Re: Rebloomers

In a message dated 97-06-08 03:20:52 EDT, you write:

<< Have a question for y'all -- as you may recall, I planted my first 
 "rebloomers" last year & the SDB's have been blooming well for me, TB's 
 nicely budded out. The nursery tip-sheet I got with the rz says: "do not 
 break off the sockets or the stalk at bloom completion as is done with 
 oncers. Rebloomers...tend to rebloom from the same sockets..."
 
 The stalk I'm sure off -- would someone like to tell just what the 
 socket is? I've deadheaded the few SDB's blooms that have wilted to date 
 by just pulling the bloom itself straight up & off -- does this sound 
 right? >>

WHAAAAA????  (Sorry, but that was my reaction to the info. you reported from
the nursery tip-sheet.   I only hope that this is NOT a nursery that does a
lot of iris business....)

I'm not a rebloomer expert, by any means, but they do NOT rebloom from the
same "socket," which is the area on the stalk where the bud is formed.  They
do not even rebloom from the same STALK; they must grow new ones!

Deadheading the way you have done is OK; a method which is probably a bit
better is snapping off the spent bloom at the bottom of the ovary.  That way
the plant will put no energy into possible seed development, and you will not
accidently damage or uproot the plant by pulling on the dead blossom.

Then when all the blooms on a stalk are finished, you can cut or break off
the spent  stalk where it emerges from the rhizome.  I like to do that on a
dry day, so the break will seal over quickly.

Again, I'm not much of a rebloomer grower, but have read that they can use a
bit more fertilizer than "oncers" for optimum performance, and they should
not be allowed to dry out after the first bloom.  Best of luck with them!

Dorothy Fingerhood
DFingerhoo@aol.com
Newfield, NY (Where QUEEN DOROTHY and IMMORTALITY are now in bloom for the
1st  time.)
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