CULT: Rhizome Size
- To: "i*@egroups.com"
- Subject: CULT: Rhizome Size
- From: R* &* J* K*
- Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 20:41:19 -0500
In response to Gloria's question about how quickly to plant after
receiving iris, Dave Silverberg's response was right on the money.
Generally, iris from the west coast should be allowed to "dry out" for a
week or more before planting because the high degree of irrigation does
cause the rhizomes to be "pumped up." It has been our experience that
by allowing them to dry out, we have a much better success rate than we
did when we planted them right away.
Gloria said that she had also placed an order with us (thank you,
Gloria) and Dave commented that he thought the size of the rhizomes we
sent would be appreciably smaller. Dave is right again. Here in the
midwest, most commercial iris growers do not irrigate, at least not on
any regular basis. Thus, our rhizomes when placed next to those from
west coast growers will appear to be "puny." In fact, our customers
report their success rate with our rhizomes to be very high -- first
year bloom in 60 - 75 percent range. I would conclude (not
scientifically) that the size of the rhizome does not make an
appreciable difference in the success rate of the first year bloom.
Since we dig and ship in August and Gloria lives in Rhode Island, she
would want to plant soon after receiving her order from us to allow
roots to become well established before the first freeze. However,
waiting a few days will not hurt anything as long as the rhizomes are
stored in a cool, dry place (and not in a plastic bag).
Gloria mentions that she has had no bloom from iris she planted two
years ago and thinks they may not be getting enough sun. May be the
case, but another reason might be that they were planted too deep (a
common error made by beginning iris growers). Here in zone 5, we cover
the rhizome with no more than 1/4 inch of soil.
Judy Keisling
After Hours Iris Patch
Liberty, MO (Zone 5)
--
http://home.swbell.net/keisling
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