How do I go about dividing Papyrus 'King Tut'

by Linda
(Germantown Hills, IL (near Peoria))

My King Tut has been marching out of its pot this summer. I just purchased him last spring and plopped him right into my stream above the pond. Can I just use a knife, cut off the part of the plant that is outside the pot and put that part into a pot???? I'm thinking I could try to overwinter them inside in a tub of water in the basement. What do you think?

Doug says that you have Papyrus 'King Tut' and that this plant is supposed to be hardy to 25F and if you want to overwinter it in Illinois, you're going to have to take it indoors.

Many people overwinter it by putting it (and it's pot of soil) in a pan of water and suspending a grow light over top of the plant. You keep it alive this way over the winter.

In the early spring, early May in your zone, you whack it back- leaving 6 inch stubs (give or take a bit) and divide it up into individual segments or chunks of the plant. You pot these up - grow in a well-lit warm spot and then put them outdoors again after all danger of frost.

And yes, you can whack them off now if you really want to and pot them up.