Re: Re: CULT: Potting new arrivals - long

Linda wrote 'As soon as roots started showing out the bottom of
the pot,'

Tell me how you planted them at this point.

Thanks, Char
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Linda Mann" <lmann@volfirst.net>
To: "iris- talk" <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 10:45 AM
Subject: [iris] 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/>
> photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
> online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index