Re: Storing Rhizomes
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Storing Rhizomes
- From: s*@aristotle.net (J. Michael, Celia or Ben Storey)
- Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 14:54:54 -0600 (MDT)
>Hi all...I just received a box of rhizomes intended for our area sale on
>August 10. That's more than two weeks away. Generally their condition
>is pretty good, but some already have brown foliage. Since I want to
>help them stay as fresh and saleable as possible, how do you all
>recommend that I store them? If I put them in the crisper in the
>fridge, do you think they would go bad?
>
Oh no, not the crisper! It's a moist place, and moisture on dormant
rhizomes breeds ... rot. :-(
These are bearded rhizomes, right? Just store them so they can breathe in a
cool, dry place. An air conditioned house works great.
Yes, they will brown even more, but aren't you also anxious to educate your
customers? These sales are opportunities to teach people about the *magic
of rhizomes* and how the fan on a dormant rhizome means next to nothing.
Teach those people they're shopping for irises, not for produce.
For our sale we had this big batch of donated rhizomes that came in a month
early, and oh, but they were crispy critters by sale day. We thought, "No
one will take these." I want you to know we sold the entire box. We could
have sold two more boxes of the same.
Just tell your shoppers, "Look at the size of this rhizome and its firmness
and those increases. Don't worry about those fans."
celia
storey@aristotle.net
Little Rock, Arkansas
