Re: Kentucky rot vs Tennessee rot

Linda Mann writes:

>I hope we hear more from Lynn Woosley (?) about growing bearded iris in
>Georgia.  The only southeasterners with somewhat similar climate on 
>the list
>who talk much are me, Walter Moores, and Lloyd Zurbrigg (?).  And
>occasionally Julie Allen (slightly more moderate climate?).  

Since I'm just starting Georgia iris beds, I don't have much to say about
Georgia growing conditions and results yet.  Like much of the South, I
have heavy red clay soil, which is acidic and rich in iron.  I amend the
soil with manure and compost before planting anything, and much with leaf
mold and/or pine needles in winter.

I do have more experience with southern middle Tennessee (USDA Zone 7). 
We also had red clay soil there, but it was topped by a 2-3 inches of a
rich black dirt.  EVERYTHING grew well.  We did have some minor rot
problems, mainly because I neglected the beds -- I did not regularly
rotate beds and solarize, I never used a fungicide, was a little sloppy
about weeding, and sometimes let the beds get overcrowded before
dividing.  When I divided clumps, I would cut off any rot spots, but did
not dip in a bleach solution.  The worst result I usually got from rot
was thinning of a clump.  I can only think of a couple of times in 20
years that I lost an entire clump to rot.

Lynn Woosley
Marietta, GA, USA
USDA Zone 7/8
Where today's forecast is beautiful - 70 degrees and sunny!
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