Re: CULT: Stunted stalks & mini-TBs

Unfortunately, this is something I see all too often.  (not this year -
hooray!) Some cultivars are much more prone to doing this than others.

Some will be 'miniaturized' and stay in proportion, looking more like
IBs or SDBs than TBs, others will maintain bloom size but have very
short stalks, almost on the ground.  The cultivars that produce the very
short stalks and normal sized blooms show varying degrees of stalk
damage most years, and some years have the entire terminal rot out with
no stalk at all.

My theory is that the stunted stalks are caused by our up and down
temperatures thru the winter & early spring - plants get growing really
well during a warm spell, then are hit with severe cold.  The damage may
occur well before any kind of stalk is visible.

The miniaturized stalks and blooms seem to be related to temperature and
moisture - when it's really hot and dry during bloom season, I see more
of it.  And it only affects some cultivars.  Always the same cultivars,
but not every year.  Some parts of my 'garden' is very gravelly, so is
drought prone.  I see more of the miniaturization in the gravel areas.
Probaby first year plants, still growing roots, would be more prone to
this?

I. pallida either produces normal normal stalks or gets frozen out
entirely here - no in-between stunting. Lots of TBs follow that 'model'
here.  Sure wish I had a list of cultivars that never stunt.

Tony in central California said:
<I have some iris that are putting short stalks out this year that are
usually very long. Can anyone tell me why that is . .....The bloom also
doesn' t open right. But then other stalks on the same plant may grow
out normal. ....This is the first year that they have done this. >

And Kelly D. Norris in Iowa said:
<TB's are blooming on 10-12" stalks....   Is anyone else having the same
phenomenon? ... ...This sort of thing has never happened in my gardens
before.>

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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