TB: Rot Question

I am a new iris-grower, and I planted about 40 or so
varieties in my garden late last summer. This spring,
I noticed that the following are either dead or dying:

Fogbound
Collete
Mother's Little Helper
Megabucks
Banana Frappe

They all have the same symptoms. They had started to
put out shoots, then the main shoot/fan whithered and
then the side shoots/fans started die usually browning
at the base first and then dying. If I gently press on
the top of the rhizome, I can feel that it's soft.
Irises that do not have these symptoms feel firm. I
haven't detected any smell, but they're clearly have
rot.

All my irises (both those w/ symptoms and w/o) started
to grow early this February because of the mild winter
weather. Then, we had very cold, below normal weather
for the rest of February and much of March. I suspect
that may have to do with the problem, but I am not
sure. I have irises w/ symptoms and w/o in the same
beds, so it's not an obviously location-centric
problem.

Any thoughts/ideas/advice?

-Matt
Eastern Mass, Zone 6

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