Re: Re: HYB: seedling strength (was photos Results of two luminata c...

Here in northern Virginia we were under what was officially classified as a severe drought right up into winter. Still, I watered the established plants only two or three times during the year, and they are fine. My grandparents, aunts and uncles in Indiana and Ohio had cisterns, and even pumps in the kitchens. I still remember the good taste of the water. -- Griff 

Zone 7 along the tidal Potomac near Mount Vernon, in Virginia
----- Original Message ----- From: <sdayres2@aol.com> 
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:45 PM
Subject: Re: [iris] Re: HYB: seedling strength (was photos Results of two luminata c...
I remember reading a web site from Tennessee that stated that irises did not need supplemental water once established.?? I thought it must be nice growing irises where you did not have to water twice a week in the summer.? Us desert rats have to plan for ease of watering if we want to grow irises in any great quantitiy.? It? must have been difficult for you guys back east to suddenly realize that rainfall will be in short supply and you will have to drag out the old water hoses.? It must have been doubly difficult if you were under water restrictions on top of that!
I sympathize with the cost of watering.? I keep wondering if it would be worth it to buy some of those rain barrels/tanks to collect the water falling on the roof.? However, they are $80 or higher.? My grandmother lived in Kentucky.? Her old house had a cistern.?? I thought that would be nice for gardening if it had an electric pump. 



Scarlett


-----Original Message-----
From: autmirislvr@aol.com
To: iris@hort.net
Sent: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 7:11 am
Subject: Re: [iris] Re: HYB: seedling strength (was photos Results of two luminata c... 




Scarlett,
I can only answer for me.? (Betty Wilkerson, south central KY, zone 6) (Sorry 
but I sometimes forget to add this since it's no longer automatic.)
Most of my beds were not on soaker hoses.??There was?a supply issue.? Don't like the flat ones.? The new seedlings were watered with an over headhead sprinkler.? 
The water $$ for the first month was staggering.? I had no choice, but to
abandon anything that wasn't life threatening.? The newly planted seedlings?were 
watered enough for survival?and the large quantity of potted plants were
watered.? A few rebloomers that were planted by a drip line (dew) bloomed. I saw a couple of stalks on Feed Back, Returning Chameleon, & Echo Location.? One clump of Returning Chameleon bloomed on every rhizome!? One at a time!? Lovely!? Improved my impression of an old friend.? One straggly bloom stalk on 1625-01re 
bloomed.? To my knowledge, it did not get water.??
I did purchase more round soaker hoses when I found a supply.? More rebloomers are on soaker hoses for 2008.?I'm downsizing and rearranging the garden as I 
go.??I suspect all irises will be on soaker hoses by the end of the
reconstruction.?My beds are designed with the 50" soaker hoses in mind.??Three rows with a soaker hose between?the rows.? Two hoses per bed works for me.?? 

?

?



I just want to stress that reblooming irises is possible under desert
conditions (with supplemental water).




-----Original Message-----
From: SDAyres2@aol.com
To: iris@hort.net
Sent: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 7:02 am
Subject: Re: [iris] Re: HYB: seedling strength (was photos Results of two
luminata c...
I am mildly confused. I've been reading the chat room emails this fall and 
have gotten the impression that hot dry conditions ruins the chance of
reblooming irises and I know that is not true. I live in the desert with hot 
dry
summers.  We get less than 8 inches a rain a year.  Yet I had  lots of
reblooming irises last fall beginning with August continuing on to December 
(this
year).  Of course, people who grow irises in the desert have  the hoses,
sprinklers and underground irrigation in place to get the plants through the 
summer
since it doesn't rain for most weeks or most months for that matter. Plus we 
are blessed with a long mild autumn.

Were the growers who experienced unexpected drought conditions not allowed
to water? I suspect that this might be the case. Or was it just that there was no irrigation equipment in place since they normally depend upon rain? 

I just want to stress that reblooming irises is possible under desert
conditions (with supplemental water).

Scarlett



**************Start the year off right.  Easy ways to stay in shape.
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS



________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever.  Check out the new AOL Mail ! -
http://webmail.aol.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS



________________________________________________________________________
More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com 

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS


---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index