Re: CULT: bud count
From: John I Jones <jijones@ix.netcom.com>
vince lewonski wrote:
>
> Yes, I do, with 5-10-5. I used to use bone meal, but the cost is
> much greater. Some people around here use superphosphate along with a
> general fertilizer, but I haven't tried that yet.
> I _DO_ have some irises that get high bud counts - PLAY WITH FIRE
> and PERSIAN GOWN are two that come to mind. But I have many that will
> send up multiple stalks, with only 4 buds on each.
I was hoping that some additional comments on bud count might be forthcoming
from someone who knows more than me, but here's my two cents.
First we might want to distinguish between sockets and buds. Sockets will
produce one, two, or sometines three buds in the course of the bloom process.
I think multiple factors affect the bud per socket count. First you have to
have the right genes. Not every iris will do this. Then cultural
considerations come into play. Food for the plant, micronutrients etc.
certainly play a part. Rebloomers tend to have shorter stalks and higher
socket and bud counts in the rebloom period than in the spring. I have never
heard why. Perhaps it is because the development period is warmer.
Providing the best possible growing conditions will always allow (or
encourage) a plant to produce to its maximum potential, but it can never carry
a plant beyond its genetic limit. Hybridizers obviously think high bud counts
are valuable in their creations and will include outstanding counts in their descrptions.
John | "There be dragons here"
| Annotation used by ancient cartographers
| to indicate the edge of the known world.
USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay)
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