CULT: PCN'S

From: John I Jones <jijones@ix.netcom.com>

I'm trying to catch up on some of the mail I haven't had time to respond to.

Vicki Jo Craig wrote:
> 
> They are much like the arils in that they do well with a dry summer
> season. They receive very little natural rainfall in July, August and
> September. Showers usually begin in late September in most of their
> native habitat. They flourish for us in light shade or with shade from
> mid to late morning on in the summer. They like acid soil mulched with
> pine needles and they thrive beneath a large oak tree in our front yard.

Here in California, while PCNs can go with a dry summer, we find that they do
well and continue to grow, with summer watering much on the same schedule that
you would water a loan. You end up with a much larger clump come next spring. 

Here, as in the wild, they do well in dappled shade. The overhead cover adds
mulch in addition to their own natural mulching (they grow up through their
own dead leaves each spring). In addition, I throw a handful of light mulch
over top of the rz each fall. 

> 
> They do not transplant well, so it is best to set out seedlings early in
> the area you wish to grow them. 

I don't know about seedlings, but around here full sized plants transplant
just fine. They should be treated just like any other beardless, specifically,
do not ever let the roots dry out. When I receieve a new plant I put it
immediately into water and leave it there until new white roots appear, then
plant it into an acid environment. Joe Ghio, one of the premier PCN
hybridizers in this area, ships PCNs in Oct to early Nov. Last year when I
received my shipment, I potted them up in 1 gallon pots for the winter, set
them out, and had a 90% bloom rate this spring and lost only 1 out of 11
plants. After bloom season I transplanted them, rootball and all, into a new
bed. Remember though that I have very mild winters here (see my signature,
below).

It should be said that if you start watering them during the summer you should
continue with that process on the frequency I spoke of above, or,
alternatively, let them go completely dry. Inbetween does not work well.

Of course if you have an existing clump and want to move it, taking a sizeable
root ball with it will dynamically increase its survivability.

John                     | "There be dragons here"
                         |  Annotation used by ancient cartographers
                         |  to indicate the edge of the known world.

John Jones 
To reply to me personally click on
/*@ix.netcom.com
j*@ix.netcom.com
Fremont, California, USA, Earth, USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay) 
Max high 95F/35C, Min Low 28F/-2C average 10 days each
Heavy clay base for my raised beds.
There are currently 83 Iris pictures on my Website. Visit me at:
http://members.home.net/jijones

Subscribe to iris-talk at:

http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/iris-talk

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help support ONElist, while generating interest in your product or
service. ONElist has a variety of advertising packages. Visit
http://www.onelist.com/advert.html for more information.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index