hi i am new to this site so i really dont know what i am doing.. i have some daylilies around my tree and i want to divide and replant them so they will look a little better than they do... i dont have a way to send pictures of them and what i am dealing with.. i myself think they are being over crowded by weeds and branches.. how long do they survive before i need to replant them any information is greatly appreciated

Hello, I received a shipment during a heat wave this summer, and all the plants did fine soaking for almost two weeks in water. I was advised to keep the water below the crown and change on a regular basis, I did do this. Welcome to ATP, you came to the right place for info.

Gale

to ATP!

Depending on where you live, and what your zone is, will be the deciding factor on when to divide. If you are in a warmer area, dividing now would be just fine. You just need to make sure that each division has some roots. If it is already freezing at night, I'd wait until Spring.

Daylilies can live a really long time! Can't see having to ever replace them, if they are growing well and are healthy!

Daylilys are pretty tuff but i always go by the maxim less time out of the ground equals more time growing and rerooting for winter. Harder not knowing what zone you are in but after September here i plan on no new digging at all.

well maybe someone can tell me what zone im in because i have no idea and i really would like to get started on deviding up my daylilies before the end of september i do believe..i live in union city indiana and i think it gets cold in october november will it be too late if i wait til then

Roxy, if your zip code is 47390, then it looks like you are in zone 5b. That might be pushing it for dividing, but if you can mulch well, they will probably be okay. I'd leave as much dirt on them as possible, and water them in well when you are done.

Here is the USDA Zone site, which might be more helpful.

http://planthardiness.ars.usda...

Yes, Natalie is correct, you are in zone 5b. I would not divide the dl's this year because it is too late in the season. If however, you do divide, mulch very well. You may also want to put bricks or stepping stones around the roots of the dl's. I was told (have never tried) that this will help get the dl's through the winter. Personally, I would wait until next May and then divide. I have some dl's that were purchased in 2006 and have never been divided. They should be divided, but they are doing fine. Daylilies multiply at different rates, so some dl's need to be divided more often.

I am zone 5b. I never go past September 15 any more. Actually I pretty much try to call it done by the first week of September. But I have planted in late September and the plant survived fine. We have had lows in the 40's already. First frost is around the middle of October. So I would wait until late April early May next year.

If you do go ahead and divide do mulch very well for winter and they will probably be okay. Especially if you can disturb the roots as little as possible and replant as clumps.

Well i decided to take the advice from you all thanks for responding on dividing my dl ill wait til next yr to do this but i would love to clean up a little so it looks better around the house i figured out how to take and send pics so heres what im dealing with any suggestions

Here is a couple more pics

Wow, those daylilies are really close to that tree. If possible, when you dig them next spring, the daylilies really should be moved out into a sunny area away from the tree.

Roxy, I live near the Indiana/Michigan line. Here is my advice.

Pull the weeds, remove yellow and brown leaves, cut back the good leaves about four inches above ground. Water well daily until fall rain starts up.

In May, using a five gallon bucket, add one quarter full with alfalfa, and fill the bucket with water.

Select a sunny location to plant the fans the next day.

Dig the plants, divide them and remove old roots. Clean the fans of soil and soak in 10% bleach water for two hours, wash them off with plain water, and let them soak in plain water until the next day.

The next day, plant the fans with four cups of the alfalfa mix, and water the area.

Thanks profesora for the advice and also blue23rose yes they are by a tree stump my landlord put them there im trying to do some landscaping around here to make it look nicer anyway its a mess and dont know where to start

One more thing profesora cutting the leaves is this in a slant like pruning a plant?

Yes. I cut mine to look like an upright arrow head.

If I'm moving plants within the garden rather than mailing them to someone, I just dig up the clump, divide it if necessary, and then replant with as much soil still on the roots as possible (cut back the foliage too if it has grown enough to wilt). If I'm mailing them then they have to be barerooted and washed, but it adds another level of stress to the plant by potentially damaging more roots than if they're moved with soil.

I agree that I wouldn't be moving them at this time of year in a cold winter climate.

took me all day to do it but heres what i done so far poor daylilies i think i cut them too short i hope they still grow this is my first time doing this so wish me luck

Looks like you did a good job!

Do you have anything to mulch them with? Leaves work really well, so if you are raking any, it would probably help to put them around the plants. Leaves are free, and will be very helpful to get them through the winter, since they were divided so late in the year. Plain bark/mulch works good too, but most people don't have lots of extra mulch just laying around. I'd get some though, if it was me, and I didn't have leaves to cover them with. Lots of people use no mulch at all, and their plants do just fine, but most aren't divided this late in the year in a cold zone. They are tough plants though, so they may be just fine. If you get a lot of snow, that will also help to insulate them some.

profesora said:Roxy, I live near the Indiana/Michigan line. Here is my advice.

Pull the weeds, remove yellow and brown leaves, cut back the good leaves about four inches above ground. Water well daily until fall rain starts up.

In May, using a five gallon bucket, add one quarter full with alfalfa, and fill the bucket with water.

Select a sunny location to plant the fans the next day.

Dig the plants, divide them and remove old roots. Clean the fans of soil and soak in 10% bleach water for two hours, wash them off with plain water, and let them soak in plain water until the next day.

The next day, plant the fans with four cups of the alfalfa mix, and water the area.

Just to clarify profesora's excellent advice, cutting off the old roots doesn't mean cutting all the roots from the previous year off. When you dig your daylilies try to bring up some soil from around the plant at the same time. Then carefully wash that soil off of the roots. You will see some roots that are fresh and plump and you will see some roots that are dark and shriveled looking. Those are the ones to cut off.

And profesora, if I have misrepresented your meaning I apologize. This is how I have done it for three decades but I am sure there are many alternatives that will work as well.

Foxy, just remember that daylilies are tough. They have been left on the ground unplanted and survived.

Have fun.

Charley