Why JI's in pots? My Opinion
- To: i*@rt66.com
- Subject: Why JI's in pots? My Opinion
- From: I*@aol.com
- Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 06:41:29 -0400
In a message dated 96-08-28 12:54:46 EDT, you write:
> I am no expert in growing Japanese irises (having been at it a
> scant three years) but I would not plant JI's or any of my plants
> outside in pots overwinter.....up here in Zone 3 where the temps
> reach 40 degrees F. below zero. I want them snug in the ground
> with a good mulch and covered with our bountiful snow.
>
>
Hi Ellen... I'm working on some mail that's a couple of days old, so you
probably already have had responses to this posting. I just want to say that
I DO overwinter JI's in pots in some cases and have not lost any... but I
HAVE lost them in the ground. My climate is very much like yours, since we're
a Buffalo burb... PLENTY cold, PLENTY snow! The nice thing about a pot is
that you can control and monitor the environment closely. The trick for
overwintering is to find a sheltered place (I use an area between our garage
(unheated) and the neighbor's spite fence). I buy up bags of cheap shredded
bark or cypress mulch - the quality doesn't matter - and put down a layer a
couple inches thick. I then set the pots on this layer and surround each one
with a couple inches of mulch, right up to the top rim of the pot. Then this
is done, I dump about 6 inches of mulch on the top. This works great for me.
What do I have in pots? Well.... any new JIs I receive in the fall, any that
are not doing well in the garden (they should be plopped into a pot and given
Carolyn's wading pool treatment) and any that are especially precious or
valuable.
One caution... sinking a pot in the garden is NOT the same as overwintering
the way I describe. Doing so can create a 'well' which may rot the roots.
BTW... is it apparent that I'm fairly full of coffee this am?
Kathyguest... in overdrive
