Re: JI: "bleached" leaves?
- To: i*@egroups.com
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk] JI: "bleached" leaves?
- From: J* B*
- Date: Sun, 07 May 2000 07:45:39 -0400
- References: <01BFB7A5.C13F4820@ppn78.povn.com>
"J.F. Hensler" wrote:
> A question for those in the know about JIs...
>
> What would cause the leaves to look bleached?
>
> One plant is nearly white this spring after showing normal color last
> season. This one is planted in an open area, good soil, nice rain, and is
> up about 4".
>
> The other isn't quite as ghostly. The leaves are a pale white/yellow except
> for green tips. This one is up almost 7", good soil, rain, etc., and is
> planted near a brick wall that went in last summer.
Sounds like you got a good dose of lime in the soil. Check it with a pH meter,
and acidify as necessary.
> Any suggestions about how to make them stop doing this would be
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Christy Hensler
> Newport, WA
> Zone 4b
Most JI problems I've had have been lack of sufficient moisture or pH out of
whack to the basic side. JI also need to be fed more than TB. If you don't have
a pH meter get one if you intend to raise JI. Remember to check not only the
soil, but the water you are putting on them. I have hard water from a well in
limestone strata and I found that one Tbs white vinegar per gallon of water was
about right. That pretty well rules out hose watering.
Remedies for soil pH can include aluminum sulphate, pine needles, pine bark
mulch, oak leaf mulch and sulphur dust. The latter best used as a side
dressing, aluminum sulphate best applied and tilled in when doing the bed.
One other thing to remember, there is at least one variety of JI that normally
has pale yellow-green to whitish leaves. When I got one of these from Ensata a
year ago (I don't remember the name and it's a four acre walk from here) I was
extremeley diligent in watering it, giving it twice to three times as much as
the others, thinking it was about dried out. Only Pinkerton (which I'd paid $50
for) got as much extra water. Consequently both plants did well. The
yellow-green didn't bloom last year, but is now a nice, strong clump, and
Pinkerton responded with multiple blooms during a drought. Which showed me that
what I might have though was adequate amounts of water was probably nowhere
near enough.
This year I've put a couple of JIs in pots and put them in the fish pond, and
they seem quite content. It may be possible to overwater a JI, but I haven't
done it yet.
James Brooks
Jonesborough, TN
comeback@usit.net
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