Bringing in the Iris
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Bringing in the Iris
- From: J* I* J* <j*@ix.netcom.com>
- Date: Mon, 3 Mar 1997 11:38:17 -0700 (MST)
Dan Roberts wrote:
>
> Is there anything I can do to try and protect the
> bloom? I thought about upending a bucket of some sort over it and
> weighting it for the duration of the storm, but I can't find a bucket
> tall enough. Should I just go ahead and cut it off and put it in a
> vase in the house? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Katherine,
I have two suggestions. First to protect it out of doors (in my case
frost) I use a tall cardboard box of appropriate cross section, covered
with a plastic trash bag (to protect the box from moisture). You would
have to weight it or tie it down. I use a small light under the box to
protect unopened blooms from the frost.
But, since I grow iris mostly for cut flowers, I routinely bring stems
into the house after the first bud opens. I put them in water to which I
add a little citric acid and sugar for food (I use Sprite soda for
convenience). Trim the stem JUST before you put it in the solution (or
if you are a fanatic, trim it under water just before you put it in the
solution) - you want to prevent air from clogging the waterways in the
stem (I forget what they are properly called). The trick is to replace
the water and trim the about 3/4" off stem again every other day to keep
the end of the stem from closing up. You can then watch the remaining
buds open indoors. Clorox company advertises using a little bleach in
the water to keep flowers fresh. Probably helps keep down the bacteria
that might clog the waterways.
Anybody have any comments on the efficacy of these ideas?
---
John | "There be dragons here"
| Annotation used by ancient cartographers
| to indicate the edge of the known world.
John Jones, jijones@ix.netcom.com
Fremont CA, USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay)
Max high 95F/35C, Min Low 28F/-2C average 10 days each
Heavy clay base for my raised beds.
