'I'm a gardening expert – do this vital task before planting your garden centre flowers'
Before you pop those garden centre blooms into the soil, consider this handy hint. Garden enthusiasts often head to their local garden centres to snap up young plants, hoping they'll flourish in their gardens.
It's a convenient and swift way to populate your flowerbeds and containers, sparing you the trouble of nurturing fragile seedlings that demand protection from the weather and consistent watering.
But what most people are not aware of is there is a trick to stretch your pound further at the garden centre. The cost of plants can rack up swiftly, yet a gardening guru has revealed a clever technique that could let you bag more plants without forking out more cash.
Adam Kirtland, who runs the View From The Potting Bench TikTok page, shared a video in which he divulged that purchasing a single plant from a garden centre might actually yield three or four plants for your patch if you know how to maximise their potential.
He advised: "If you want to save some money in the garden, get one of these larger pots [from the garden centre] and do this."
Adam pointed out that garden centre plants come with "fantastic root systems" as they're typically well-established. Although they're set to prosper in your garden as is, their intricate root networks also make them prime candidates for splitting.
Plant splitting is a cost-effective technique that involves separating a plant into smaller, independent sections. Adam advised: "Using a sharp fork or a trowel, pop it in the middle and give it a good bash. What you'll get is two even halves of a plant. I know it seems harsh, but the plant loves it.
"You can either leave it there with two halves, or get really extreme and split those halves again and get four plants. Each one of these new plants can be planted out in your garden exactly the same way that you were going to plant that large one out."
When asked which plants are suitable for splitting, Adam recommends trying it with varieties such as Hosta, Hardy Geranium, Sedum, Astilbe, Bergenia, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Phlox, Alchemilla mollis, Crocosmia, Japanese anemone, Aster and Campanula.
How to split plants
Choose the right time: The best time to split plants is during their dormant or growing season, usually in the early spring or early autumn. Avoid splitting during hot weather to reduce plant stress.
Prepare for division: Water the plant the day before splitting to reduce stress and make the process easier.
Remove the plant: Tip it out of its container or gently dig it up if it's in soil outdoors.
Separate the rootball: Use your hands, a garden fork, or a trowel to divide the plant into several sections. Ensure each section has roots, stems, and healthy growth.
Replant the divisions: Plant the newly divided sections in their new locations. Make sure the crown of the plant (where the stems meet the roots) is at the same level as it was before.
Water and care: Water the plants thoroughly after planting to help the roots settle and hydrate. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged for the first few weeks while the plant establishes.
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