Cult: Watering Newly Planted Iris (was Denver Iris)

From: John I Jones <jijones@ix.netcom.com>

Donald Eaves wrote:
> 
> How do you water?  With a soaker hose, overhead sprinkler,
> just spray them with hand held hose?  How much water are
> you giving them?  Just keeping the ground moist or deep
> watering?  I'm always afraid I'll water too much, but fear I'm
> holding back growth by not giving enough.
> 

My rule of thumb is to water newly planted rzs at least every other day. More
often in dry hot weather. The purpose here is to keep the area where the roots
emerge from the rz damp to moist so the roots grow. Before you plant an rz,
look for the little yellow nubs at the base of the fan almost on the
underside. Those are the new roots.

After several (2-3) weeks, when the new roots have grown significantly, you
can change the watering pattern. Now it is time to deep water whenever the top
3" of soil start to dry out. This again will vary with soil, location, and
temperature.

Try an experiment. Plant a few extra rzs (rhizomes) of a cv (cultivar e.g.
Lady Friend) that you have plenty of. After one week, dig one up gently, look
at the roots. after two weeks do the same with another. Etc. That way you will
come to know the growth pattern in your area and conditions.

John                     | "There be dragons here"
                         |  Annotation used by ancient cartographers
                         |  to indicate the edge of the known world.

John Jones 
To reply to me personally click on
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Fremont, California, USA, Earth, USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay) 
Max high 95F/35C, Min Low 28F/-2C average 10 days each
Heavy clay base for my raised beds.
There are currently 83 Iris pictures on my Website. Visit me at:
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