How to divide Australian natives and grow your garden for free
Dividing clumping native plants is one of the most rewarding techniques in the Australian garden. Done well, it multiplies your plants for free, rejuvenates those that are overcrowded and fills gaps with plants already proven to suit your conditions. Because you are working with established root systems, the success rate is also high.
Autumn is the ideal time to divide most clumping natives across southern and temperate Australia. The soil is still warm enough to encourage root establishment, summer heat has passed and the plant has mild weather ahead to settle in. In subtropical and tropical gardens, the end of the wet season (April to June) serves the same purpose.
The golden rule of division: Only divide healthy plants. A struggling, diseased or recently transplanted plant does not have the root reserves to survive being cut apart. Division is a technique for multiplying success, not rescuing failure.
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Division requires very little equipment, but the quality of your tools matters. A blunt or dirty blade drags rather than cuts cleanly, which increases the risk of infection and slows recovery.
| Tool | Purpose | Prep required |
|---|---|---|
| Garden knife or hori-hori | Cutting through root clumps and rhizomes. The most important tool for the job — a sharp blade makes clean cuts that heal faster. | Sharpen if needed. Wipe with isopropyl alcohol between plants to prevent disease spread. |
| Garden fork | Loosening soil around the clump and levering the root ball out of the ground without severing roots unnecessarily. | Clean tines of soil and debris. For very large clumps, have a second fork on hand to use back-to-back for splitting. |
| Bypass secateurs or snips | Trimming foliage back before and after division, and removing damaged or dead roots from each section. | Wipe blades clean. Sterilise between plants as with the knife. |
| Leather gardening gloves | Protecting hands from the surprisingly sharp leaf edges of lomandra, dianella and poa, and from soil-borne pathogens when handling root material. | None — put them on before you start and keep them on throughout. |
| Hand broom | Sweeping accumulated leaf litter and debris from the base of the clump before lifting, making it easier to assess the root structure and spot any disease. | None required. |
| Sterilising solution | Preventing the spread of soil-borne disease between plants when using the same blade. Especially important if dividing kangaroo paw, which are susceptible to ink disease. | Prepare a small bucket with water and a capful of household bleach, or fill a spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol. Have it within reach before you begin. |
How to divide clumping natives: the general method
This method applies to the majority of clumping native plants — lomandras, dianellas, poas, vanilla lilies and most sedges and rushes. Specific variations for individual plants are noted in the plant entries below. If you need advice on propagating with cuttings, we have a guide for that too.
- Water your plants deeply the day before. This hydrates the roots and makes the clump easier to lift cleanly.
- Cut the foliage back by half to two-thirds using heavy duty bypass secateurs or hedge shears for larger clumps. This reduces water loss through the leaves while the root system re-establishes and makes the clump much easier to handle. A hard cutback is better than a stressed plant.
- Loosen the soil around the perimeter of the clump using a garden fork, working in a circle about 10–15cm outside the plant's edge. Push the fork in vertically and lever gently rather than digging sideways, which severs roots unnecessarily.
- Lift the entire clump. For smaller plants this can be done by hand once loosened. For larger, established clumps use the fork as a lever, pushing down on the handle to ease the root ball upward. Have a spade on hand for very large clumps.
- Divide the clump into sections using a sharp garden knife or hori-hori. Each division needs a healthy portion of roots and at least a few fans of leaves. Discard the oldest, woodiest central sections and keep the vigorous outer growth. For very tough, fibrous root balls, two garden forks inserted back-to-back and levered apart can be more effective than a blade.
- Trim any damaged or dead roots from each division using clean snips. If dividing multiple plants, wipe your blade with alcohol between each one.
- Replant immediately at the same depth as the original plant. Firm the soil in gently around the roots and water in thoroughly. Do not fertilise at this stage.
- Mulch around (not over) the crown with coarse wood chip, leaving a clear gap around the base of the plant. Water every two to three days for the first two weeks, then reduce to once a week as the plant settles.
How many divisions can you get from one plant? A well-established lomandra or dianella can yield four to eight divisions, each of which will reach full size within one to two seasons. A division the size of a fist or larger will establish much faster and more reliably than a tiny fragment, even if the tiny fragment technically has roots attached.
Seven native plants worth dividing this autumn
Lomandra (Lomandra longifolia and cultivars)
Clump division · Cool temperate to tropical, widespread
Lomandra is the most commonly planted native groundcover in Australia and one of the easiest to divide. Divide in autumn or early spring. Cut the foliage back to around 15–20cm before lifting. Lomandra recovers vigorously and the shorter foliage makes replanting much easier. Each division should have a solid root mass and the older, straw-coloured central growth can be discarded.
Dianella / Flax lily (Dianella spp. and cultivars)
Clump division · Cool temperate to tropical, widespread
Dianella spreads by rhizome and forms expanding clumps. Left undivided, the centre of an established clump gradually dies out. Use a sharp garden knife or hori-hori to cut through the rhizome mass, ensuring each division has both roots and a healthy fan of leaves. Trim foliage back by half. Dianella is more sensitive to root disturbance than lomandra, so replant divisions promptly and keep them well-watered through their first month.
Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos spp. and cultivars)
Rhizome division · Cool temperate to subtropical; prefers dry summers
Kangaroo paw divides from a rhizome system rather than a true fibrous clump, which means the technique is slightly different. Lift the plant carefully with a garden fork, taking care to keep the rhizome intact. Cut back the foliage hard to around 10–15cm. Use a clean, sharp garden knife or hori-hori to cut the rhizome into sections, ensuring each one has roots and at least one or two fans of leaves attached. Discard any blackened or soft material, which may indicate ink disease. Replant at the same depth, firm in well and keep watered.
Native ginger (Alpinia caerulea)
Rhizome division · Subtropical to warm temperate; shade tolerant
Native ginger is one of the most rewarding plants to divide — an established clump can fill a shaded garden bed in a few seasons from a single original plant. Use a garden knife or hori-hori to cut sections of rhizome cleanly, each with roots and at least one stem attached. The rhizome is thick and dense so a sturdy blade matters. Cut back the stems to around 30cm after dividing to reduce water loss.
Martin Hannan-Jones, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Vanilla lily (Arthropodium milleflorum)
Tuber division · Cool temperate to subtropical; full sun to heavy shade
Vanilla lily is a low-growing tuberous perennial with grass-like leaves and pendulous white, pale blue or pink flowers. Division is done by lifting and separating the small fleshy tubers rather than splitting a fibrous clump, so the technique is slightly different. Lift the plant carefully with a hand trowel, tease the tubers apart gently by hand or with a garden knife or hori-hori, ensure each division has roots attached and replant at the same depth immediately. Autumn is the right time to divide as the plant is heading toward dormancy and the soil is still workable.
Pratia or white star creeper (Lobelia pedunculata)
Runner division · Cool temperate to subtropical; moist soils
Pratia spreads by runners and underground stolons rather than forming a true clump, so the approach here is different to the plants above. Identify sections of runner that have rooted at their nodes and cut them free with a pair of precise garden shears or a clean knife. Each rooted section can then be lifted with a hand trowel and transplanted to a new position. Pratia establishes very easily and will knit together to form a dense mat within a season in moist, part-shaded conditions. Native violet (Viola hederacea) can be propagated by exactly the same method — the two plants share very similar growing conditions and make excellent companion groundcovers.
Poa / Tussock grass (Poa labillardieri and related species)
Clump division · Cool temperate to warm temperate; widespread
Native tussock grasses are among the most structurally useful plants in the cool to warm temperate garden. They divide readily and the divisions establish quickly. Lift the clump with a garden fork and use a garden knife or hori-hori to cut it into sections. Each division should be a generous handful of roots and foliage. Cut the foliage back to around 15cm before replanting. Sweep away any dead leaf material from the base before lifting using a hand broom as the accumulated thatch can make it difficult to assess the root structure and can harbour pests.
Potting up spare divisions: If you have more divisions than garden space, pot them up temporarily in a shaded position and keep them consistently moist. Most clumping natives will hold happily in a pot for a season or two and can be planted out when space becomes available or given away.
When not to divide
| Situation | Why it's a problem | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Midsummer heat | Divided plants cannot replace lost moisture fast enough through damaged roots during hot weather. Establishment failure is common. | Wait until autumn temperatures drop below 25°C consistently. |
| Plant is in active flower | A flowering plant is directing energy into reproduction rather than root development. | Wait until flowering has finished and cut spent flower stems back before dividing. |
| Plant shows signs of disease | Division can spread disease through the root system and to new planting sites. Ink disease in kangaroo paw and root rot in most species are both spread this way. | Treat the disease first. For ink disease, remove and dispose of affected foliage before dividing. For suspected root rot, do not divide — improve drainage first. |
| Plant was recently transplanted | A recently moved plant has not yet re-established a full root system. Dividing it again rarely succeeds. | Allow at least one full growing season after transplanting before attempting division. |
| Soil is waterlogged or very dry | Waterlogged soil increases the risk of root rot in fresh divisions. Very dry soil makes it difficult for new roots to make contact and take up moisture. | Water the plant well a day before dividing in dry conditions. In waterlogged soil, improve drainage before replanting or pot the divisions temporarily until conditions improve. |
Caring for your native plants after division
Newly divided plants have a reduced root system relative to their foliage and are vulnerable to drying out, particularly in the first two weeks. Water deeply every two to three days for the first fortnight, then every four to five days for the following month, then taper to normal as the plant shows signs of active new growth. A 7–10cm layer of coarse wood chip mulch applied around the root zone will significantly reduce moisture loss and stabilise soil temperature through autumn and early winter.
Resist the urge to fertilise immediately after dividing. Fresh wounds in the root system are vulnerable to fertiliser burn and the plant does not need to be pushed into growth. Once the plant is visibly growing again, a light application of low-phosphorus slow-release native fertiliser will support the re-establishment phase.
Division is one of those rare gardening techniques that benefits everyone involved. The original plant is rejuvenated and it often flowers more the following season. The divisions go on to fill gaps, extend plantings and gradually transform a garden that largely sustains itself. It is slow gardening at its best — deeply connected to the way Australian native plants have always spread across the landscape.
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A Guide to Australian Native Gardening
How to plan, plant and care for a thriving native garden, whatever your experience level.
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