Re: CULT: Potting new arrivals - long

I've tried all kinds of combinations of potting & not potting, mulching,
watering, shading etc, but have never done any controled experiments
(comparisons of treatments).

I started potting when we were in a summer drought cycle and I realized
new rhizomes were just sitting out there baking in the sun in hot dry
soil.  Not to mention the gardener baking while planting!  It was really
nice to sit in the shade, pot plants, put them in semi-shade, water,
fertilize, and not worry about them not getting root systems established
early.

Also, having them in pots made it easy to tell which ones were growing
good root systems.  As soon as roots started showing out the bottom of
the pot, I would put them in the ground, and held back any that didn't
make roots so they could get more intensive care, such as a drink of
root booster.  I've held a few until the following year.

In the last couple of years, I've adjusted how I plant to the weather &
my ability to plant, rather than treating all incoming the same way.

When it's rainy weather, and we don't seem to be in a summer drought
pattern, they go right in the ground.  If they look pretty dried up when
I get them, I sometimes soak them overnight in water before planting.
Or if I remember, add some Miracle Gro or root booster to the water.  If
it's going to rain, I don't water, otherwise, I usually only water once
as they are planted.

If it turns hot, dry, windy & low humidity, I may water a second time,
then mulch or put little leafy twig teepees over them.  [if the photos
archives ever start working again, I'll post a photo]

Farther south, heatstroke is probably more of a consideration than where
you are Betty.

If my back is out or I just am not up to it, I pot.

The pots I use are not intended to be pots for a mature TB - they are
the smallest pots the rhizome will fit in, usually the little 4 inch
kind.  If the roots are still fleshy, I just wad them up in the pot, if
they will fit. Fleshy roots will continue to grow and produce feeder
roots.  If they won't fit, I use a slightly bigger pot.  If they are
dried up, I trim them to fit.

I either use coarse creek sand, or whatever mixture of sand & potting
soil I have a lot of.  If sand, I put a tiny bit of horse manure in the
bottom of the pot to block the holes.  My purpose in potting is to get
the roots actively growing, so it doesn't really matter  whether or not
there is an intact root ball when I move them to the garden.  Usually,
the sand falls off, so the rhizomes are planted bare root, often with a
dab of decomposing horse manure in the bottom of the hole.

I prefer coarse creek sand so I don't have to worry about pots ever
getting saturated, no matter how much rain we get, while plants from
better parts of the world adjust to our climate.  Potting also sometimes
saves the trouble of planting things in the garden that aren't going to
make it here.  Killing them in the pot saves time & energy <g>

This year, with all the cool weather & rain, so far, everything has gone
straight into the ground without potting.

Betty asked:
<What has been the experience of those potting new arrivals for later
                   planting?  I appreciate any and all feedback.  >

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
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