Re: CULT: Potting summer arrivals
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: CULT: Potting summer arrivals
- From: "* A* M* <w*@Ra.MsState.Edu>
- Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 18:48:42 -0600 (MDT)
What they DEMAND is shade.
Pots are easier!!!
>
> Sharon McAllister (73372.1745@compuserve.com)
>
Sharon, I concur. There is no way a newly-set iris can survive
the heat of a Texas summer. When I lived in Ft. Worth, I potted
everything I got and put it under the shade of a big pecan tree and did
not unpot the whole ball of wax until late Sept. or early Oct, depending
on the heat and rainfall.
Some people devised 'artificial shade.' One lady got wooden
roofing shingles and made teepees over new arrivals. Another, got lots of
saw-horses and laid some cheap paneling over the saw-horses and anchored
the 'roof' with rocks or bricks. I know this tackies up the yard like the
tractor tire beds, but it is only temporary and pays off in the long run
if you are bound and determined to plant those new irises.
Even here in MS, I would never subject a new plant to the rigors
of a MS sun. I pot everything here and have found that 4" pots do nicely.
And, for all of those 'root lovers' out there, I SHAVE the roots off, fill
the pot with soil mix, wet it, pack it down and set the rhizome on the
very top. Then under the trees they go. If they need water, I have some
tubs I fill with about 2 to 3 inches of water, set the pots in the tub,
and let the water soak through the drainage holes.
Walter Moores
Enid Lake, MS 7/8 (for the first time my spell checker didn't stop
on anything)!
