Re: CULT: Iris Turned White/bees
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: CULT: Iris Turned White/bees
- From: "* S* <s*@lightspeed.net>
- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 15:55:49 -0600 (MDT)
We live an area where big, big bumblebees fly around all the time. I've
seen many land on iris and deposit pollen all over the place. I believe
bumble bees can pollinate iris.
I have personally snapped off thousands of self pods and have noticed that
on windy years the number of selfs increase dramatically. Our garden is
located in the Central Valley of CA which is very flat and prone to strong
spring winds. The years when the wind is strong and the weather is warm
seem to produce thousands upon thousands of self pods. Possibly a lot of
the bee pods could actually be self pollinated from wind, does any body
else have any input?
Mike Sutton
Zone 9 where the garden is approaching peak bloom and the temp is supposed
to hit 82 by Saturday.
----------
> From: Glenn Simmons <glsimmon@swbell.net>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <iris-l@rt66.com>
> Subject: Re: CULT: Iris Turned White/bees
> Date: Tuesday, April 14, 1998 2:06 PM
>
> I have been following the comments about bee pods closely and their
rarity.
> Like Celia, Linda and I snapped off numerous pods last year, too numerous
to
> count. If I am going to guess at a number I would say 100+ pods snapped
and
> thrown away. If the bees aren't the culprit then some other insect(s)
is/are!
> I know we have seen ants but they don't even have the numbers that the
bees do.
> Any other suggestions for the guilty insect(s)?
>
> Glenn
>
> Glenn & Linda Simmons
> Springfield, Missouri Zone 6
>
> J. Michael, Celia or Ben Storey wrote:
>
> > I do wonder if we aren't overstating the "rarity of bee pods on TBs." I
see
> > quite a few bee pods on the 300+ TBs in our display beds every year,
and
> > there are usually enough pods on the TBs in my home garden - pods I
didn't
> > put there - that if I didn't snap them I'd be overrun by seedlings.
> > Seedlings do manage to survive among established clumps of TBs. I've
seen
> > this. All it takes is one little rogue infesting your clump and next
thing
> > you know, you can't be sure what is who's name.
> >
> > While it is difficult for bees (or whoever) to fertilize TBs, yet they
do
> > manage. Rogue seedlings should be a concern to people who wish to
protect
> > their named cultivars. Snap those pods.
> >
> > celia
> > storey@aristotle.net
> > Little Rock, Arkansas, USDA Zone 7b
> > -----------------------------------
> > 257 feet above sea level,
> > average rainfall about 50 inches (more than 60" in '97)
> > average relative humidity (at 6 a.m.) 84%.
> > moderate winters, hot summers ... but lots of seesaw action in all
seasons
>
>
>
> --
> PO`!1a
>
