Re: Mulch - cedar chips
- Subject: Re: Mulch - cedar chips
- From: L* M*
- Date: Tue, 07 Aug 2001 09:50:35 -0400
<Laetitia: Please don't mulch your iris with lots of cedar chips.
Arnold Koekkoek Nebraska>
Wood chips from eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) are loaded with
aromatic oils & cedar wood has been used for lining storage chests &
closets to repel insects for ages. I accidentally discovered it works
wonders to repel potato beetles one year by adding discarded fill from a
dog bed to the manure mulch. It might work on iris borers, just don't
bury the rhizome under it.
<it has to come off in the very early spring before the rains begin>
We see lots of posts warning to avoid mulching irises & have heard some
sad stories of bad experiences with mulch. But mulch is great for
irises as long as the soil stays loose and air can get to the soil and
rhizome. I've had great success with thick icky horse poop mulch
between the rows, but not right next to the rhizomes.
I'd love to hear more from folks who have used mulch with SUCCESS,
without removing it in spring, and what they like & don't like about the
different mulches they use.
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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