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Splitting Tubers - A Job For Either Fall
Or Spring:
I've been asked before if the root really HAS to be
split, so a quick word on that first! In a word, yes! You might be
able to replant a minimal root but the best blooms and plants come from
new stock. In fact, unless you intend to use the 'mother root' for
shoot-cuttings the following Spring, why even store it over the winter?
Better to keep the tubers just grown during the current season. If you
consider the average root pulled from the ground, and imagine how many shoots
would potentially come from it in the following year, there would simply not be
space for new tubers to form.
In fact, even if you split the tubers, it's good to add
even more stress by cutting off a good chunk of the bottom of the split tuber
just before planting it. This ensures that the tuber will then send out new roots adjacent to the new stem.
This is desirable, since some of these new roots will widen into tubers
themselves. My usual
practice is to cut off perhaps 20% on small tubers, perhaps up to 80% for the
largest, which can be as large as your forearm, and in excess of 10" long.
Another benefit of cutting, is that even for beginners, when you dig up your
roots, it's obvious from which tuber the plant grew, and that's the tuber you
discard.
On whether to split in the fall or the spring, usually
it decided more by when you have the time. Usually deadlines are a bit
more pressing in the spring, but everyone has their own story to tell here.
There are other considerations as well. The tubers are easier to cut when
they are fresh in the fall....they are more like wood in the spring. The
shoots are easier to see in the spring than the buds or growth nodes are in the
fall. Split tubers take less space to store, so that can be on your mind.
Moisture may be lost easier from fresh cuts, so that suggests spring. Rot
tends to appear in stalk material first, so if you remove it in the fall, you
reduce risk. Just be aware that the arguments either way can be perennial.
If you are undecided, try a 50-50 fall/spring, and let the results speak for
themselves. The reality is, that with care given to maintaining proper
humidity and temperature in storage, both ways work just fine!
See below for some pictures and comments on the task of
splitting tubers. (click on the
pictures for a better view)
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A first look at an 'Arabian Night' root. Note the mother root
in the foreground at 9 o'clock....it is slightly darker than the rest.
For disease protection, this is usually cut off and thrown away (unless
you wish to use it for stem-cuttings next year). The rest are all new growth.
Be sure to handle carefully, trying to ensure tubers are not broken off
at the narrow part of the neck. All growth happens at that end for
future plants. |
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This is a 'White Perfection' dinnerplate root. I have shown
this, since it is one of the easier cuttings to both see and make.
If you are new to the job, look for one like this on which to start.
Washing gently with a garden hose (high pressure will peel and
ruin the tubers) can help you better see shoots, and also
eliminates organisms which could make the storage process more
complicated. Just make sure to air-dry the roots out of direct
sunlight for a few hours before packaging them for winter storage. |
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This one is a bit more complicated, but by gentle movement of the
stems, sometimes these may be teased apart into several stems as they
have grown. In this case, what you are hoping for, is that you can
successfully part the three main stems, then individually section each
of those. Easy to see now how you get 'trading stock'. |
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Some can test the patience of everyone. Sometimes, all you can
do is cut where it seems right, and hope for the best. There will
always be losses, just a fact of life. As you gain experience, you
will be more successful in what numbers you can keep. The rewards
for trying your best are built-in! |
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This is a challenge of a different sort. I think this is
'Mick's Peppermint'. Certain cultivars grow like carrots, some
like potatoes in basic shape. This is one where I would be likely
to keep for stem cuttings, then discard what is left. If you plant
this again, it is likely to live off the original root, and not push out
new tubers. Not the desired result! |
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Here, it's easy to see the old tuber, which has a deeper colour and
a more scale-like exterior. By chopping and discarding it, the job
of sectioning the rest gets a lot easier. |
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I have included this picture to show that sometimes the job of
sectioning is quite straightforward. You can simply cut between
the stems vertically, and you are done. (Ok, I admit it! The
tuber on your left is the mother tuber, and should be discarded!
But the principle is what I needed!) |
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This started off as one tangled root, which I gently pulled and
teased apart. Seen this way, it's not quite the challenge it
originally seemed. Note that most of the old stem is also
discarded to reduce the risk of introducing rot in the bags during
storage. |
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This went in the ground as a tuber which already had a long shoot on
it, and I just coiled it in the earth above the tuber. Makes for
some interesting tuber growth. Large tubers for discard are
under the tags. |
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There is a great range of what you might reasonably expect in
underground production from each cultivar. Some give 20+ splits,
some you are lucky to get one. This one, a red semi-cactus called
'Scarlet Ribbon', has been sectioned into 8 divisions, and could easily
go further. This is a personal choice, of course. I prefer
to not insist on maximum production, since I don't have room for all the
divisions anyway. Better insurance to have an extra stem or two,
then remove what you don't need. |
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