CULT: shaving roots

Took my first trip to the archives Friday and dug out Glenn Simmons piece on potting shipments from CA, including soaking and shaving roots. (Feb. 1999)
I had just gotten a big shipment (3 boxes) from Sutton's and as most of you in the U.S. know, the weather is horrid just now for planting new stuff.
The rhizomes in the shipment were in good shape with slight browning around the edges of the fans, but big and healthy with nice, moist roots. Like Glenn said, the hardest part was picking up the pruning shears and snipping off those roots as close as possible to the rhizome. I'm guessing that's what he meant by shaving the roots. Having worn a full beard for 40 years I know very little about razors.
I first did it with those items which were closeouts, and relatively low in investment. Then I left them to soak in solid flats with a very dilute mixture of Miracle Gro Bloom Buster, which really ought to be called its rooting compound, what with a 10-52-10 N-P-K. I used 1 tsp. per gallon of water rather than the recommended Tbs.

After two days, just like Glenn said, the first little nubs of new roots are appearing on some of the rhizomes, and I'm off to spend the day potting.

This year I've taken on the policy of pre-potting virtually everything I buy. It sure starts off the beardless iris wonderfully, and saves many weeks over having them falter and bringing them back to pots for special treatment in my infirmary. Two weeks ago I bought some day lilies locally and split all the clumps down to each individual crown and potted 37 of them, and they are all doing wonderfully - those with spathes are blooming daily and providing me with snacks while I'm out working. (If you've never eaten day lily petals, you are missing something.)

So now I'm off to pot the iris I rehydrated two days ago, and to go through the angst of snipping all the roots off my $25-$50 apiece new intros. Better chew my fingernails now before I get all the potting soil under them.



James Brooks
Jonesborough, TN
hirundo@tricon.net
-------------------------------------------------------
Webmaster:
http://www.Historic-Jonesborough.com/iris/
http://www.washingtoncountytn.com
------------------------------------------------
Persimmon Katz
http://kpt1.tricon.net/Personal/hirundo/
^~^
{ o o }
> " < html wizard and goldfish stalker
u
=======================================================


Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index