CULT: Getting ready for spring

With all this warm weather, the aphids are coming out even faster than the
iris increases.  I may only have 1000 or 2000 square feet of iris beds (hard
to say, they are very irregular shapes), but I just finished a thorough
cleanup today and spread 35 pounds of the Bayer "rose care" fertilizer with
systemic insecticide (best thing for knocking down the aphids) plus 24 pounds
of Miracle Grow (I just spread it around instead of mixing it with water).
Next, I sprayed everything liberally with Fung-Away, which now comes in a
bottle that attaches ditrectly to the end of your hose.  Tomorrow I will treat
one bed for red spider mites using a Kelthane spray in a hand spray-bottle.
Lots of work (and about $90 worth of chemicals), but I expect the bloom season
will be worth it.  It looks like the last treatment of Fung-Away got rid of
the leaf spot, though I did find maybe a dozen leaves with a single pinpoint
spot; maybe I just missed them before.  This was more of a preventative
treatment, although some of my louisianas still have a sort of rust problem.

Most of my iris are still shrunken to their short "winter die-back" phase,
although some (particularly rebloomers like Stingray) stay healthy all year.
Many are showing fresh increases though, and some have wide new leaves
punching up through the fan centers.  Valentine's Day is surprisingly early
this year, with obvious buds just inside many of the fans.  Nothing happening
on Double Click yet; I may try the pollen saved from the winter bloom of a
seedling on it if I get a chance.  Can't wait to see my seedlings bloom this
year.

John Reeds, in sunny San Juan Capistrano, CA (USDA 9b)
lamegardener@msn.com

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