RE: CULT: "Blooming Out"

Laurie,
Thank you so much. It is amazing how quickly answers come on here! Your
explanation makes perfect sense, for I did not know that an individual
rhizome would only bloom one time. 

Certainly, there is much variation in the number of increases spawned by
different varieties. However, one of the biggest clumps, Celebration
Song, with about 20 assorted sized fans, hasn't put up any stalks yet. I
know there is still time, but most others that large have stalks or at
least buds here by now. I wondered if it had "bloomed out"--now I know
that that is not the problem.

Thanks so much again for the explanation --

Mike Williams
Zone 8 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of
Laurie Frazer
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 12:40 PM
To: iris@hort.net
Subject: Re: [iris] CULT: "Blooming Out"

On Apr 15, 2006, at 11:24 AM, Williams, Michael wrote:

> If someone could explain what it means
> when an iris blooms out, I would most appreciate it.

Each individual iris rhizome will only bloom once during its lifetime. 
However, it will also normally grow new rhizomes (increases) along its 
side.  Those increases will then mature and bloom and grow more 
increases of their own.  That is now a single rhizome eventually 
becomes a clump of rhizomes at varying stages of maturity.

Bloom out occurs when a single rhizome blooms but fails to produce 
increases.  Since the single rhizome will not bloom again, and if it 
fails to ever produce any additional rhizomes, eventually the rz will 
die and rot away, and the plant will be lost.

Occasionally rhizomes will bloom and then take an inordinately long 
period of time to grow any new increases, fooling the gardener into 
believing the rz has bloomed out when actually it's just reproducing 
extremely slowly.

The moral to this story is to not discount your chickens before they 
die, or some other such twisted version.

Does that help?

Laurie
---------------
lauriefr@localnet.com
http://www.geocities.com/lfandjg
http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irisintro.html
USDA zone 3b, AHS zone 4 - northern Minnesota
normal annual precipitation 26-27"
slightly acid, potassium deficient, clay soil

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