Re: CULT: Alternate year bloom?

bobdell of Cleveland, Ohio wrote:

> Most of my  tall beared iris have been in the
> ground for at least 4 years.  I understand that
> it is not unusual for iris to  occasionally
> "rest" and not bloom for a season or two.  My
> collection seems to have developed a pattern.
> About half of the color varities bloom in even
> numbered years and others in odd numbered years
> and only one color (light blue) blooms every year
> and that one blooms profusely in even numbered
> years and only one or two blooms in odd years.
>
> What am I doing or not doing that produced this
> pattern?

Chris writes:
The fact that all your TB iris are for the most part taking two years to
develop a rhizome of size enough to bloom is a good indication that your
soil may have become somewhat depleted of nutrients for the TB iris.
(Also the fact that you state that they have been planted for 4 years
now in the same spot.) The fact that half bloom one year and half the
alternate year would seem to be happenchance. TB iris are usually dug
and divided every 3 years to ensure optimal performance. More vigorous
growing TB varieties sometimes require division after 2 years.

Ideally, the iris should all be dug, the soil amended with compost, well
composted OLD manure, alfalfa pellets and the iris replanted. After this
it is likely that ALL your TB iris will flower EVERY year. This will be
due to the fact that the new increases will grow with enough vigor to
reach bloom size more quickly.  Check the following website for some
excellent information specifically on getting your soil ready to grow
irises: Roberts Backyard Iris Garden.
http://www.televar.com/~irisbuff/

Happy digging in your garden.

P.S.  Bob and all,  don't forget to append a signature line or two to
each posting with your full name, city, state and growing zone. This
helps with getting you the best accurate cultural advice as it can be
specific/different for the various climates/zones. Most e-mail programs
will let you create an automated "signature" that adds to the bottom of
each e-mail that you send.

--
Christopher Hollinshead
Mississauga, Ontario  Canada  zone6b
AIS(Region 16), CIS, SSI
Director-Canadian Iris Society
Newsletter Editor-Canadian Iris Society
e-mail:  cris@netcom.ca
CIS website:  http://www.netcom.ca/~cris/CIS.html
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