From our point of view, we are not "overcrowded"; we are successful. Our life cycle is one of quiet, subterranean expansion. Each year, our mother bulb produces small, genetically identical offshoots called bulblets. Over several seasons, a single bulb can become a dense cluster, a colony of clones all competing for the same finite resources in the soil. Our leaves and flower stems must push through an ever-tightening mass of our own siblings to reach the sun. This competition for nutrients, water, and space is the primary reason our blooms diminish in size and number. We are simply starving ourselves in our own success.
We communicate our need for division through clear, visible signals. The most obvious sign is a significant decrease in flowering. You may see an abundance of green, strappy leaves but few or no flower stalks. When we do bloom, the flowers might be smaller or appear stunted. The colony itself will become extremely dense, with leaves and stems growing in a tightly packed clump that may even start to push itself out of the soil. If you were to gently excavate us, you would find a matted web of bulbs with no discernible space between them.
Timing is everything for our survival. The absolute best time to undertake this process is after our foliage has died back but while we still remember the season's cycle. This is typically in late spring to early summer. Our leaves are vital because they are our solar panels; through photosynthesis, they create and send energy down to the bulbs to fuel next year's growth and flower production. If you cut our leaves back while they are still green, you severely weaken us. Wait until they have turned yellow or brown and can be easily pulled away from the bulb with a gentle tug.
Please be gentle. Use a garden fork rather than a shovel, inserting it into the soil a good distance away from the clump to avoid slicing through our bulbs. Gently lever the entire cluster out of the ground. You will now see the congested mass of bulbs. Carefully tease us apart by hand, separating the smaller offset bulbs from the larger, mature mother bulbs. It is okay if a few of our papery tunics (outer skins) come off, but try to keep our roots intact and avoid bruising our basal plates.
Replant us promptly. We do not enjoy being left out in the sun to dry out and become stressed. Choose a new location with well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight. Dig a hole or trench that is about 2-3 times the height of our bulb. Place us in the hole with our pointed end (nose) facing upwards. A good rule is to plant us at a depth three times our height. Space us apart generously, about 3 to 6 inches, to give each bulb ample room to grow and produce offsets for the next few years without becoming immediately crowded again. Water us in well to settle the soil around our roots, eliminating air pockets.
