Reproduction of astilba by dividing the bush
Most gardeners who grow astilba for the first time on their site plant it with seeds. This method is not bad and allows you to immediately get a large number of seedlings. However, if at least one plant bush grows in a private garden or neighbors, most often astilba is propagated by dividing it.
Method advantages
Dividing a bush is a very profitable way to plant astilba for two reasons:
- it allows you to get ready-made bushes of a plant that will bloom in the near future;
- by dividing the bush, you can plant an old overgrown perennial by updating it.
Over time, the astilba bush becomes very thick, which affects the quality of flowering (panicles and inflorescences become small), so it is important to periodically plant the plant.
When can you divide a bush?
Astilba can be called a long-liver among herbaceous perennials - in one place it can “live” up to 15 years. However, in order for the flowering to remain as abundant, after a certain period of time it is necessary to cut the bush.
Astilba has a vertical rhizome, which quickly overgrows with new shoots and roots. If you leave everything as it is, over time, old-time bushes begin to stick out from the ground, pushing out young roots behind them, which dry out without covering the soil.
On average, the bushes should be divided every 5 years, but if varieties that grow at an accelerated pace are planted on the site, this should be done at least once every 3-4 years.
Propagate astilbe dividing the bush is possible throughout the growing season. In order for a new plant to bloom in the fall, it is better to transplant it in early spring.
How to properly divide an old bush?
The size of the cut does not matter, it will be more important to divide the bush so that each excavated part has:
- at least 1-2 living kidneys;
- own roots from 3 cm long.
How to plant a cut?
For planting astilba, it is necessary to make shallow holes measuring 30x30 cm.The distance between them should be at least 50 cm - for tall varieties and 30 cm - for low perennial species. Each hole must be entered:
- 30 g complex fertilizer;
- 1 tbsp. ash;
- 1 tbsp. bone meal.
To minimize moisture loss, immediately after planting, the soil around the bush must be mulched.