How to divide a house plant

Follow these four easy steps to dividing your house plants.

You Will Need

• Sharp knife
• Multi-purpose compost

Step 1

Tap the plant out of its pot and take a close look at the point where the shoots sprout from the compost. You should see some obvious gaps where the clump can be separated into smaller sections. Insert a knife in between the gaps and chop up into smaller sections. Alternatively, tear apart the clump with your hands if it's relatively easy to break into sections.

Step 2

Pick or cut off any weak or dead sections and discard.

Step 3

Cut off any long or straggling roots, so that each new, young clump is left with a decent set of roots that are about 8-10cm long.

Step 4

Pot up each new clump into a pot of fresh multi-purpose compost or house plant compost, making sure it sits at the same level as it did in the previous pot. To allow for watering, leave a 2-3cm gap between the surface of the compost and the pot rim. Water the new plants in well, then continue watering regularly.

More house plants to divide like this

• Aspidistra
• Aglaonema
• Chamaedorea
• Dypsis