TB: CULT: Cutting Spent Stalks

In a message dated 5/1/05 12:49:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
Matbeach1@aol.com writes:

<< Almost everything I have read says to cut down old flower stalks after the 
 last bloom of the iris is gone. What I am not sure of, though, is how far 
down I 
 should cut on a tall bearded plant. [....]
 
 If someone has advice, I would appreciate it.>>

Actually, the best advice is to snap them off at the rhizome by bending them 
back. This works better at some times than others, and with some varieties 
better than with others. The gist of it--botanically speaking--is in snapping you 
create clean breaks between the cells and thus the plant is not wounded and 
so less likely to rot at the wound. In sandy soil or loose soil it is also hard 
sometimes to get the tension on the thing right to snap. Stems are more 
snappable, because more crisp, in the early morning, one has found.

Now, from a practical standpoint, whatever you do you want that stalk cut--or 
snapped-- off at the rhizome since stubs can decay nd that process can cause 
problems. A nice sharp edge will make a clean job of it. I leave about a 
quarter inch of stem. Don't wound the rhizome if you can help it.

For further information, do check the Archives of this list, where more 
discussions of this this subject may be found, albeit they will say pretty much 
what I just did.

Cordially,

Anner Whitehead
Richmond VA USA Zone 7 

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