Re: CULT: roots
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: CULT: roots
  • From: B* W* <a*@aol.com>
  • Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 09:26:52 -0500 (EST)
A few thoughts on planting and roots.  Plant growth is really important to me,
since I breed for rebloomers.  I pay serious attention to seedlings that have
a super root system.   I try to use these as pod parents.

Years ago, I quit worrying about WHEN I planted. In the beginning, I could
only afford irises by selling irises.  One of my repeat customers laughed at
me because I wouldn't dig on the spot during bloom season.  She claimed to do
it all the time.  What she did really resulted in clumps being dug, something
you can do in the dead of winter if the ground is soft.  I wasn't selling
clumps.  (I'd moved the whole garden in clumps on March 17)

In the early days, I didn't know to get my money before I dug the irises.  As
a result, I often had a few bags of rhizomes sitting in the shed way into the
fall.  Replanting those taught me a lot.

Some of my experiences with irises led to what I do now.  In my part of the
country, you can throw a rhizome on the ground and it will take roots and
grow.  A few summers ago, rhizomes lay in bags under my car port for about two
months and still bloomed (some) in the spring.  The bloom was set at the end
of bloom season, dug in July and replanted in September.

A Dusky Challenger rhizome was removed from the newest bed recently.  (deer)
It had new roots about an inch long.  I don't expect them to hold, but I do
make a point of checking them more than I would established clumps.  They will
kick in and grow as conditions permit, and most will be well established by
bloom season.  I'll walk these beds a couple of times a week, all winter, but
I won't go into the main garden except to clean and fertilize.

It's worked for me for several years.

It might not work for other zones with different conditions.  I've not
gardened there.    Irises are tough.  Experiment with junk irises.

Betty Wilkerson
Bridge in Time Iris Garden
KY Zone 6









-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Mann <lmann@lock-net.com>
To: iris <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Sun, Nov 21, 2010 5:06 am
Subject: [iris] Re: CULT: roots


Interesting.  I see a lot of variation in rate of root growth in newly
lanted rhizomes here, especially some of the Oz/CA and even OR bred
nes, so it may be some of the same effect you are seeing.  I had never
hought of it being temperature related.
I can't take the heat, and definitely can't provide adequate care for
ewly planted rhizomes in hot weather.  So I'm usually not ready to
lant, even in pots, sitting in the shade, until September, even later
his year.  After most places have quit shipping.  So even if I have to
urchase in August, they usually sit in a bag or box till cooler weather.
I just checked yesterday and potting temperature was between 45 & 50oF
t the end of the day, regularly getting cold enough to frost, but no
eally hard freezes so far.  11 out of 23 new arrivals had not grown
oots out the bottom of their 1 gallon pots a week before, but I found
oots coming out the bottom of one of those 11 yesterday.  And two of
he 11 are a very late order from Schreiners, not planted till mid
ctober, so they may make it yet.
So that leaves 8 with not much root growth to speak of, 7 are GBK (Ghio,
lyth, Keppel).  If it's a temperature effect, that would also explain
hy rhizomes shipped all the way from Oz, planted in spring, seem to
stablish better than those planted in fall.
And it also may help explain why covering all the storeboughts over the
inter with floating row covers has given much better survival & spring
loom.  I've assumed it was just because it was protecting from all the
p and down temperatures, but it also does keep things generally a bit
armer.  And our warmer winters may also help.
Interesting that they won't grow roots in the relative cold of your
inter, but will bloom!  crazy plants.
> I have set out iris rhizomes in September when
 the temperature was 108 degrees and they grew rapidly and bloomed well in
 the spring, while my late, cool replantings did poorly.  Perhaps that is
 another characteristic of my hot bred irises.  They can take more heat than
 I can now days.
 I see no sign of rebloom on anything yet.

 Francelle Edwards  Glendale, AZ  Zone 9
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