Re:
- To: i*@Rt66.com
- Subject: Re:
- From: L* P* <p*@peak.org>
- Date: Wed, 03 Apr 1996 15:08:46 -0800
At , you wrote:
>At 12:53 PM 4/3/96 MST, you wrote:
>>Any body have any wisdom on when the best time to cut a bloom stalk is?
>>I like to take flowers to my office, as well as having them in my house.
>>I have been trying to figure out what triggers the bloom to open. Some
>>of them seem to open overnight, some just when ever. I don't know
>>whether to leave them for a while after the top bloom opens to let the
>>secondary etc buds develop more, or cut them right away. When I cut them
>>as soon as the top bloom opens, it seems as if the later blooms that
>>open in the house don't last anyahere near as long.
>>
>>I put them in water with something that has a little citric acid and
>>sugar in it (like Squirt). Seems to work pretty well. Anybody ever try
>>the few drops of bleach approach. I trim the ends every other day or so
>>to keep the veins(???) open.
>>
>>Any ideas would be much appreciated
>>--
>>
>>John | "There be dragons here"
>> | Annotation used by ancient cartographers
>> | to indicate the edge of the known world.
Hi John, Hi everyone!
Putting some sugar and a little acid in the water (soda pop) helps. I have
also heard of putting some mouthwash in it as well. I have never been able
to figure out if that really does work. Cutting the flowers early in the day
while it is still cool also helps them to last longer. Spurias make terrific
cut flowers. They are slow to start off, but after a few years, you will
have fine clumps if you live in an area where the summers are dry. They do
very well here in Oregon with a period of spring rain and drier summers.
Table Iris are minature tall bearded and they also do well here. I just got
a list from Jim and Vicki Craig who advertise in the AIS bulletin, "Iris and
Collectibles" They have a large selection of the MTB's. I have never ordered
from them before, but they have a tempting array. There are some other
growers that also sell them. Another fine cut flower are the "English Iris",
a bulbous Iris that if my memory serves me correctly is actually native to
Spain (I. xiphium) These are closely related to the "Dutch Iris" that also
make wonderful cut flowers. If you grow both kinds it extends the flower
season. Spurias extend the flower supply as well because they bloom later.
It is wonderful to have cut flowers in an office- makes everyone feel less
shut in.
Louise H. Parsons <parsont@peak.org>
1915 SE Stone St.
Corvallis, OR 97333 USA
USDA zone 7 , Emerald NARGS, AIS, SIGNA, SPCNI, transplanted Oregrowian
