The division of plants is usually every 3 to 5 years. This operation is necessary when the plants are mixed or when plants are too large, when flowering is low, when there is a disease problem and, of course, when you want more copies of the same plant.

Note: Sedum spectabile is divided preferably in the spring and peony in August.

The technical division
- To divide perennials extirpez the plant soil and slice the ball into several parts as long as each party has at least one trench bud, and at least three in the case of the peony. Generally, the central part of a tiller is the oldest.

- It is often better to keep the parties on the periphery of the mound.

- The division can be performed using several tools such as knives, ax, shovel, spade edge, or two forks placed back to back. By any means, try to make the least harm possible to the roots.

- If the plant is not too old and tough, it is possible to divide perennials manually.

- Do not hesitate to cut a root too damaged during this operation. Do not let the roots dry out during the division.

Planting techniques

- Improve the soil by adding 8 to 10 cm of organic matter in the soil mixture. The addition of peat moss, manure or compost are usually effective.

- Make sure that the first floor of the flat-band is slightly damp before planting.

- Lightly water the night before planting if necessary, or wait a day or two before planting if it is too wet.

- In general, it is preferable to planting on a cloudy day. Stress to the plant is greatly reduced and the recovery after planting is much more rapid.

- For bare root perennials, start with a sweep of the final floor so that it is level and to loosen the top 5 cm of soil.

- Try not to get into the flowerbed to the plantation to prevent soil compaction. If necessary, place a board against plywood floor and serve you in order to distribute your weight over a larger surface.

- With respect to the bare root perennials are sold bagged planting time is early spring or fall for some species.

- Just out of the box roots are often coated with sawdust or peat.

- Soak the roots for about 30 minutes in a bucket of water or sludge to the plant is well soaked with water before planting.

- Plant plants staggered to best effect in flowerbeds.

- Observe the spacing required for the development of plants to promote good air circulation, so as to prevent the development of several diseases during the season.

- Dig a hole slightly larger than the root system spread position.

- Mix the powdered bone or mycorrhizae (Myke brand) as recommended in the hole with the land that will be used to backfill the roots.

- The planting depth is determined by placing the roots of buds at ground level.

- The rhizomatous iris must be planted so that the surface of the rhizome is visible on the surface.

- Once planting is complete, perform a thorough irrigation without causing runoff to surface.

- The addition of organic mulch on the soil surface reduces runoff during heavy rains or watering while helping to retain moisture. In addition, mulch greatly slows the growth of weeds. It is therefore a very good investment.

Maintaining the link with the mother plant, it greatly reduces the loss of water by evaporation from the large leaves of the cutting.

Then applied to the wound powder rooting hormone no. 2. We keep the groove a little rejected with a toothpick.

Then surrounds the notched section with moist peat moss (5 cm thick and a few inches long). It covers the sheath moist peat with a transparent plastic.

In a few weeks, roots will appear. At this point we separate the air cutting the mother plant by cutting it in new roots. It rempotera any individual in a pot shaft section newly rooted with its peat substrate.

From November to February, the light intensity and duration are greatly reduced and daily indoor plants suffer the consequences. In addition to artificial lighting, there are some easy tips to help plants get through this dark period. Here are a few.

• First, it is important to learn about the light requirements of plants when buying them because they have not all the same.

• Place the plants a little closer to choosing those windows face south, southeast or southwest. However, avoid leaves that are in direct contact with the glass they do not freeze in extreme cold. Just as it takes to avoid direct sunlight does not cause sunburn.

• Regularly clean the windows to increase the amount of light entering the room.

• Remove dust accumulated on the surface of the leaves to increase the amount of light captured by the plant. To do this, we go gently on each sheet a clean, damp cloth, wiping from base to tip. Moreover, this practice promotes gas exchange between the plant and its environment.

• Plants can be placed in a room where the walls are pale (white, yellow, ivory). These colors reflect light in the room and make it available to plants.

The easiest way is to buy seeds in store, since it is not easy to obtain flowering (essential step to obtain seeds) on our own plants. Sowing is ideally in the spring. More seeds are fresh, more germination rate will be high. You can use a clay pot previously sterilized (eg. With boiling water).

The substrate must also be sterile. It may consist of one third of compost for potted plants and two-thirds sand. We must thoroughly saturate the substrate with water before sowing seeds. They are then deposited on the surface, although evenly, then cover them with a thin layer of sand (with a thickness equivalent to the diameter of the seeds).

Then set the pot in a bag (or dome) closed plastic that is placed near a sunny window. Removing the plastic as soon as seedlings appear. It then keeps the substrate moist but not wet with water, because the seedlings are susceptible to rot. Once plants have reached 2 to 3 cm in height, roughly a year later, they were repotted into individual pots.

We can not do with any plant, but for a small group of plants, it is perfectly permissible. Thus, we get new plants for next to nothing … and without disturbing the parent plant, either, because we only take a single sheet rather than a rod.

You can make leaf cuttings in any season, but usually the “babies” appear more quickly in the spring or summer. It takes only potting soil, a pot or container, a sharp knife, maybe a plastic bag … and a mother plant, of course. No rooting hormone is needed.

African violet

Let us first technique, step by step, to the African violet (Saintpaulia).

1. Take a healthy leaf and turgid by breaking at the base of the petiole.

2. Trim the end of the petiole at 45 ˚ to equalize the wound.

3. Insert the petiole in a pot of moist, slightly angled so that the underside of the sheet is exposed to light. (You can cover the pot and cutting a plastic bag to reduce water loss during rooting, but it is not mandatory.)

4. Place the cutting in a location quite warm (21 ˚ C, day) and well lit, but protected from direct sunlight.

5. Water when the soil is dry to the touch.

After a few weeks, small leaves emerge from the ground. When they have about a third the size of the sheet-mother, dépotez and made part of which falls on fertile ground. You will discover that there is not only a plant but probably five or six. Separate them gently and Pot them in small individual pots. You’ve just passed your first cutting of sheet!

Other plants

You can use the same technique to multiply rex begonias (Begonia rex) and some other rhizomatous begonias, primroses Cape (Streptocarpus) and gloxinia (Sinningia). For crassula (Crassula), the sedums (Sedum) of kalanchoe (Kalanchoe) and other succulents, simply place the sheet on the ground, without even the press: new roots, then plant a small (only one in this case) will be formed after a few weeks.

For language stepmother (Sansevieria), draw one of her long fleshy leaved and cut into sections of 3 cm in length, by pressing the lower segment in the soil. Each will produce a new plant. And voila! Producing a plant from a single sheet looks a bit special, but is actually a technique among others that Mother Nature offers to multiply your plants!