CULT:HYB:More on those 450 rotters

I posted a week ago the 450 known rotters that were mentioned in the January
2001 Iris Society Bulletin.  That message is copied at the bottom of this
letter if you missed it the first time.

There was quite a range of responses.

When someone posted publicly via this email forum their response was calm
and basically saying that different growing conditions and climates produce
different effects --  basically no problem.

When I was posted privately via email it was thanks for bringing this up,
there is a problem, no one wants to recognize it and therefore it will only
get worse.

When I spoke with people in real life "face-to-face" then it was revealed
the situation is dire, rot is rampant, hybridizers and sellers don't care,
it's all about money and getting the prettiest plants to the market before
they are even evaluated for garden worthiness, and the iris in general are
in decline.

As this is my last message for at least the next two weeks, I hope we can
discuss this more and talk about ways to toughen the iris and make it more
adaptable to various growing conditions.  Simply recognizing that we can
improve the habit of the plant and increase rot resistance is a positive
topic for this forum which we can talk about positively for all our benefit.

Thank you,

Iris Moose
Wake Forest, NC
http://daylily.net/irismoose/



=====================

Being fairly new to growing irises I would like to ask for your opinions on
something that has troubled me greatly this past month.  I received my first
Iris Bulletin and read it from cover to cover, and re-read all the
reblooming articles.  The one thing that keeps coming back to my thoughts is
a bit written by Don & Ginny Spoon in their article entitled, "The Search
For Constant Bloom."

On pages 38-39 the Spoons write:
"We have yellow flags on all named clumps that rot (about 450 of our 6000
named iris varieties) and give them a prophylactic treatment of diluted (one
tablespoon per gallon) Triclosan in April, before the heavy rains and rising
temperatures make rot possible. We are convinced that soft rot resistance is
a genetic trait."

There are so many questions that come to my mind after reading this that I
could not list them all -- but few are.  Why would anyone grow 450 clumps of
iris that they know rot?  Are these iris being listed in catalogs?  Are they
being sold?  When they are sold are they identified to the buyer as rotters?
Are they being hybridized with?  What are the consequences of using these
rotters in hybridizing?  What is the net effect of these rotters on all
other aspects of iris related activity?

Since The Bulletin is the publication of the Iris Society and gets wide
distribution, I was surprised that the Spoon's statement was incorporated so
matter-of-factly in the article.  Is rot something that is simply accepted
by growers and hybridizers as not being a real problem?  Are growers
expected to treat their gardens aggressively for rot?

I advocate a tough position on the part of hybridizers to fight this rot,
especially since the Spoons are convinced that "soft rot resistance is a
genetic trait."  This statement being true, then there is not reason that
rot resistance can be bred for and should be.

Is there a printed list of these 450 rotters?  I don't think this is
anything secret or taboo since it appears in The Bulletin.  Are there
hybridizers who have been identified with high a percentage of rotters in
their hybridizing programs.

I am only seeking a solution to this rot which I feel is being taken too
casually by iris growers and hybridizers.  As a new hybridizer I can work on
this in my garden, but it takes everyone to really fix it and get iris back
to being tough and elevated in garden status.


 

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