Re: Early Bloom
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Early Bloom
- From: L*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 7 Mar 1997 08:49:38 -0700 (MST)
In a message dated 97-03-07 09:02:24 EST, you write:
Lloyd Zurbrigg asks
>Can anyone explain how it is that I have a tall bearded iris in bloom on
>March 7, - - and not a single pumila or SDB open yet?
I can make up an explanation - many plants have a cold chill requirement.
They have to experience so many days of temperatures below a certain
temperature before they will initiate spring growth. Or they will gradually
straggle into bloom as the days get longer and warmer. Sort of like the
cumulative cold helps them figure out what time of year it is. For some,
like peaches and almonds, the amount of cold chill required isn't much, so
the first warm days come along in winter and they bloom and get frozen. I
suspect your pumilas and SDBs need a longer cold chill than the tall bearded
(which may not need any). This has been such a mild winter, the standard
dwarfs and pumilas may be totally confused.
Sounds like MATRIX has continuous bloom behavior of those tender genes we
keep hearing about but without the tender genes.
I have posted a few times asking if anybody knows about the genetics of
temperature response versus response to day length in initiating growth (in
tall bearded iris) and haven't gotten much discussion. So I guess that means
nobody knows much about it. But it sounds like the mediterranean species are
more responsive to temperature. Based on what I see in my garden, some
varieties bloom earlier or later, depending on how warm it is, and others try
to bloom at the same time of year even if it's too cold. I would like to
find more of the 'slow' early bloomers, like ICE SCULPTURE. Sounds like
MATRIX might be one if it isn't growing fast enough to be tender to light
frosts.
Linda Mann lmann76543@aol.com east Tennessee USA
25o last night, probably not enough to damage this year's early and midseason
bloom
