Red Hot Poker Plant Cutting Back

4/9/2022

Care Of Red Hot Poker Plant
Hot Poker Plant
Red Hot Poker Plant Cutting Backyard

Red Hot Poker 'Nobilis', Poker Plant 'Nobilis', Torch Lily 'Nobilis', Tritoma 'Nobilis', Kniphofia Uvaria 'Nobilis' Kniphofia Uvaria var. Nobilis Previous Next Tall and vigorous, Kniphofia 'Nobilis' is a late-flowering perennial with long spikes of glowing orange-red, tubular flowers, gradually fading to yellow in late summer to early fall.

By Ladyessex1

Leigh-on-Sea Essex, United Kingdom

Red Hot Poker
I want to dig it up and put it elsewhere in the garden as it gets eaten alive in amongst the shrubbery, when would be the best time to move it :o)) xx Jackie xx

Hi All, I have several lovely specimens of toffee nosed kniphofia (red hot poker only cream coloured). Some of the foliage is brown and manky looking others while the rest is quite green and healthy looking. Does anyone know - do I cut all foliage back and how far or just painstakingly cut.
How to Grow Red Hot Poker Plant or Torch Lily Perennial, Tritoma. Drought and heat tolerant Red Hot Poker plants are easy to grow. They will do well in mid summer's heat, when other plants have wilted. They are great for arid, and semi-arid areas. You may know Red Hot Poker by another name.
Hi All, I have several lovely specimens of toffee nosed kniphofia (red hot poker only cream coloured). Some of the foliage is brown and manky looking others while the rest is quite green and healthy looking. Does anyone know - do I cut all foliage back and how far or just painstakingly cut out the dead foliage only?
Cut away all the dead or damaged foliage from the Red Hot Poker plants in the early spring. You can also cut the plant down to its base in late fall. Red Hot Poker Plants Red hot poker plants thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10.

19 Oct, 2012

Answers

I have found them very forgiving and will survive being moved at any time but now is a very good time. I split mine every three years or so when they start to look like mini yuccas, you can see a lot of stem. Every year at this time or earlier if I have the time, I pull the leaves together and tie them round with garden wire. I cut off the foliage 2 inches above the tie. It protects next years flowers and the border looks a lot tidier. I also remove any rotting or torn leaves and then mulch them with a couple of inches of home made compost. When I dig them up to split them or move them I find the roots are very long. I chop off the excess and leave a good 4-6' of main stem with lots of smaller roots on it. Plant them with the soil reaching the top of the bare root. Sprinkle bone meal in the hole and mix it in with the fork. It helps the plant to establish new roots. Good luck.

Agree with Scotsgran. I also found mine eaten by slugs this year. They ate the middle of the stem and it collapsed, giving them the flowering part to feast on!

Its birds who spoil the flowers on our red hot pokers. We wondered why they were being so destructive but apparently its because they are after the nectar. Birds are sweet toothed too. The woodpeckers and tits love to hang on the flower heads and sip their fill. I've just posted a like this before you dig them up they will be easier to move.

Thanks for the info Scotsgran & Kildermorie, I know what I will be doing at the weekend.

Scotsgran. I'm a little confused with your last part of the comment......
(I've just posted a like before you dig them up they will be easier to move)?? What do you mean??
xx Jackie xx

Care Of Red Hot Poker Plant

Sorry Ladyessex, my brain runs away ahead of my fingers at times. It should read 'I have just posted a photo of how I overwinter my kniphofias. If you tie up and trim your plants as I have done they will be easier to move.' Sorry for confusing you. Old age doen't come by itself.

LOL, don't worry, I too have a Muddly Brain sometimes too. xx Jackie xx

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By Oldshape

Hellofa, United Kingdom

Last year we moved to the Isle of Wight. We moved in July. The Garden was was established, and I just left it...to see what we had.
The Poker had at least 50 stems last year....this year, none visible and no shoots at the heart.
All I have done to the plant is trim the dead leaves and a bit of general husbandry, I did not touch anything near the heart of the plant.
Have I got a problem? If so what can I do / not do?

On plant Kniphofia uvaria

26 Jun, 2008

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Answers

Sorry, no suggestions on this one, but my kniphofia is also not flowering this year (it has sent up just one flw spike - usually has plenty). I wonder if the weather has something to do with it? Been pretty gloomy here for a while - no really high temperatures for a while and v wet last summer. I wonder?

ALso, watch out for slugs as they do target the flower stems and buds.

The weather here has been mild. Slugs n Snails - possibly. But there isn't even a trace of a 'Chewed' stem anywhere in the heart of the plant. The base of the plant(s) is about the size of a dining table. As I said, last year it had about 50 spikes.
I had one fail like this in the last house. I wonder if it doesn't like my (Not so green) fingers?

So odd - mine is much smaller than yours, but still..... Sorry I can't help :-(

Update.
Here we are, 3 weeks since I posted.
I have 26 visible flower stems now, I swear they came out between Tuesday and Wednesday!!!
This is only half the plant, I can see just as many more just starting out in the heart.

They are about 5 weeks behind last year, I thought it was a much greater time delay.

Hot Poker Plant

Phew.

Hi Oldshape - I'm glad you posted again, as I felt I'd given you some mis-information! In fact, mirroring what you've said, my Kniphofia too has flowered well since you asked your question. I just posted pictures of it yesterday - you will find them easily if you go to my pictures page. As you will see, after a faultering start, it has done really well! Very odd!!!!

Sid, I looked at your pictures, V nice.

Technical bit: -
Yours is red all over, I have a yellow bottom.
(I'll say that again!)

Your Kniphofia flower is all red, mine have the yellow underside. Is that a soil thing, or a different genre?

Te he - you might like to get some cream for that!

No, the colour is due to the variety - most do have the yellow bottom tho. Mine is K. 'Northern Lights', tho I haven't seen it sold since. I bought it blind, not knowing what colour it would be. Nice surprise :-)

Sid et al,
as promised, pictures of my poker in bloom. 56 blooms and about 12 more green ones underneath. But, by the time they get out, some of the flowering ones will be dead so I reckon this was the best time to photograph.

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