easy How to Divide Echinacea Coneflower
Learn how to divide Echinacea Coneflower one step at a time. This is a super fast way to get more of the echinacea plant you love and make sure the color stays true.
You can grow echinacea from seed but they won’t always come true to the parent plant, dividing is the how to be sure. I show you how I do it using my White Swan echinacea plant.
This is a super easy way how to divide the Echinacea Coneflower plant to propagate and get more of the colors you want.
No rocket science here or special tools. Just a good shovel, some great potting soil, and pots (if you are not putting the division directly back into your garden).
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I love Echinacea and I have written all about how to grow them before here at Flower Patch. I have collected quite a few varieties and many of them are sterile hybrids or easily cross-pollinate and won’t come true from the seeds they produce.
Why Divide Echinacea
My White Swan will grow from seed but with the other varieties of coneflower also in the garden they easily cross-pollinate and my White Swan seeds won’t always bloom white.
So I must dig them up to divide them to get more and this is a great way to keep the plants from getting too large.
Dividing perennials keeps them healthy and happy.
When to Divide Echinacea
You can actually divide anytime you would like but the optimum time is typically Fall or early Spring.
In Fall the soil is still warm enough that it can develop some good roots before cold weather sets in.
In Spring the soil is still on the cool side but the temps are mild enough to let the plant get growing before the hot weather.
Though echinacea is drought tolerant when established, you do have to keep it well watered until it has sent down deep roots.
How to Divide
Clean away debris and any mulch around the base of the plant. This aids you in seeing how far back you need to start digging.
Once your area is cleaned up, start to dig an inch or so further back than you think you need to. Erring on the side of caution is always a good thing. You want to get all the roots you can.
The video has it all for you step by step.
Rinse off the clump of roots and dirt that you end up with. That will help you determine how to divide up the roots and how many plants you can realistically get from that clump.
Using a garden knife or your sharp shovel, cut through the root mass and separate out your pieces of plant roots.
Pot up each individual echinacea division in its own pot. Or plant them directly in your garden beds.
I ended up with 5 different plants and I potted them up in 1-gallon pots.
Now it is Spring and my little pots are all starting to sprout up and now to find where I want to put them in my gardens.
I will be sure to share photos of them in my garden this season. If you like propagating plants I have more posts on how to do it like:
How to start Roses from Cuttings
Dahlias from Cuttings
Propagate Clematis by Layering
Until next time I wish you Happy Gardening!
Years ago I had coneflower called double bubble or double bubble gum, they were pink but I have not been able to find them anywhere in my area. Was I dreaming or is there such a thing. But I have to get them by mail? Thank you
Thank you so much for this very helpful video. I have two coneflower plants that I like very much and was wondering if I would be able to find more of the same variety. Now I know how to divide the ones I have. I can’t wait for fall to arrive in New England so can put your lesson into practice.
My Dad would have enjoyed your site. He loved flowers! I don’t have his green thumb but your site reminds me of him and how he spent time pruning, weeding, splitting plants, etc. Thanks for sharing!