Last updated on September 23rd, 2022 at 02:32 pm
The catmint plant is known to be one very unusual perennial. The reason is primarily because of its look.
After the first few years, a catmint walker’s low becomes big, having lusty clumps and most certainly will become visually overwhelming.
To avoid this, gardeners consider dividing the plant when it reaches this stage. However, can it be done though?
Yes, you can divide a catmint walker’s low. The easiest and safest way to do this is by slicing off a vertical section of a well-established plant clump. This process should preferably be done during spring.
Can Walkers Low Catmint Be Divided?
Suppose there is one fascinating thing about the catmint plant, it is the fact that it continues to grow and bloom as long as it is in the soil for up to two years.
If you’d like to divide the catmint plant when it blooms and becomes too bushy, then it is possible. Doing this will help the plant grow better and help you produce more catmint plants.
All varieties of nepeta (walkers low catmint) respond very well to division, especially during spring.
How To Divide Catmint Walker’s Low Plant?
When the catmint plant blooms in two years or more, it’ll become very bushy to look at. If the plant reaches this stage, it is very ok to divide and replant the catmint to help it grow better and look better.
If you’d like to divide your walker’s low catmint to produce more plants, then below is a list of safety tips to follow:
1. Decide when to divide the plant
The first stage in dividing the catmint plant is deciding the best suitable time to divide the plant.
The best time to divide the plant is when the clump of the plant has grown two or three times bigger than the original size planted within two to five years.
The best candidate for division is a clump that has exceeded the space allotted to it.
2. Preparing for division
It is no news that catmints and every other such perennial have to be divided at some point to enable the plant’s efficient growth.
Despite this, the dividing of the plant will shock its entire system if the plant is not well prepared for this procedure.
A tip is to give the plant a good soaking about a day before the dividing happens. This process will help ensure that the catmint’s roots are well saturated before undergoing the trauma of division.
3. Determining a new location for the divided plant
Before you go ahead to divide the walker’s low catmint plant, you should dig a hole awaiting the new plant.
Remember to give the new plant division a lot of room for expansion. Note that the divisions should be smaller than the original plant and therefore require shallower holes compared to the complete plant.
4. Digging up the plant for division
When dividing perennial plants in most cases, it is easier to dig out the whole plant clump entirely and use a flat-edged spade or a shovel to slice completely just around the outer perimeter of the plant in question.
For catmint, you should dig up to 6 inches deep. You can dig up a bigger hole if the clump is bigger.
As you slice entirely around the plant, starting to lift out of the hole at this point, try to lift the plant out of the hole as gently and carefully as possible.
If the plant seems too heavy to lift out of the hole like this, then use the shovel as a lever, lifting the plant manually and placing it on a nearby leveled ground.
5. Using pitchforks to divide the catmint plant
Using two pitchforks to split and pry the catmint plant apart. Fix the forks into the center of the lifted plant such that the backs of these forks touch each other.
Press down the pitchfork gently while applying pressure slightly, so the plant doesn’t split wrongly.
Allow the forms to go straight through the plant. You will hear some cracking sounds as the plant splits apart.
6. Planting and Replanting
After separating the plant, return the original plant into its hole and cover it adequately with soil.
Do the same with the divided plant on the ground by fixing it into the already dug hole. Fill the hole with soil and water it.
Ensure that these plants get enough sunlight and water to help them regain the strengths lost during dividing and also help the plant recover from trauma.
Why Should I Divide My Catmint Walkers Low Plant?
We’ve been discussing how to divide catmint plants, but why exactly should you consider propagating your catmint plant?
Below are a few reasons:
1. To prevent overcrowding
If you have seen a catmint plant grow in two years, you will notice that it has exceeded its allotted space, and they have begun to encroach on each other.
This occurrence will result in overcrowding, and, subsequently, the plants will begin to suffer and die from insufficient nutrients.
Dividing the plant helps solve this problem as the plants will be forced to remain in their territory.
2. To maintain plant beauty
Catmints are ornamentals which means that their primary purpose is beautification.
However, the opposite of beautification becomes the case when the plants grow too close to each other, or there are too many branches on a clump.
In this case, the plant begins to look more like a bush instead of a decoration.
3. To avoid creating hiding places for reptiles
If you don’t divide your walker’s low catmint as they grow and let them form a bush, you may be endangering the entire household as these plants will now serve as hiding places for dangerous animals.
Snakes can begin to dig holes in between thick bushes formed by the plants.
4. To have plants in store for the next season
A newly planted stump of catmint taken from the initially dug plant will begin to grow, counting from the planting time as a new season.
This process means if the original plant is to complete its life cycle in a year, the newly planted one obtained from the original plant will complete its own in the next five years.
Note:
1. You can divide catmints at any time of the year, but spring is the most preferable.
2. Do not leave the exposed parts of the plant roots lying about any longer than necessary. The reason is that breezes and hot/harsh sun will dry up the roots. If the roots are dried before replanting, that plant will be as good as dead.
3. Try not to overwater or underwater the plant after propagation.
4. For the best results and to be safer, you should do dividing in the not-so-hot part of the day. Preferably morning or evening.
5. In the rainy season, divide the plants when the soil is a bit dry to avoid injuring the roots and cutting short plant processes.
Conclusion
Catmint is known to be a beautiful plant, primarily because of its leaf color. Therefore, they serve as very good ornamentals as they are beautiful to behold and have a pleasant scent.
However, dividing this plant has seemed to be the best solution to many problems the catmint faces in the garden.
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