OT: critters in the iris beds was WITCH'S WAND
- Subject: OT: critters in the iris beds was WITCH'S WAND
- From: D* E*
- Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 21:26:21 -0500
Donna,
>The more I hear of your critters, the happier I am that I am not in Texas!
>Gee, what a year you are having....Hoping it lets up for you soon. Be
>careful around those Copperheads...I can deal with our drought better!
I'd probably take your drought as compared to mine. All things are
relative, though. I live in a dry area anyway, so it doesn't take much to
push the area into very arid conditions. But Texas a big state with a lot
of variety in rainfall and what grows in a location. My growing conditions
are much different than Fort Worth, only a 100 miles east. Actually you
wouldn't need to go that far to find different growing conditions than my
own. As for the grasshoppers and copperheads, I live 7 miles from the
nearest town. These pests aren't much of problem under town conditions.
Certainly copperheads aren't common and people in town are only complaining
about the grasshoppers within the last several weeks. I think some of mine
are probably moving in. In truth, this should have been a good year
compared to the previous three or four. More rainfall, milder weather.
Unfortunately the grasshoppers have prevented it from happening. They do
like iris leaves...and rhizomes. It happens every year here in the boonies
to some degree, but not always this bad. I exposed some arilbred rhizomes
after our considerable rain earlier this month. Big mistake. I was afraid
of rot, only to have them eaten by being exposed. I should have remembered
and taken my chances with rot. But my conditions are also the reason I grow
iris. Other plants can disappear quickly, but iris are tough. A number
will survive and even bloom, despite what is thrown at them. The last of
the roses will disappear this year under the mandibles of grasshoppers, I
think. Other plants are long since gone in the drought. Some can't take
our summer heat, not even with extra water and lots of mulch. The irises
may not be show quality, but they do their best.
Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA
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