Re: CULT: bloom season/freeze damage
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk] CULT: bloom season/freeze damage
- From: D* E*
- Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 20:03:10 -0600
More from Linda:
>All of
>these damaged plants were newly purchased last year from California.
>
>Interestingly, the least damaged new plants were from Schreiners (their
>intros) and Wildwood (Tompkins and Plotner intros) - I ordered from both
>of these places at the last minute, & got them into the ground late. In
>fact, we had already had frost by the time the Schreiner intros were in
>the ground.
My California purchases have done no differently from any other source. As
a general rule rhizomes from that state have done very well here. Really
better than any other state, including my own. The late planting ones doing
better in the freeze also happened here. I attributed their limited damage
compared to those planted at a more appropriate time to the fact that they
were set back by the wait (my own doing) and therefore were behind in the
good growth of the others that were planted when ordinarily would be the
better time for establishment and subsequent bloom. I didn't expect as much
bloom from the later planted rhizomes anyway and I still don't expect a very
high percentage of bloom, but they clearly withstood the freeze better. So
I think it was simply an anomaly of being a good year to plant late for the
sake of the plant's health (entirely due to being behind on things and thus
an accident). Certainly they contained both rhizomes from CA and from other
places and had been carried in pots 'til I got the bed finished (late
December). It was the timing of the planting, not the source of the rhizome
that seems to be the cause of their withstanding the late freeze. Being
planted after freezing weather was already hitting every couple of nights
and for long durations, slowed down the early rapid growth that got zapped
so hard by the freeze. They simply had not had the opportunity to reach it.
I think if those had been planted when it would normally be considered the
optimum for getting them in the ground and established, they would have been
hit equally as hard. One of those events you cannot plan for or anticipate.
I surely do not recommend waiting until the weather is freezing to plant.
For one thing, it is totally miserable to work in icy cold ground temps. My
hands and body objected strongly at times.
Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA ...and I do realize there are some areas where winter
planting would be impossible due to cold temps I have never had to deal with
and don't want to.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Kwick Pick opens locked car doors,
front doors, drawers, briefcases,
padlocks, and more. On sale now!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/ehaLqB/Fg5DAA/ySSFAA/2gGylB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
