Hello MR, in my opinion I wouldn't cut them up - I think semps that are smaller are going to be more fragile and therefor probably not survive the surgery - or they'd have a better chance if it were spring and the growing season was ahead...from what I've read on these posts, folks who live in very cold environments keep their baby semps in a garage or somewhere sheltered from the weather (just for that first year) They can take a lot of cold but as things melt and refreeze there is water - and if they're semi-dormant or dormant, water can be a problem...if in a pot you can move the pot so the water gets drained, but in the ground, unless they are covered they'll be susceptible to root rot. Again this is just my personal opinion.
