iris@hort.net
- Subject: Re: HYB:CULT: Moving day
- From: P* A* <p*@mindspring.com>
- Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 03:09:26 -0500 (EST)
I moved mine from NC to Indiana this past Spring in late March. All 3000 sq.ft. in one trip. Multiple trips were not an option. I picked March because that is when the Iris in NC would start greening up, groung, not muddy and the weather warm. It would still be cool enough once I got them all back to IN to reduce their stress. The weather was perfect there an here and I couldn't have asked for better. I got all transplanted in 8 days, with help of course. Don't ask me how many seedling/varieties I transplanted... I have no idea, but I'm sure over 1000. I put each cultivar in its own plastic grocery bag with a written tag AND labeled the bag. Each one had the dirt knocked off. You can then put each bag into a larger bag and organize the bags however you like... by row, by type, ect. You can go to the grocery store and just pick the bundles of plastic bags people return for recycling... free! Then you can recycle them again when you are done. For the seedlings I had to be selective and keep only those that looked like they were growing well (i.e. clump structure, rhizome size compared to others and whatever else you might consider worthy, maybe PBF!). Some I kept because they were few or very, very special (to me). Some had never bloomed in two Springs worth of bloom time and even though they grew well I judged those very harshly. I only kept 3 out of about 50. Two had bloomed and one had PBF. I labeled each one in its own (white) bag and then put the three bags into a larger (white) bag. The white bags allow at least some light to get in so they don't get pale. Black would also get very hot in the sun. I then put the bags in the bed of the truck and put a tarp over them to keep the wind and sun off for the trip. More bloomed than I thought would. I didn't do many crosses as many of the ones I wanted to cross did not bloom. I did get some pods though... about as many pods per number of crosses as I have gotten in the past. I did have a problem with rot. I would be hard for me to attribute this to being closed up in the bags for too long as some did just fine. It did cause leaf spot to show up because of the increased humidity (and condensation) inside the bag. So my suggestions would be... 1) If you can do it in mutiple trips. 2) Keep them organized and labeled as you go and group them somehow with plastic sheeting/bags so you don't have to read EVERY tag and try to re-organize them while planting. You may not even have to make a separate tag for each seedling if it has not bloomed yet to assign it a number or code. Make one tag for the lot. 3)I only kept three rhizomes WITH INCREASES of each cultivar/seedling unless it was absolutely irreplaceable or a very poor grower. The increases attached to the main fan assured that if the rhizome did bloom it would not bloom out, or if the emerging stalk rotted or aborted inside the fan during transport it would continue to grow and could possibly be saved. There were a few that if I had not done this approach I would have lost them completely to rot. 4) If you use bags do not leave them in the bags more than three days and keep them in the shade, if possible with the tops open for air circulation. 5) By all means make sure you don't try to do it by yourself. It's more fun when people get together and have fun. (Hint: your Local Iris Society might be willing to help if you donate any extras to their group sale if they help you dig, trim, and bag! Ask the members of ENCIS. They got a ton and I would not have been able to do it without them. I and my Mom (75 y.o. BTW) were exhausted even with their help. 6) You know your plants, labelling system and charts/diagrams better than anyone else. You should do the labeling and organizing of what goes in what bag or what gets dug first and last, maybe even by WHO. Otherwise they WILL get mixed up and you may be wondering where that cultivar or special seedling diappeared to. Do not be shy about it. Take control. 7) I strongly suggest getting a back brace and Ibuprofen or Alleve ON HAND. Don't forget you haven't been gardening all Winter and your muscles aren't used to the workout they are going to get. You might try exercising some before you start as well. Paul Archer, Zone 5, Indianapolis, IN -----Original Message----- >From: christian foster <flatnflashy@yahoo.com> >Sent: Feb 3, 2010 11:48 PM >To: iris@hort.net >Subject: Re: [iris] HYB:CULT: Moving day > >Thanks for your responses, Betty and Donald. If anyone else has anything to add, please don't hesitate. > >I was sure in my mind that if I moved them before they bloomed there would be no bloom. So, I'm pleased to know that may not be the case. My husband is already planning to commute back twice a week, maybe I can get a load of irises on each trip. I'm sure I'll have to stamp my foot and raise my fist... but maybe. > >It's a funny thing how the posts on the list jog a mind. I had not given any thought to moving the irises with dirt attached, mostly because I was planning to load them into cardboard boxes for the trip... Reading your posts reminded me that I have a roll of plastic sheeting laying around that I could use as a container... maybe. Certainly, I could line the bed of a truck with it... Might work well for those sections of the seedling beds where the seedlings are grown into each other and labels are lost... Just pick up the whole mass and slide it onto a sheet of plastic.... hmmmm says I. > >How did you label your irises for the move? In the past I've written directly on the fan with sharpie, but in wet conditions that will be less than effective.... > >I need to get a potato pitch fork anyway. > >Betty, how did you get a trench dug in January in Kentucky? > >Christian --------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
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