Re: Denver Iris

From: "R. S. Lockman" <thelockmans@tntie.com>

Hello, I have four daughters, two with green thumbs and two who dont know
the difference between a fan and a stem. Three of us could read these
differing suggestions and understand the benifits of each and therefore be
able to choose which  might be best to try in our own gardens. The other
two would be heading for the User Center link on left of the menue bar!
LOL.  I am pleased to hear both methods. That makes this site worth while.
I have received my convention iris!! So pleased!! Cant wait to see them
bloom. Got 11 of  14 asked for. One is marked NC ,Flying Skirts, but I
think it will be ok (depends on  hot weather). Another, that I received two
rubber banded together,  are very small and look same condition as  NC one.
I may try one of them in ground and one in pot , to see what happens? All
the rest look great!-----Donna Lockman <thelockmans@tntie.com>-----
> From: Walter A. Moores <wam2@Ra.MsState.Edu>
> To: iris-talk@onelist.com
> Subject: [iris-talk] Re: Denver Iris
> Date: Thursday, July 30, 1998 9:32 AM
> 
> From: "Walter A. Moores" <wam2@Ra.MsState.Edu>
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, 30 Jul 1998, Bill Shear wrote:
> 
> > From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>
> > 
> > Not to contradict the venerable Walter too strongly, but I see no
advantage
> > to potting iris rhizomes as opposed to planting them in the ground.  
> 
> 	Unless you have lived in an extremely hot climate, you cannot
> appreciate the benefits derived from potting irises.  I would not
> recommend this procedure for people who live in milder climates, and as I
> have said on several occasions when the question of planting new
> acquitions arises that whatever works for you, then do it.  Potting, it
so
> happens, worked for me in TX where I had no shade, and it still works for
> me in MS where I have no shade.
> 
> 	The soil in TX and where I live now heats so easily that it can
> burn bare feet.  Imagine an iris planted in such soil in the July sun. 
> Soil temperatures in the potted irises in the shade must be at least
> twenty degrees cooler, and therefore, roots are encouraged to grow
> readily. 
> 
> Unless
> > you plan to keep the pots in an air-conditioned house, they will be
exposed
> > to the same temperatures (probably higher) than if they had been
planted in
> > the ground.  So why not plant them in the ground right away and let
them
> > get established where they are to grow, rather than introduce another
> > transplanting setback?  It would definitely not be a good idea to keep
them
> > in pots for an entire year, especially not the small 4" pots Walter
> > mentioned. 
> 
> 	I have never mentioned keeping irises potted for a year, and I
> would definitely not recommend that even in my climate.  A severe freeze
> will do them in in a gallon pot even in the garage.  That happened to me
> in Texas in the winter of '82 or '83 when it stayed below freezing for
> about two weeks with temperatures falling to near Oo.
> 
> 	There is no new transplanting shock because the entire rootball is
> planted and hardly any soil in the pot is disturbed.  If you pull the
> rhizome out of the pot, you have defeated the purpose of potting.
> 
> 
>  That size seems small--I'd have trouble getting most of the
> > rhizomes I bought this year into such a small pot, which would then be
> > enormously topheavy.  I'm not saying this would not work, as it
obviously
> > does for Walter--It's just not what I would do in this situation.
> > 
> 	I used to use gallon plastic pots, but with that much soil, they
> are heavy, and when it comes to unpotting, you have to dig a terrific
hole
> in the bed to accommodate such an amount of soil.  I know it sounds
> impossible, but a 4" pot is sufficient for the two or three month period
> the rhizome is in it.
> 
> > If the irises must be planted immediately (and there really is no need
to
> > plant immediately--rhizomes can stay out of the ground for weeks with
no
> > ill effects), why not put them right into the ground and apply a light,
> > airy mulch about 3-4" deep to keep the soil cool?
> > 
> > 
> > I'm also somewhat worried about this process of cutting off ("shaving")
all
> > the roots before planting.  The roots of iris rhizomes are usually
alive in
> > plants that have not been out of the ground for weeks and weeks. 
Shortly
> > after planting, these live roots sprout branches that get the plant off
to
> > a good start. 
> 
> 	Shaving off the roots is not new to me. I think I learned that
> from Keith Keppel.  Several large growers shave off all the roots and
> leave the rhizomes in a cool dry place until the little golden root
> nodules begin to form.  Leaving rhizomes out of the ground for an
extended
> period works for larger sized rhizomes, but I would not recommend it if
> the plants are rather small.
> 
> 	I have advocated potting irises only for people who live where it
> is extremely hot and for the sole purpose of getting the iris a head
> start.  Unless you have tried the potting procedure, you will never know
> of these benefits.  Also, potting procedures have been in the AIS
Bulletin
> about ten years ago, in the current issue of Region 7 Spring Newsletter,
> and in an upcoming issue of TALL TALK.  And, I didn't write them all!
> 
> 	Walter Moores
> 	Enid Lake, MS 7/8 
> 
> 
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