FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Q for the hive mind ....I have a D. filiformis x tracyi which has formed 3 crowns. Any tips on separating them? Is it better to do in the fall once they enter dormancy or in the spring ?

I suppose it would depend on how mature the crowns are. Last year I split them as Hibernaculum. Then they looked like they were dying but followed up by splitting into more crowns

Anyway, reason I said that is because I accidentally broke one off and the crown died entirely.

As far as tips go though, What I'll usually do is slowly break apart the media (or sometimes not so slowly) from the outside and work inwards. Once I have most of it off, I have a bowl of pure water that I swish the roots in to kinda help loosen what is left. From that point I would grab whatever bulb is most accessible and slowly separate them by pulling apart/down gently. Sometime's I'll use my finger to kinda guide/dislodge roots starting at the base and move downwards (hard to describe that in words). Helps if you do it in water as it assists in knocking them loose. When you have tangled roots it can be a godsend. I try to keep all the roots but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Panman wrote: ↑Sun Oct 03, 2021 2:42 am I haven't done it but I would expect it to be the same as dividing other temperate plants. Divide them in the spring just before they start to come out of dormancy. The reason for this is that the plants will be waking up and able to heal themselves better. If you do it in the fall they will spend the winter with an open wound and be subject to disease.

That thought occurred to me as well.