Re: CULT: fall cleanup
- Subject: Re: CULT: fall cleanup
- From: J* R*
- Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 08:56:26 -0800
From: "Julia Rankin" <breckenridge@bnis.net>
Thank you, Bill. It is good to knock that one down. I do always clean up
here and do cut the leaves down in fall, even though in this area, in a
normal winter, the leaves die back completely anyway.
Julia
So. Calif.
SZ 1-3
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>
To: iris-talk@onelist.com <iris-talk@onelist.com>
Date: Thursday, February 25, 1999 7:11 AM
Subject: [iris-talk] Re: CULT: fall cleanup
>From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>
>
>
>>I have read somewhere that rhizomatious plants do not take food from the
>>leaves in the way that bulbous plants do. If that is so, then the amount
of
>>foliage on TBs would not be a consideration in whether one was gong to
trim
>>down or not.
>>
>>I would certainly like to know whether what I read is true...
>
>This is nonsense. The more foliage left on, the more food goes to the
>rhizome. The bigger the rhizome, the greater chance it will bloom.
>Rhizomes (thick ones as in bearded irises) are storage organs, just like
>bulbs, and without foliage cannot grow.
>
>There's no good reason to trim irises in the fall or any other time unless
>you are having problems with leaf spot. Otherwise, let the foliage die off
>naturally and pull away the dead leaves.
>
>Cleaning up in the fall and again in spring is another matter entirely.
>There will be more dead leaves in the fall, as well as other garden debris.
>Removing and burning this stuff is the most important step in controlling
>pests and diseases. But there is no good reason to cut the healthy, green
>foliage down. I am always surprised at the persistance of this myth that
>iris foliage must be cut down.
>
>Bill Shear
>Department of Biology
>Hampden-Sydney College
>Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
>(804)223-6172
>FAX (804)223-6374
>email<bills@hsc.edu>
>
>
>
>
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