How to Dig Up a Black Eyed Susan
The Black Eyed Susan is an easy to grow flower that is a perennial, which means it comes back each year. Not only does it come back, but it reseeds itself, meaning that each year you will have more plants than the year before. This can become a problem, as they will take over and you will have to dig some up, in order to make room for other plants.
- Deadhead the flowers when the growing season is almost ended. Dispose of the flower heads in a trash bag. This will prevent new seeds from growing.
- Dig up the flowers using a spade. In the fall, dig down carefully to remove clumps of flowers that you no longer want. If you want to dispose of all of your Black Eyed Susan, you will have to dig the whole area with the spade. Be sure you are getting the whole root up.
- Cut the clumps apart with a sharp knife, if you plan on replanting elsewhere. Be sure that you leave some good roots in each section that you separate. You can then plant them a new area of your yard or give some away to neighbors who may want to plant some.
- Do not use a weed eater or edger on these plants to get rid of them; they will still come back the next year. Only digging them up will permanently remove them.
- Watch for any that return next summer and dig them up before they bloom. Some may have already seeded themselves for the next year before you dug them up, or you may have inadvertently allowed some seed to drop when you were disposing of them in the fall. After this they, should be gone for good.