Divide Red Hot Poker Plants In Spring For Healthier Growth & More Blooms

Spring is one of the best times of the year for dividing perennials, and if you're running around your yard tackling this chore, you may have already chopped up your irises and dug up the hostas. Many of the plants in your yard need to be divided every few years, but there are some things you need to know about dividing perennials before you start, because not all of them like to be disturbed. One of these is the red hot poker plant (Kniphofia), which is a little more particular about the way it's propagated. It still needs regular division for healthier growth and more blooms, but you have to take a different approach.

Just like with other perennials, overcrowded clumps of red hot poker plants can start to compete with themselves for space, which will slow down their growth and reduce the number of blooms. Fewer flowers is actually one of the signs that your red hot poker plant needs some attention, and you'll probably notice that it has quite a few shoots. To divide this plant, rather than digging it up and cutting it into pieces, it's better to pull the offsets away from the mother plant and put them somewhere else. For the offsets to flower, each new plant needs at least one lateral bud. Established red hot poker plants have long bloom periods, and with dramatic torch-like flowers that attract hummingbirds, they're worth the extra care in gardens from ones 5 to 8.

While spring is ideal for dividing hot poker plants, it's a chore that can also be done late in the fall. Whichever time you choose, don't cut the green leaves off the plant, because they will feed the rhizome. You really only have to divide hot poker plants every few years, and you can give the offsets away as gifts or plant them around your yard. When replanting them, put them in an area with full sun and provide them with well-draining soil. Each plant gets quite large, so space them about 18 to 24 inches apart when they're young. They'll need to be watered regularly for the first year or two, but once they are fully established, kniphofia plants are drought-tolerant.

Many of the same helpful tips and tricks you use to keep your perennials blooming also apply to red hot poker plants, and dividing them is just one way to keep them blooming profusely. Some other ideas to get your hot poker plants to produce more flowers include deadheading after blooms are spent. That way, instead of putting energy into making seeds, they're putting it back into making more flowers. And while it might seem like your plants need more nutrients, one important tip is to avoid overfertilizing red hot pokers. Too much nitrogen will encourage this plant to produce leaves and roots rather than flowers.