Re: CUT BACK IRIS?

--- In iris-talk@y..., Dennis Kramb <dkramb@b...> wrote:
"I cut back the foliage in early October to help prevent iris borer 
(moths lay the eggs on the leaves).  Seems to work like a charm.--
Dennis Kramb; dkramb@b..., Cincinnati, Ohio USA; USDA Zone 6

Early October cut in Ohio isn't going to remove much potential energy-
making.  The growing season is essentially over.  Here in the NC 
mountains that would be a bit early for a similar treatment--we're 
still actively growing, with leaf-fall not coming for another month 
or more.

I wait and remove foliage--except for new growth--early in the 
spring, but I've been removing deteriorated and diseased foliage all 
along throughout the summer and fall, mainly to control leaf spot.  
We can have active growth throughout the winter here, unless an 
extended cold period sends the iris into dormancy.  Pansies are still 
in bloom at Christmas.  By the first of February we have active 
growth again many years.

I had one area down in my 6b zone where three or four borers survived 
long enough this year to be inch-longers before I caught up with them 
with the manual "deterrent."  Dennis, I'm going to try your 
sanitation method--probably about third week of October or so--in 
that area of the garden.  The trouble is, that acknowledges the 
growth cycle of the iris, not the borer.  It's worth a try, is it not?

Neil Mogensen  zones 6b/7a  near Asheville, NC


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