Red Hot Poker Plant Cutting Back
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Another inexpensive way of adding to the plant collection for my raised beds is by propagation. My sister explained that there are several ways to propagate plants. So we decided to raid my mum’s garden (with permission).
Dividing Red Hot Pokers
From Bluestone Perennials - Dead heading may prolong blooming by removing old flower spikes. To improve appearance, cut back foliage by one half. Leave foliage for winter protection and cut back to 3' in spring. Hi All, I have several lovely specimens of toffee nosed kniphofia (red hot poker only cream coloured). Some of the foliage is brown and manky looking others while the rest is quite green and healthy looking. Does anyone know - do I cut all foliage back and how far or just painstakingly cut out the dead foliage only? Cut away all the dead or damaged foliage from the Red Hot Poker plants in the early spring. You can also cut the plant down to its base in late fall. Red Hot Poker Plants Red hot poker plants thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10.
This is a method we used on bigger primroses, hot pokers and iris.
To divide the plant we dug it up after flowering and looked at the base, we picked natural points in the plant for example between leaves, ensuring the piece we were removing had roots and had growth on top and then put the plant back and the piece we had divided into a pot and watered so the soil settled.
When you look closely at this hot poker, you can see it’s made up of lots of sections which look like leeks! We just broke off one of these, with it’s roots and potted it up.
The hot pokers we did the end of last year are doing really well and are creating off shoots themselves which we can divide.
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Original section on the right, with two new shoots.
Buddleia Cuttings
Torch lily does well in zones 5-9. In the colder zones, be sure to lay down 2-3 inches of mulch before winter to protect the crowns of the plant. Uses for Red Hot Pokers. Where you find this plant you are also likely to find hummingbirds. They love the bright colors of it and sweet nectar, and are attracted to the tubular shape of the flowers.
These are easier (I was scared id hurt the plant dividing it up) We took cuttings from all sorts like Buddleia “buzz”, Clematis, hardy geraniums just to name a few in case mums reading!
To do these cuttings with sharp scissors/secateurs we took sections of fresh growth and cut just below a leaf joint or node ensuring there is enough stalk to place the first joint into the soil to root from and a second joint on top for the new shoots. Try and avoid any flower buds, but if you can’t find pieces without, you can cut them off.
Next you need to remove the bottom sets of leaves, under the soil they would just root and reducing the above ground leaves will help stop the cutting wilting.
These are then placed in pots with the top leaf joint level with the surface. I poked holes with my finger to get them in.
Then water to settle the soil.
These then go into a green house, or in our case a window sill, and are covered. We like to use sandwich bags as these fit nicely over pots.
These are cuttings we took the same way last summer all grown up:
By Shirley_tulip
West Sussex, United Kingdom
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker). Having cut the old flowering spikes down as low as possible, I am confused by the advice re. the foliage. Should it be cut back by a half, a third or left as it is? All looks very shabby now!
On plant Kniphofia
- 20 Oct, 2013
Answers
Never touch ours until it withers away over Winter. Some are evergreen and only the dead leaves should be removed.
Many thanks Owdboggy ... in that case I shall just cut off any dead leaves.
I was listening to gqt on the bbci and I think it was Matt Biggs saying that there is no reason to cut back herbaceous perrenials except for cosmetic reasons
Thanks for that info. Pam ...
Shabby ? that looks absolutely great to me !!!!
Looks really healthy and in a well drained spot so should do really well you can give it a haircut in early spring to tidy it up about 12 inches from the base , I have in the past tied mine up over winter to protect the crown of the plant especially if snow is on its way.
Gg
Ok Badfish - substitute shabby for untidy then!
Gg - should any snow be forecast for the South coast I shall tie the foliage up - thanks for that tip.
I'm almost certain, but can't find the bloomin' thing - that Scotsgran did a blog a long while back about how she treats her Kniphofia for winter. Hers' has been in the family for many, many years. Maybe she deleted it.
She cuts hers back and ties them up to protect the emerging flower buds.
She did indeed Scottish, on 31/8/2013 and I actually commented and added it to my favourites! I appear to have deleted it when I had to clear stuff off the computer. No worries, I shall add it again. Thanks for the help ... :o)
How do you delete a kniphofia? :-)
Andrew - You put it in a Dalek composter to exterminate it!!!
Ah, now I understand
You don't have to be mad to be on GoY ... but it helps!
Delete button's one of the best!
Shirley - I'm in the right place then!
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