Re: New iris grower...what do I do after they bloom?

Hi Sherri,   I will get to answer your question here in just a minute.


But first, I want to bring up a sad point.  I researched the culture
information on the AIS WEBSITE and also the culture information on each and
every COMMERCIAL IRIS LINK and many LOCAL CLUB AFFILIATES on the AIS Website
for step by step instructions on how to dig and divide iris clumps, and the
information I found was sorely lacking.  There really is not that much
information out there listing step by step instructions for new iris
growers.

I would like to suggest you all take a look at your websites to determine
how you can make it more informative.  A brief overview is fine and space is
limited, but in this case all those websites combined could not answer
Sherri's question very well.  Just something to think about.

So, on to Sherri's question.

1. Before digging, Trim the leaves back 1/3rd to make handling the iris
clump easier.

2. Position the spade at least 6 inches out from the clump (if possible)
prior to driving the spade into the ground.  Irises have roots that go
outward as well as down.

3. Drive the spade into the ground straight down all around the iris clump
as deep as possible, gently lifting just a little all around until the whole
clump eventually comes out.  You can use a pitchfork too if you want.

4. Pick up the iris clump if you can and drop it onto the ground a few times
to get as much of the dirt out of the roots.  Shake as much of the dirt out
as you can.

5. At this point, you will see new rhizomes with leaves or fans growing out
of them, and you will see the old rhizomes that have no leaves on them.  The
rhizomes with leaves are the increases that grew off of the old rhizome
(also referred to as the old mother rhizome).

6. After identifying the iris rhizomes with leaves, you will want to snap or
break them off from the old mother rhizomes that are void of leaves. You can
use a knife to cut the new rhizome from the old if you wish, but in most
cases, they break off easily.  (Do not break or cut off a rhizome with
leaves from a rhizome which still has green healthy leaves - keep those
together.)

7. Once you divide off all the healthy new rhizomes, discard the old mother
rhizomes.

8. Then, cut the leaves of the new rhizomes back to 6 to 8 inches long (for
tall bearded irises).

9. Next, cut off about a third of the length of the roots or cut them back
to 6 inches length.

10. At this point, try getting as much of the dirt out of the roots as
possible under each rhizome.

11. Then, identify the area of the back of the rhizome that was broken off
from the old mother.  This is called the toe of the rhizome.  See how it is
rough and jagged where it ripped off?  You will want to take a sharp knife
and carefully cut the end of the toe just enough so the end is straight. You
do not need to cut off any more than 1/4 of an inch usually.  Leaving the
end rough and jagged can allow for air pockets when you replant the rhizome.
The rhizome cuts a lot like a potato, so be careful and don't cut yourself.

12. With a Sharpie Pen or other indelible-ink pen, write the name of the
iris (or color of the iris if you do not know the name) onto just one of the
leaves in the center of the fan of leaves.  You do not want to write on the
outside leaves because these are the ones that dry first and come off,
sometimes before you replant the rhizome.  You do not want to write across
the leaves because the leaves move and separate as they grow and the name
will be cut in half when that happens.

13. Allow the end of the rhizome (the fresh cut) to dry for a few days and
callous or scab over before replanting. Just as you would not like to get
dirt into a fresh cut on your skin, the same goes for the rhizome.  You want
it to heal over first so soil bacteria and germs do not get into it.

STORING RHIZOMES: (This does not apply to non-bearded irises). When allowing
the rhizomes to dry for a few days (or sometimes longer) you will want to
keep them in a cool dry area where they will have air circulation all around
them. Iris rhizomes will store out of the ground for a while if kept dry and
cool.  For best results, you will want to get them back in the ground as
soon as possible. You can store them in a cardboard soda flat, or some other
shallow box like a shoe or shirt box, a wire basket, or perhaps one of those
shallow shoe storage plastic containers that are designed to slide under the
bed. You do not want to ever store iris rhizomes in bags of either plastic
or paper, and NEVER put bearded rhizomes in the refrigerator. Bags and
refrigeration do not allow cool and dry air to circulate around the rhizome.

There are many various methods of digging and dividing to those I mentioned
above, but you will not go wrong in following the above mentioned steps.

Some people wash their rhizomes free of all dirt, and soak them in a 10
percent bleach solution for 5 minutes or so prior to storage.  This is not
recommended to someone new at this, nor is it really necessary if you are
going to just replant them back into your own ground. Washing the rhizome
gets water in between the fans of the leaves, and if they are not dried
properly prior to storage, you could end up with one big rotting mess.  Best
to just take a soft brush to wipe the dirt off of the rhizome if it is a
problem for you.

Some people shave all the roots off the rhizomes as well.  We have
discussions about this on this forum every year.  The truth of the matter
is, you don't have to.

I would suggest you join a local iris club if possible.  The members in the
club can show you how they dig and divide irises, and various methods and
their reasoning for them, and eventually you can decided which methods work
best for you.

Good luck and enjoy!  I love digging and dividing time.

Patrick Orr
Phoenix, AZ  Zone 9
USA

----- Original Message -----
From: <Sherriwahle@aol.com>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2003 7:54 PM
Subject: [iris] New iris grower...what do I do after they bloom?


> I have quote a lot of iris plants.  I want to move them. They are still
> flowering, but are winding down. I understand July is a good time to dig
them up
> and transplant BUT.... what do I do about the big green leaves or whatever
they
> are called.  Should I cut them back or down?  I would appreciate any help
on
> this matter.
>
> Thank you
> Sherri
>
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