Re: CULT: rot east of the Mississippi

 Doreen in Massachussetts said:
<I think we need to change this to all areas east of the Mississippi.
First
                       we have humidity and secondly we have borer.>

I haven't ever had borer and am about at their southern limit.  I dont'
think they have iris borer in Texas, Mississippi, or South Carolina.

There are some other differences in 'rot triggers' in different regions
in the east:

In the east, heavy rainfall ("overhead watering") in hot weather (85oF+)
following long dry spells is one major trigger for rot episodes.  This
<routinely> happens in SOUTHEASTERN coastal states (east of the
Appalachians - NC, SC, GA etc), as well as ?MID-ATLANTIC states
(Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, & farther west when tropical lows dump
a lot of moisture).  It is also a problem <farther north>some years, but
I dont' think Virginia & farther north routinely have these long hot
droughts followed by monsoon rains while it's still hot.

In the central (east of the Rockies, west of the Appalachians) part of
the US (including some higher rainfall areas west of the Mississippi
River) abrupt swings in temperature from optimal iris growing
temperatures in the 60s and 70s to well below freezing (below 24oF,
often into the 'teens) triggers rot in everything that was foolish
enough to indulge in lush growth within a month of last frost date
(=peak TB bloom date).  These killing freezes can occur here anytime
from ~ mid-March, when the first dwarf irises are trying to bloom, until
early April, when early TB stalks are starting to show.  Last for sure
frost date is May 1, average last frost is around mid April.  I do not
have any irises that won't rot if they are hit by temps in the teens
while trying to bloom.

I've learned the hard way not to fertilize irises in spring until after
May 1.

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8

Tennessee Whooping Crane Walkathon:
<http://www.whoopingcranesovertn.org>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
iris-talk/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
iris-photos/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>




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