TB: Planting Indoors and PBF
- Subject: TB: Planting Indoors and PBF
- From: "Jeff and Carolyn Walters" j*@bridgernet.com
- Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 09:22:15 -0700
> From: Bakulady <j.coffin2@verizon.net>
> I know its to late to plant them
> outdoors so I put them in pots I had saved from this past summer and
> brought them into the house. They are sitting on my plant stand in
> front of a large window facing east. My question is, what are my
> chances that they will actually take root and grow? And if they do
> survive when will be the best time to take them outdoors into the
> garden?
Susan,
Your newly potted iris rhizomes might do better over the winter in an
unheated environment that is protected from severe freezing (basement,
garage). I doubt that they would do as well under typical houseplant
conditions. The main aim is to keep them alive, not to encourage active
growth. After all, irises outside in the ground in areas with cold winters
are essentually dormant at this time of year. In a dormant condition they
don't even need much light. You can transplant them to a permanent location
in the garden as soon as it warms up in the spring and the ground can be
conveniently worked.
> My second question is I have read a lot about PBF on this list. Can
> some one tell me what it is and if it is harmful to iris as I have
> found a few in my garden with this.
The initials PBF stand for "purple-based foliage". This is a naturally
occurring, genetically determined characteristic of some irises in which a
reddish purple pigment suffuses a more or less restricted area of each leaf
close to its base. Sometimes it is hardly noticeable unless you really look
for it; in other cases it can be an additional attractive feature of the
plant. It is essentially neither helpful nor harmful to the vigor of the
plant.
Jeff Walters in northern Utah (USDA Zone 4/5, Sunset Zone 2, AHS Zone 7)
jcwalters@bridgernet.com
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