- 1). Tie the lowest branches up with garden twine to prevent damage.
- 2). Dig a circle around the entire clump of oak leaf hydrangea with a sharp spade.
- 3). Maneuver the spade beneath the oak leaf hydrangea's roots until you can lift the shrub from the ground without pulling. Leave a large clump of soil attached to the roots.
- 4). Use a sharp knife to cut the roots into the desired number of sections. Dispose of the woody center portion of the plant if it has begun to die back.
- 5). Inspect the roots carefully and trim away those that are discolored, soft or damaged.
- 6). Prepare new planting holes for the divided oak leaf hydrangea plants. They should be two times larger than the diameter of the root ball and 1 inch shallower. Replace half of the soil removed from each hole with peat moss.
- 7). Plant the hydrangeas with the top of their root balls approximately 1 inch above the surface of the soil and cover the roots with the soil and peat moss mix.
- 8). Water until the soil feels completely saturated down to the roots right after planting.
- 9). Spread a 4-inch layer of organic mulch under the shrub, beginning approximately 4 inches from the stem.
- 10
Cut the twine from the lowest branches. - 11
Keep the soil lightly moist during the first spring and summer after transplanting.
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