Re: CULT: rot, bald plants, burying rhizomes (was aspects of rot long)

Back in the early days of this cyber iris group, I was convinced that
irises which dropped their foliage (went "dormant") during the summer
were the ones that did best here.  Supposedly that is a trait of I.
pallida and I variegata.  The species aphylla that I tried to grow also
drop everything during drought (roots, leaves, bits of rhizome)  (the
aphylla strains I've grown do NOT like it here!).

VANITY is in some of the worst gravel here, and usually does go bald
during prolonged hot dry weather.  I had always viewed this as a drought
survival mechanism, but I guess it is also a good way to avoid summer
herbivores!  Drain all those carbohydrates out of the leaves into the
rhizome before the bugs get them.

I routinely bury all my rhizomes under some soil once they have settled
in - depending on weather and what the plant looks like. If it's raining
a lot (like the 10 inches we got the last few weeks), I wait till it
dries out to 'bury' freshly planted rhizomes.  Some cultivars thrive
with rhizomes completely buried, others work their way back to the
surface, some rot.  I haven't seen any noticeable increase in rot
occurrance with soil on top of the rhizomes.  However, I wouldn't do
that to a rhizome I think is going to be rot susceptible.

Donald Eaves Texas Zone 7b, USA said:
<There should have been more rot than I had.  VANITY, e.g., has been
visibly
 out of sight for several months.  It is not a naturally dormant plant
here.
                       Yet when I dug into where it was supposed to be,
I found rhizomes that
                       appeared strong.  No new increases had survived
and the rhizomes obviously
                       hadn't grown, but there was no rot.  Yet they
were underneath a soil cover
                       during a time when rain did occur.  Still no
rot.>    --
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8

Tennessee Whooping Crane Walkathon:
<http://www.whoopingcranesovertn.org>
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iris-photos/Mallorn archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>




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