REB: Rebloom Questions...

I wrote:
> > Does anybody know when buds are set in fall bloomers and what triggers
> > that bud formation?  ..... Are they setting buds in the fall for spring bloom
> > or were those set the preceding spring?
> > 
and Rick Tasco replied:
> 
> I firmly believe that plant maturity (and of course rebloom genes) and
> temperature is the key for rebloom.  In my mild climate I can have
> rebloom the entire year and have had it in particularly mild winters.  

Rick - When you say temperature is the key, what do you mean? 
Cumulative cooling or minimum or below some maximum?  I was mostly
wondering about the twice a year bloomers rather than the continuous
bloomers - do you mean that twice a year bloomers can bloom any time in
your climate or just the continuous ones?  Seems like last year, Tom
Little or somebody (there goes that steel trap again) posted a detailed
story about timing and development of flower bud primordia in once
bloomers - that the bud primordia form right after bloom in the spring,
then rest over the summer, grow in the fall, rest over the winter and
get killed in the spring (woops, sorry about that) BLOOM in the spring. 
So I was wondering when the twice a year bloomers get their bud
primordia formed - 6 months ahead or a year ahead?  Or are you saying if
they can bloom anytime of year if the temperature is right, then does
that imply that high and low temperatures both shut down twice a year
bloomers, but only low temperatures shut down ever-bloomers?  And that
flower primordia can form any time of year in both kinds of rebloomers?

Does anybody out there know how long it takes from the time an increase
becomes visible till it blooms on an everbloomer or a twice bloomer? 
For a tall bearded iris - fastest time.

Linda Mann east Tennessee USA
Planning to keep my rebloom bed covered with Reemay and have iris
flowers all winter long.
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