john_ny

I had planted a basjoo in the ground last year. It had several pups. In the fall, I protected everything, and everything came back in the spring. I accidentaly broke the p-stem of the mother plant at around 3-4 feet, but it came back nicely, from that point. Now the pups are almost as big as the mother, and have pups of their own. I would like to get the pups out of there, and leave the mother. I thought I would dig out last year's pups, and leave any of this year's attached to them. Is there any way I can kind of dig around them, so I can see what I'm cutting, without disturbing mother too much. I thought it would be better, if I could see what I was doing, rather than plunging willy-nilly in there, with a spade. I have a digging bar, but it doesn't have a sharp end, so it's not much good.
Maybe, I should just put everything off until spring. What are your thoughts?

[IMG][/IMG]

The picture above shows the mother plant, in the middle (tan), with the large green (last year's) pups, and the small (this year's) pups.

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John

saltydad

John- I have the same situation. I was planning on just cutting all p-stems to 2-3 ft, cutting all leaves off, and protecting with straw bales as I did last year. What advantage do you see to removing last year's pups?

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john_ny

Howard - I have two reasons for wanting to remove the pups. The first is that they are starting to encroach on a walk, that is just to the right of the picture. The second is that I'd like to pot them up in order to sell / give them away.

P.S. My wife is an O.R. supervisor.

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John

austinl01

John, I would hold off the surgery until the spring. The pups would need some time to get well rooted before the frost if you plant them out. If you kept them in pots, they would need warmth and sunlight to establish a good root system. Since it's late in the year, why not protect them like you did last year and when they start growing in the spring, separate them then. I wouldn't dig up the entire clump, rather separate the smaller pups with the bar going in at an angle so you can get some roots and corm. Basjoo is pretty easy to divide without digging up the clump. Musellas are another story!

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Typical Low Each Winter: 13-15°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

JCDerrick

I agree, I'd wait until spring and split them at that time.

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john_ny

OK, I guess it's spring then. Right now, I'm off to Florida for the Florida Nursery Growers Assn. trade show. Will see if I can find any bargains. Will be talking to Agri-Starts, and others. I'll report results next week.

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John

dablo93

you can split them now but then you have to overwinter the pups inside, you can also split them in may/june.

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saltydad

She's obviously a very accomplished lady I love the OR, but my back can no longer take it. :-(

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Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"