They will all live....the only way they probably wouldn't is if you went back outside,ran them over with the car and then lit them on fire.

maybe not ideal for the amount of labor, but it worked! I have a small shovel that is thin and sharp. I push the tip in and give it all my weight (both feet), and it slices through, fairly precisely. Im clumsy so its almost as dangerous as me using a knife, I have almost tipped over a few times :)

Sounds OK to me : )

Don B.

Since you were going to move them about anyway, that method was fine. I've used it. Most of the time I'm not moving them and just slice off a chunk with a shovel.

tj

Make sure you open up the remaining clumps' root masses by bouncing on the ground or striking the clump sides to free up the roots.

They will recover well if they have an open root structure when you replant them. If they are still a tight clump, they will struggle a bit longer.

Bruce

From what I have read, the roots are the key. Toss them around as much as needed as long as there's some roots left when you put it in the ground you should be good.

Thanks for the reassurance. They are in the driveway, so running them over with the car is a possibility. If I see any rabid growth by morning, I might give that a try ;) Especially if it looks like they are trying to get in the house.

In the future, IâÂÂll try slicing off a bit. In this case, I did want most of them out of there. I did drop them on the ground a few times, to knock some dirt off, and hoping a âÂÂnaturalâ separation would open up, which it did not. To loosen the roots I will try teasing the sides with a fork, which is what I do to other perennials.

I actually heard Bruce once before suggest smacking the root base back-and-forth several times on the trunk of a tree. I tried it, and use the method. Really works. It helped unclump the roots a bit and make 'em easier to work with.

Don B.

I use a baseball bat....with a nail in it.....

They are in the driveway, so running them over with the car is a possibility.

==>> there you go ... and leave a few there.. and see if they over winter.. but for the snow blower and all ....

did you wash off all your mucky soil.. before you tried to pull them apart????

there would be some wisdom.. i collecting some smaller... less aggressive hosta.. for smaller areas ... rather than using these aggressive ones.. right back in the came hole ... else you will be doing the same thing.. in a few years...

your only real concern.. IMHO .. in your windy city ... is cutting too small.. and ground heave in winter.. popping them right out of the ground.. is this an issue in your area??? the bigger the division.. the more it weighs.. the less the issue ....

ken

sharpen your shovel .... stick it right atop the clump ... dead center... and jump on the shovel .... cut it in situ ... take half.. leave half.. job done.. dont really know.. why you have to dig the whole thing out .... take another half... quarter.. if you want ...

take the dug out part.. throw it around the yard.. beat it on a tree... expend some expletives.. simply for the heck of it.. get your excersize and therapy.. all in one.. and replant the chucker ... job done ...

ken

Part of the reason I dug out each clump completely was because I knew I was going to remove 75% of them, and wanted to space what was left nicely. Where most of them are going is just to be a âÂÂfillerâ under a tree. Not a prime location. They can do what they like there.

The other reason was that I could not get the shovel to penetrate the clump. I have foot problems (nerve damage, possibly from years of shoveling, though there is no way to tell) so stamping hard on the shovel is not a good idea. Better to just dig them out.