RE: Cult: Fertilization

Jan, the greatest danger to irises growing in a bed that has had manure
added will come with the summer heat.  Those big, soft, bloomless clumps
will start to rot.  Watch them carefully, water them in the heat as
little as possible, and when rot appears, I would dig them, divide them,
discard the rotted rhizomes, sterilize the rest in a one to ten clorox
solution, one cup clorox to ten cups water, and replant them some place
else, perhaps in pots until fall.  I can't tell you what to do about the
bed.  I put manure in an iris bed about thirty years ago and lost most
of them.  I didn't do anything.  I wasn't an iris person in those days.
I think in about three years the survivors recovered.  I also had roses
in that bed.  They liked the manure and probably took much of the
nitrogen out of it.  I hear of people in other parts of the country
using manure on irises, but here in Arizona they just don't mix.


Date: Thu, 7 Apr 2005 10:21:27 -0700
From: Janet Hueller <jansirisgarden@juno.com>
Subject: Re: [iris] Cult

This is my first time to post to this list.  Please advise if I do
something out of line.

Question is:  We added 1/2 bag of composted steer manure to approx. 25
sq. ft. of bed.  The foiliage is terrific.  The best we've ever had, but
I'm not seeing much in the way of bloomstalks.  I'm blamming it on the
manure.  So, how much is the right amount and how many years to I have
to
pay for this mistake?  Will they be o.k. next year, or should I dig up
and ???

Have a SNOW FLURRY with triple socket at the terminal.  Is this normal
for SF?  

Thanks for any input.   

Jan-Tucson

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 7 Apr 2005 21:39:47 -0500
From: "Arnold Koekkoek" <koekkoek@mtcnet.net>
Subject: Re: [iris] Cult: fertilization

Iris don't want lots of nitrogen, which makes for lots of leaves rather
than
blossoms.  If you do fertilize, you need something having more
phosphorus, or
at least an amount equal to the the nitrogen.  Something like
superphosphate
or bonemeal, though the latter is slow acting. Or maybe a 5-6-6, the
first
number being nitrogen, the second phosphorus, and the last one
potassium.
The right thing for your soil might be different for here in Iowa,
however, so
somebody in Arizona needs to advise you.  Francelle Edwards lives in
Glendale,
AZ, and I'm sure she could advise.  She is a member of this list.
Francelle,
are you there?
Arnold

Arnold & Carol Koekkoek
38 7th Street, NE
Sioux Center, IA 51250
e-mail  koekkoek@mtcnet.net

------------------------------

End of iris DIGEST V1 #322
**************************

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS-DIGEST

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index