CULT:D&D(used to be New iris grower...)

D&D = Dig & Divide

Hi Bobby and all!

Of course you or anyone else are welcome to the step-by-step, but.

I think it would be better, and not to hard to do, if you were to simply
take what I wrote and build on it to create your own step-by-step, and then
you can put YOUR name on it as the author.

You can reword it, add to it your own experiences, delete steps you don't
necessarily agree with or may not be applicable to your region, rearrange
the order of it (to some degree), add pictures to it, etc.

When someone is checking out websites for culture information, it would be
nice if they could be introduced to different information on each site.  It
would get boring if everyone used the exact same template.

Flattered but not an expert,
Patrick


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bobby Baxter - Wake Forest, NC" <irismoose@daylily.net>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: [iris] 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
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> TheGardenSite.com: http://thegardensite.com
> Daylily Gardens Of The World: http://daylily.net/gardens
> Gardens Of The World: http://thegardensite.com/gardens
> Iris Gardens Of The World: http://thegardensite.com/irises
> Daylily.Net: http://daylily.net
> GardenTalk Forum: http://thegardensite.com/gardentalk/
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- 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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