Who knew that artichokes could be separated and replanted? In David King’s Plant Propagation class we learned to separate some plants, using a sharp spade. Here is the process: the large plant will have shoots or clearly separate centers. With your spade cut down into the soil so that some root is attached to the shoot. Then trim off the leaves about 4-5 inches above the base of the plant, and replant in a gallon pot. Water the new plant and be patient waiting for new growth. In the following pictures you can see a smaller shoot growing next to the mother plant. That is the one dug out with a sharp spade. Then the leaves are trimmed and there is an equal proportion of roots to shoots.
Avant Garden 