How to propagate agapanthus. Divide congested clumps of agapanthus every four or five years. Lift the plants and carefully divide the crown with a sharp spade, making sure that each section has at least two growing points. You may need to use two garden forks back to back to divide very established clumps.
Dividing and transplanting agapanthus
However, if left untouched for any length of time, they will become overcrowded and may flower poorly. Lifting and dividing agapanthus every 3 to 4 years will promote better flowering.
Agapanthus grows and spreads by fleshy rhizomes that act as storage roots. The plant retains nutrients in its roots and may be divided to create more plants. Use a sharp shovel to dig up an established plant and divide it into several sections, each with roots and foliage.
Agapanthus is propagated in two ways — by seed or by division of the clump.
You may need to use two garden forks back to back to divide very established clumps. This can be done in spring or after flowering in autumn. Agapanthus species can be grown from collected seed but the cultivars will not come true to type.
When planting your Agapanthus, plant them 30 cm apart, with their crowns 5 cm below the ground. Agapanthus is a rhizome plant, and it will begin to split in two or three years. If the soil is too moist, Agapanthus may rot away before blooming. Over-watering could also prohibit Agapanthus growth.
“Agapanthus stems can be pruned at ground level when the flower has gone over unless you want to leave them in the garden for winter structure,” says Patrick Fairweather, the Managing Director of Fairweather's Nursery.
Established clumps can be lifted and divided into smaller clumps. Spring (late March and April) is the best time to do it. This is the best way to make more plants of a cultivar as all the new clumps will be exactly the same.
It is a perennial plant that can live for up to 75 years. Its evergreen leaves are 2 cm wide and 50 cm long. Its inflorescence is an umbel. The flowers are blue, purple or white and bloom from late spring to summer, followed by capsules filled with black seeds.
This plant can be easily propagated through division in late autumn to winter by carefully removing it from the ground or the pot. Gently shake off some of the soil so that you can see the roots and the individual plants. Carefully pull the individual plants apart making sure that each one retains its own roots.
Best Fertilizer For Agapanthus
JR Peters Jack's Classic Blossom Booster is another great option to fertilize your agapanthus. It has a high NPK ratio at 10-30-20, so use it sparingly. Lastly, MiracleGro Bloom Booster Flower Food is a well-balanced fertilizer with a 15-30-15 NPK ratio.
Light pruning at strategic times of the year can keep your agapanthus healthy and in bloom over the summer. Cutting back the spent foliage in early spring allows room for new growth to emerge and maintains a tidy appearance.
Without deadheading, the plant goes to seed and the blooming season is shortened considerably. To deadhead agapanthus, simply use pruners or garden shears to remove the faded flower and the stalk at the base of the plant.
Snip off the spent blooms before they go to seed with sharp and clean secateurs, cutting off the stalks close to the base of the plant to keep things neat. Place the dead flower heads into your composting system.
Ensure that the whole rhizome is removed. Slash leaves close to the ground and paint the fresh stump with vigilant gel, glyphosate, or metsulfuron-methyl. Spray with triclopyr.
Because agapanthus plants spread quickly, they are regarded as an invasive weed in parts of New South Wales and Victoria. Your local council can provide guidance on growing agapanthus, which may include dead-heading flowers before seed dispersal.
Repeat flowering Agapanthus for up to 6 months of the year.
Our Agapanthus varieties are designed to be tough enough to brave the Australian landscape, with good disease resistance, and drought and frost tolerance.
Plant 60cm apart for tall varieties, and 30cm for dwarf varieties with the plant crown at soil level. When planting in pots, root congestion is not a major concern, as Agapanthus plants tend to respond quite well to this. When the roots have too much space, leaf growth will be encouraged rather than flower production.
Give agapanthus lots of sun, plus extra water when its really hot and dry and they'll bloom abundantly. Agapanthus plants that fail to flower are usually growing in too much shade. While they grow with little care, agapanthus plants respond to an application of fertiliser or composted manure in spring.
In indigenous gardens, agapanthus are perfect companions with summer-flowering bulbs of crocosmia, galtonia, eucomis and watsonia. Agapanthus are also striking with sedges or phormiums, such as 'Yellow Wave', and eye-catching among whispering ornamental grasses.