Tropical Iris Culture

B > From: BILLMARYOTT@IRISGARDEN.COM

B > Dennis, I am very interested in the results of this forced
B > dormancy you do.  I was told by customers from South Florida,
B > the iris only needed to be refrigerated for 4 weeks.  Did you
B > really mean 6 months in your note?

    Yes, 6 months, they have been growing for almost 2 years in the
Hawaii Zone 11 weather, figure they need a GOOD Rest.

B > Can you give us some more details like how many plants you
B > refrigerate, how you keep them from drying out, do you bag and
B > seal them or give them air circulation.  Do you have any
B > losses and when do you plant them out.

    As this is my 1st time doing this, I cut their fans back,
cleaned soil off the roots and have them in the viggie bin just
open. I keep my refrig on the next to lowest setting to save on
Elec. cost, the Kwatt per hour is high over here, so I keep it just
cold enough to keep milk from going bad for a few days, I freeze
most of my milk. I check them at lest two times a week and so far
they seem to be doing well.

B > Do you grow them in pots or in the ground.  Your information
B > here can help many thousands of folks trying to grow iris in
B > tropical climates.

    When the Lady in N.Y. 1st sent them to me, I planted them all in
pots, also the two I ordered from Iris garden City too. Over the
year +, I've lost one named one to rot, and 2 or 3 of the un-named
ones to rot, those where in pots that had more clay than sand in the
soil. 

    When I 1st moved to this house about 3 months ago, I placed all
my pots of Iris in the yard, that night someone ripped off the big
3qt pots I had, they didn't take the Iris at all, they just dumped
them on the ground and over the next 3 days I recovered them and if
I didn't have pots, I placed them in the ground.

    I'm buying some more 3qt pots and will have more potting soil
ready for when I'm ready to repot them when I take them out. They'll
be placed in an area that gets about 6 hours of full sunlight.

    Now if only my L.A. Iris would bloom for me!

Dahliaman

Weather Report for 6/9/97

Hi Temp was 90F

Humidie was 72%

No Snow in Sight for another 65 million years. 

Frost belived to come sometime in the next 65 million years NOT!

Walking Iris and I.Dietes Bi-color blooming along with Canna and
Dahlias.



.. Dragons must fly when Threads are in the Sky!
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