How to divide artichokes?

Artichoke, with its silvery foliage and pompom flowers, is a plant that brings real aesthetic value to a garden, as well as being an excellent vegetable when still in bud. Easy to grow in an allotment, artichoke is also a perennial that can be easily multiplied by division. This process, also called offsetting, allows you to obtain new young plants identical to the parent plant at low cost. In this tutorial, we will see when and how to divide an artichoke in the garden.

When to divide artichoke?

The ideal time to divide an artichoke is at the very start of spring, depending on your county. In mild-climate areas, division can be done from March and up to mid-April in colder parts of the country. It is at this time that the plant comes out of winter dormancy and begins to produce new shoots, called offsets. These young shoots are the starting point for your new artichoke young plant. Carry out division preferably when weather is overcast to make it easier for the young plants to establish.

Note: offsetting (division) can also be done in autumn, around October, but chances of establishment are somewhat uncertain depending on the following winter.

How to divide artichokes?

1- Before heading out to your allotment, prepare your tools. You will need :

spade ;
gardening gloves ;
pruning shear cleaned and disinfected to limit disease spread ;
some potting compost or well-rotted compost ;
and of course, a parent artichoke plant ;
facultative: a soil-aerating fork to prepare your soil.

2- Begin by observing your artichoke to locate the parent plant and the offsets surrounding it.

3- Using your pruning shear, cut back the large leaves of the offset by about two-thirds, keeping the young developing leaves. This will prevent the young plant from exhausting itself after transplanting and make removal easier.

4- Next, use the spade to dig around the plant until you reach the crown, the base of the plant from which the offsets arise.

5- Using the spade or a knife, gently separate each offset from the main crown by positioning the spade between the offset and the parent plant and driving the tool vertically into the soil. Be careful to leave some roots on the young shoot. This step is called splitting.

6- Lift the young plant gently out of the soil.

7- Remove damaged leaves and trim the roots neatly.

a young artichoke young plant — *A young artichoke young plant after a few weeks of planting*

How to replant young artichokes and care for them?

Now that you have your young artichokes, it's time to replant them. Choose a sunny site, sheltered from strong winds. Artichoke prefers a rich, well-drained and slightly alkaline soil.

1- Using an organic fork or a spade, work the soil to loosen it deeply.

2- Dig holes large enough, generally about three times the size of the root ball, to accommodate the roots of each offset (also called "éclat"). Generally, it is recommended to plant offsets about 1 to 1.5 metres apart.

3- Place each offset in its planting hole, then backfill with a mix of 2/3 garden soil and 1/3 potting compost or well-rotted compost to aid establishment and production, as artichoke is a heavy feeder!

4- Firm the soil well around the young plant. You can also mound soil up around the base.

5- After planting, water generously to help establishment and remove air pockets.

6- Continue to water regularly during the first weeks. Artichoke is a plant that likes water, but take care to avoid excesses that could cause root rot.

Tips:

Apply a mulch around your young artichoke to conserve soil moisture and protect roots from cold.
In spring, you can add well-rotted compost at the base of your artichokes to encourage flower development.
In winter, in cold areas, remember to protect your artichoke with horticultural fleece or a mulch of fallen leaves. Find all our advice on how to protect artichoke from cold.