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

Patrick

I would love to add this culture information to my Iris Moose website.  If
you authorize its use, and perhaps even have pictures, slides, or images
that I can illustrate the information with, this would be even better. I can
scan your slides or pictures.  If you have images then they can be emailed.
I am more than happy to add any culture information to my site that anyone
wishes to share.  Naturally, we will credit the author of the information.

Bobby

Bobby Baxter
TheGardenSite.com
Your Web Site Is Waiting For You

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick Orr" <irisdude@msn.com>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 12:53 AM
Subject: Re: [iris] 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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