How to Grow Daylilies With Root Cutting Sections

You can grow daylilies in two ways: by planting daylily seeds or by cutting off a root section of an established clump of plants. Since growing daylilies from seed yields unpredictable results that are often unlike the parent plant, you'll have better control over the outcome if you use the latter method, which produces daylilies that are identical to the original plant. This method is also known as dividing your daylilies, and is best undertaken in the early spring months or autumn after the flowers are no longer blooming, according to This Old House.

Garden rake
Gardening shears
Spade
Garden fork
Mulch
Watering can filled with water

Instructions

- 1
  Rake any mulch away from the clump of daylilies that you've chosen to pull out and divide.
- 2
  Cut off your daylilies' tops before beginning your project, but only if you are dividing in autumn. Drive your spade into the ground around a grouping of your daylilies, creating a thin trench around your plants. Leave a lot of space between this trench and your plants, since their roots most likely extend several inches beyond the plants' foliage.
- 3
  Use your spade or a garden fork inserted into the trench to pull out the daylily plants by their combined root ball. Place the entire plant grouping upside down, with the root ball exposed in the air.
- 4
  Drive your spade or fork into the clump, cutting it into several smaller clumps that are ideally about 6 inches to 8 inches in circumference. Check each of your cuttings to make sure it has the right form: a small cluster of roots attached to just one fan of leaves.
- 5
  Plant each small cutting in soil similar to the soil from which it was removed. First dig small holes a little shallower than the depth of your cuttings' root balls and 6 inches wider, and then place the cuttings roots first in the holes. Keep the holes at least 6 inches apart. Fill the holes with soil, making sure to cover the root ball completely.
- 6
  Add approximately 1 inch of mulch around your newly planted daylilies. Saturate the soil with water to complete the dividing and planting process.

Yellow Annual Flowers

Tropical Rainforest Plants and Orchids

Flower Garden