Re: Pot Culture (no, it's not what you think!)

I've had 2 circumstances in which I potted irises instead of putting 
them in the ground.  It was a "no alternative" in the first case.
	1. When I acquire them so late in the season there is absolutely no 
chance of survival if I planted in the garden.  Once a member of our 
club brought a lot of Sib. "Marilyn Holmes", which she'd just dug 
because she had too much of it, to our October meeting.  I took home 
a piece, potted it (it was less than a week before it froze, hard, in 
my garden) and kept it under a grow-light all winter.  It sprouted, 
grew, did not thrive but stayed alive.  Next spring I planted it in 
the garden where it grew, increased, but did not bloom.  This will be 
its next chance to bloom, and I'm expecting it will.  
	2. I also once stumbled across a lot of TB rhizomes for sale in the 
local Wal-Mart in mid-October.  Outside planting was a death 
sentence, so they went into pots, also under the grow-light.  One 
made it through the winter (the other I think I killed with too much 
water, which was a stupid mistake I should never have made) and went 
into the garden where it increased, didn't bloom, had no bloom stalks 
last year because of the April freeze disaster, I hope it will flower 
this year.
	3. One year our club's TB order came a day after our Aug. meeting. I 
know how risky it is to plant TBs even in late Aug. here, so I potted 
up all of them, got them growing in the pots so that when I took them 
to the meeting in Sept. they were all rooted and growing, could be 
set into the ground with soil and all.
	I suppose there might be other circumstances that justified the 
extra work of potting before planting straight into the garden, but I 
can't see much reason to do it.
	Interesting subject.  I hope we hear more from others.

Arnold



Arnold Koekkoek                         Home Ph. (712) 722-0724
Assoc. Prof. of History                 Off. Ph. (712) 722-6326
Dordt College                           e-mail koekkoek@dordt.edu
Sioux Center, IA 51250
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