CULT: help re: Mudding in irises
- To: iris-talk
- Subject: CULT: help re: Mudding in irises
- From: l* M*
- Date: Sat, 04 Dec 1999 13:57:34 -0500
From: linda Mann <lmann@mailhub.icx.net>
I got an offlist question about planting irises this time of year, but
thought the answer might be of interest to others. This is all pretty
unorthodox, but heck, we are gardeners & like good cooks, don't always
work from the book.
I learned from listers that irises can be moved or even shipped &
planted in the winter - forgotten rhizomes have been sent to me in
various states of shriveled & semi-decomposedness late in the fall or
even January and have gone on to bloom the following spring, plus some
nice healthy rhizomes were sent to me one March and bloomed normally
later that spring.
Because my soil is so gravelly, I don't like to set out pots until AFTER
we get some rain, and this year has been so dry, that means I am still
setting out plants (could have done them all a week or so ago, but I'm
slow), instead of earlier. I've also 'mudded' them in where the soil is
a clay loam with little rock. The trick is to really mud them in - soak
them good so there are no air pockets. As for rot - keep the rhizomes
growing well and they are not likely to rot - that means good drainage
(they can tolerate a lot of water as long as the soil isn't saturated
for long periods - some of mine in fescue sod pasture were 2 ft under
the creek when it jumped the banks last year and were fine).
If I were setting pots in pure clay, I would dig a hole (on top of the
raised bed) at least twice the size of the pot, put the plant and it's
(hopefully) rootball in the middle of the hole and fill in around it
with clay soup. Maybe mix the clay soup with some loam or potting mix
or sand to make a soup that won't set as concrete. Over the winter, it
should freeze/thaw enough to restore some porosity. Maybe. Plant a few
earthworms? Fill in with sand if the clay settles too much as it dries.
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA
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