Re: CULT: mulch or not
- To: iris-talk
- Subject: Re: CULT: mulch or not
- From: L* M*
- Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 09:06:25 -0500
I am farther north and am <famous> for killing irises. With that in
mind, here's my two cents:
It depends on whether these are tough survivors and you want minimum
care irises or if they are cultivars that you want to keep alive no
matter what.
Most of the tough survivors can handle some mulch, especially something
as non-packing as pine straw.
Many/most irises bred in a drier climate have enough trouble with all
our alternating drought and rain and humidity without adding to their
woes by mulching.
Soo, in the southeast, whether to mulch or not depends on your goals,
the cultivars you have, as well as the type of mulch and how it's
applied. Maybe compromise by mulching among the plants, but not over
the rhizomes? When I moved my seedlings last month, I put a thin,
mostly maple-leaf mulch over them, buried the rhizomes under an inch or
so of soil (it has been so hot and dry, I was more concerned about them
drying out than rotting), and they seem to be thriving.
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
experiment! it's fun...
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