Re: CULT: Soil condition
- Subject: Re: CULT: Soil condition
- From: Linda Mann l*@volfirst.net
- Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 21:35:19 -0400
Best bloom I had when I was first growing irises was in a bunch of fill
dirt loosely pushed into the space behind a new stone wall. 4 ft deep
and maybe 5 ft across along 15 ft of wall.
<Mechanically fluffing up the soil is of merit also, I have found,
i.e., hoe, shovel, spading fork liberally applied. Let some air in to
the soil profile. Neil M NC>
My impression is that some cultivars need it, others thrive without it,
at least in my gravelly soil. My goal is to hybridize irises for the
handicapped - cultivars that will thrive without much tending except for
removing occasional increases from the outside of the clump to share
with friends. Irises that will thrive in a garden full of insects and
companion plants without application of Clorox or neurotoxins.
On the other hand, if I'm going to keep cultivars growing well enough to
produce viable parent material, I guess I'm going to have tend to some
of these things, especially in my new clay garden on the ridgetop where
late spring freeze damage should be much less than in the valley gravel
garden . So I'm laying off some new rows with two passes of the
subsoiler about a foot apart which is busting up about a 2 ft wide by 2
ft deep area in the row. The dog child has been eagerly busting up the
clods.
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
Tennessee Whooping Crane Walkathon:
<http://www.whoopingcranesovertn.org>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
iris-talk/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
iris-photos/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
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