Re: CULT: pruning
- To: i*@egroups.com
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk]CULT: pruning
- From: J* I* J*
- Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2000 22:04:33 -0700
- References: <8e0050+2u7c@eGroups.com>
barnan78@aol.com wrote:
>
> Can you cut back iris to 6" after they bloom? Live in zone 7/8 Thanks
>
Well, you can, but it is not the best thing for the plant. After the
plant blooms, it needs it's leaves to generate energy and food to store
in the new increases. So cutting the leaves back decreases the amount of
energy that can be stored for the next year's bloom.
In some areas that get frequent freeze/thaw cycles (probably not yours)
some folks cut the foliage back in the late fall to help prevent rot in
the spring. You probably do not need to do that.
Feed your irises a little 10-10-10 now, if you haven't done it earlier
in the spring, and give them a little 0-10-10 in the fall, but pruning
them now in not a good idea. You should, however, snap off the spent
bloom stalks down near the base after the last flower fades.
John | "There be dragons here"
| Annotation used by ancient cartographers
| to indicate the edge of the known world.
________________________________________________
USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay)
Fremont, California, USA
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President, Westbay Iris Society
Director, Region 14 of the AIS
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