A gardening fan has shown a simple way to buy one plant and turn it into four at home.
Adam Kirtland shares garden tips, tricks and ideas online and has his own gardening podcast. His aim is to help people to “garden easier and smarter.”
He recently shared a video on TikTok demonstrating how you can make the most of your garden centre plants. Adam suggests saving money by buying a plant with a larger pot and separating it into up to four plants.
In the video he said: “If you want to save some money in the garden get one of these larger pots and do this. But be warned…it’s brutal.
“Tip them out of their pots and you’’ll see that they’ve got fantastic root systems which means they’re really, really good for splitting.” With a spade in his hands, he added: “I hope you’re ready because things are about to get rough.
“Using a sharp fork or a trowel or a spade, pop it in the middle and give it a good bash just like this and then what you’ll get is two even halves of a plant. I know it seems harsh but the plant loves it.”
Adam noted that you can either leave it like this with the two halves or get “really extreme” or split those halves again to get four plants. He explained: “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 and suddenly £12.99 doesn’t seem so bad to spend on a plant.”
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK’s leading gardening charity has also given some guidance on this plant splitting method. On its website it shares: “Dividing perennials regularly will ensure healthy, vigorous plants that will continue to perform year after year.
“It also offers the opportunity to multiply your plants.” It adds: “Most perennials benefit from division every two to three years to maintain health and vigour. If you want to increase the number of plants you have by dividing them, the task can be done more regularly.”
The charity gave examples of plants that can be divided or split, including Aster, Bergenia, Convallaria, Iris, Geranium, Primula (primrose) and Ranunculus (buttercup). It mentioned that plants can be divided successfully at almost any time if they are kept-well watered but division is “most successful when the plants are not in active growth.”
Adam’s TikTok video has garnered 109,900 views, 2,648 likes and nearly 100 comments, at the time of writing. One user said: “What a great tip. Thanks mate.”
Another added: “I can’t believe I haven’t tried this before! Thank you.” A third gardening lover gave a suggestion: “Use a bread knife, much easier less mess. I work in a plant nursery.”
