later.
I've divided in the spring with no problem. What I like about spring is I can immediately put in fertilizer tabs; if you repot in fall, no need to put in tabs, put will have to remember in the spring.

 

[sissy]

I divide in the late fall when the plants are sleeping but fall here is like December for me .Pickerel is like hostas does not care when you do it .I gave mine away it was just to much work keeping it in check

 

[Tula]

I finished dividing and repotting my lilies today. I couldn't believe how huge the roots were after one year! I thought about skipping a year, but had lots of blooms last summer after dividing so decided to do it again.