RE:Cult-Mulch
- To:
- Subject: RE:Cult-Mulch
- From: C* C*
- Date: 18 May 00 08:25:59 EDT
Mulch is more important for bearded Iris in areas where there is little snow
cover. My rule of thumb for rmoving mulch is to remove it when the ground
under the mulch has thawed. The plants need protecting more in the early
spring then at any other time as the freeze/thaw cycle at that time can result
in small breaks in the rhizome that can leave any opening for the entry of
damaging spores/virus/bacteria that grow faster at lower temperatures then the
iris plants do. A layer of soil over winter also helps but can be a pain when
it comes time to remove it. Another trick for winter protection is a rock
placed on the rhizome. This acts as a heat sink and helps evens out the
increase and decrease in temperaature and reduces the mico damage which
provides entry points for the bad stuff.
A local grower told me that he often puts the straw mulch on in April/March
and removes it at the end of March and finds that this gives as much
protection as a fall placement. I would suspect that you would still get
winter heaving with its ascotiated problems.
I am playing with the idea of planting my plants deeper in the fall. The help
that I had last year planted some plants deeper then instructed and they
seemed to survive better. Does anyone have experience with this? I am begining
to suspect that colder climates have better survival rates with deeper
plantings. I have had plants acidently covered with soil and they always seem
to find their way to the surface and do fine, although may be a bit behind
their regular mates.
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