Re: LA: storing until planting
- To: i*@egroups.com
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk] LA: storing until planting
- From: t*@cals.lib.ar.us
- Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 14:45:08 -0600
Nancy:
Louisiana iris rhizomes SHOULD NEVER DRY OUT! I have some in buckets on my
patio that have been there 2 months or more. They can be kept in water for
months...as long as they don't freeze solid.
My usual procedure is to pot up Louisiana irises as soon as I get the
rhizomes, water heavily, then set the pots in pans of water in the shade.
They will begin to grow in a couple of weeks. Once growth commenced, you
can fertilize lightly...however, if I lived in Ontario, I would skip the
Autumn fertilization.
Here in the South, Louisianas are normally evergreen...and grow a bit even
in the winter. Down here we also mulch them simply to conserve water and
prevent sun burn of the rhizomes (which grow up near the soil line);
however, in northern climes the mulch would probably be useful in helping
them get through the winter.
One other word of advice...I recommend NOT cutting off the roots...or, at a
minimum, don't cut them very much. The roots help keep them anchored when
first set out, and thus they establish quicker.
Good luck.
Tom
Tom W. Dillard, Curator
Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
Central Arkansas Library System
100 Rock Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
(501) 918-3054
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