Is it too early to start dividing in NE Ohio zone 5/6

12 years ago

Due to the mild winter the ground is workable, and today it's supposed to be around 60. I have neglected my perennial beds for the last two years because I was in school and then had a baby...so they DESPERATELY need to be divided and many of them transplanted.

Should I wait?

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Comments (7)

dowlinggram
12 years ago
The best time in spring to divide perennials is when they are about 3 or 4 inches out of the ground. The ground should be starting to warm and if the perennials are showing that means they are ready to grow. It may be a bit early yet I don't know. Just watch for the growth and you'll know when it's the right time.

It may be that some will be earlier than others.. If you can clear one corner then dig up and divide what is showing and put them in that corner close together as a holding bed or transfer them to another bed. Label them so you'll know what and where to plant.

Once you have the whole bed done then you can amend the soil and replant 3where you want them
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
yea wait ...

first i think of soil compaction.. you simply standing and working in your beds.. i know OH has a lot of heavy clay.. and tromping around your beds early .... MIGHT lead to cement later in the summer ...

next.. it would depend on how far you want to divide .. and the potential for heave.. as the ground goes in and out of thaw ...

if you are simply halving a giant piece.. you can probably get away with it..

but if you were dividing down to single plants.. you might find them all above the surface in a few weeks ...

i too am anxious to get out there.. but there is plenty to do .. cleaning up a lot of stuff.. before i spend too much time actually walking in the beds .. or making cement ...

actually.. the first thing i had to do when i moved here with a 3 year old.. was build a sandbox.. so the kid would stop digging up everything i just planted .. lol ...

make any sense??

you know.. what it really comes down to ... i dont trust mother nature ... she will mess with you gratuitously .. i still expect her to throw winter at me, with a vengeance .... it may not happen ... probably not ... but i trust her as far as i can throw her. ..

ken

ps: i though you were a guilt momma.. lol ... and i was wondering what you were guilty about.. lol ...
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quilt_mommy
Original Author
12 years ago
dowlinggram - very good advice! Thank you so very much, I will remember this. :)

Ken - LOL* No, Quilt Momma, not guilty yet! ;) I didn't think about that, the fact that walking around too much might make cement. This is a good thing to think about especially for the veggie beds. I am going ahead and just moving some russian sage that I was chomping at the bit to move. I think it's hardy enough and if it heaves I'll shove it back in. LOL* It's also really easy to replace for me. Everything else I'm going to wait on...even though I AM ITCHING TO GET OUT THERE! Especially with the beautiful weather we are having. It's so warm I was out this morning in a tshirt. Oh spring hurry up hurry up...thank you so much for your advice! :)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
my first just turned teen ... i feel guilty about everything.. lol ...

you do.. whatever you want to do.. GW helps offer alternatives..

but odds are it will work ....

just delay on the foo foo.. and the precious ...

what to do for 2 weeks.. clean the garage.. clean and sharpen the tools... clean the lawn ... etc ... i am looking forward to nuking [the self clean function] the oven.. but i need the windows open .. cant wait .. lol ... but i need 6 hours of open windows ... and it isnt here yet ...

ken
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
12 years ago
Right now I am in northern OH, and at least where I am (Cleveland suburbs, not far from the lake) it is warm enough, but not dry enough to be digging.

I have done some weeding that I can do from pavement so that I won't be standing on the lawn or garden beds and also some clearing out of old plants and leaves, but I don't expect to be walking on soil until it has dried out some more.
quilt_mommy
Original Author
12 years ago
nhbabs - sounds like we are pretty close to each other, I'm in a similar area, suburb of Cleveland. It's pretty dry here, although today it's rainy! Pooh! I ended up just transplanting those two russian sage...we'll see how it goes. One the whole rootball came up with roots and dirt intact, the other bare root, and shovel went into some so we'll see what happens. I am NEVER moving those again!!! Lol* Other than that I dug up my veggie garden bed a little but just turned the soil and was sure not to step anywhere I had already turned. Thanks so much for all the great advice!
swontgirl_z5a
12 years ago
I too am eager to get out in my gardens as I never clean anything up in the fall and they look like a mess! I leave as much as I can to catch the snow which was pretty useless this winter. Today was miserable enough with high wind, rain and a few snowflakes to keep me inside.

But what I have done to help my itches in the spring is to put garden stones or pieces of flagstone through my gardens so I can walk there and look at things earlier than I can dig. It helps to prevent compacting at any time. Sometimes it is just one stone to give me a space to put my feet if I have to get into a garden.

It also helps me to clean up earlier by not having to walk on the soil. What I can't reach from the outside I can get from on the pathways. And they are attractive too!

Just my 2 cents worth!

Is it too early to start dividing in NE Ohio zone 5/6

Comments (7)

dowlinggram

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Is it too early to start dividing in NE Ohio zone 5/6

Comments (7)

dowlinggram

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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quilt_mommyOriginal Author

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

NHBabs z4b-5a NH

quilt_mommyOriginal Author

swontgirl_z5a

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quilt_mommy
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