How to Divide Vinca Vine Plants

Vinca major, a trailing vine, spreads out along the ground as it matures. It differs from the Vinca minor plant, which has an upright growth pattern, but both have similar leaves and flowers. The vining vinca variety regrows each spring, reaching 3 feet high before dying back at frost in the fall. If you have a large vinca vine, dig it up and divide it to create multiple plants. The best time to divide the plant is in spring when the foliage emerges after dormancy and reaches 1 to 2 inches long.

Rabbiting spade
Garden hose
Sharp knife
Hand pruners

Instructions

- 1
  Place the blade of the spade into the soil four inches away from the side of the vinca vine beside the roots. Pull the spade out and repeat the procedure around the vinca's perimeter to create a cutline that surrounds the root system.
- 2
  Insert the spade back into the cut area and angle it under the vinca vine. Push the spade handle down as far as possible to lift the plant out of the ground.
- 3
  Set the vinca clump on the ground or a work table. Brush away as much soil as possible or wash it off with a garden hose.
- 4
  Examine the roots to locate a natural spacing, which is where you will divide them. If no natural separation exits, simply divide it down the middle.
- 5
  Place a sharp, clean knife at the chosen location and cut straight down the roots from top to bottom.
- 6
  Look carefully at the roots, in the area that was originally in the center of the plant. Locate any roots that are woody -- they are brown and do not bend easily -- and cut them off near the base of the plant with hand pruners. Discard them.
- 7
  Plant the divided plants immediately in a location with shade or sun, and moist soil. Dig a hole no deeper than the roots, and firm the soil around the roots after planting.
- 8
  Water the new planting sites to the same soil depth as the holes you dug.

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