Re: CULT: digging and dividing

Patrick Orr  Phoenix, AZ  Zone 9 wrote some excellent suggestions for
digging & dividing an established clump of bearded irises.

A few additional comments.

1.  I usually renovate clumps by digging & removing some rhizomes from
the clump, then adding nutrients, alfalfa pellets, etc to the soil
around the remaining rhizomes.  My soil contains a lot of gravel & I
find I have better bloom the following year if I don't dig the whole
clump and reset.

2.  I only trim off unhealthy foliage and enough of the rest to keep it
from tipping over in the rain & wind.  If the rhizome has a lot of
roots, I trim less; few roots, or nearly none, I may trim a lot of the
foliage off, depending on what the roots look like.  If they look like
they are making lots of new rootlets and new roots are already starting
out of the rhizome, I will leave more foliage.  If there is not a good
healthy root system on the rhizome, I trim more.

3. In my gravelly soil, a spade is an impossible tool.  I use a long
handled mattock with a two tined fork on one end and a blade like a hoe
on the other.  This or a similar unforked 'granny' mattock is the tool
of choice for digging rhizomes in this general area & works well in clay
as well as gravel.  I whack the forked end into the ground close to the
rhizome(s) to be removed, & pry away from the clump.  I don't pry them
out of the ground, just enough to loosen the roots.  Then just give it a
shake & a  tug while it's in the ground and the targeted rhizome(s) will
usuallly pop loose without disturbing the rest of the clump.  [right
Neil?]

4.  Sometimes for a huge clump with deep roots that I want to completely
remove, I will use a spade fork or even a pitchfork (smaller tines to
slip between all the gravel & rock, longer handle for more leverage, but
easier to ruin by bending tines).

5.  Unless the roots are longer than I am willing to dig to make a place
for them, I don't trim off any of the live roots.  The rhizomes are
easier to handle with short roots, but in my growing conditions, they
need all the roots they have without having to work to grow more.
Different folks have different opinions about trimming roots.

6. Similarly, unless I am going to give the rhizomes to someone else, I
don't worry about getting all the dirt off the roots.

7.  I usually either replant immediately, without drying, or pot in
coarse sand and keep them well watered and fertilized until I get ready
to replant. Either drying or replanting immediately works, but I like to
keep the rebloomers actively growing if I have the energy.


--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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