CULT:drought & rain

While cleaning rhizomes of Tara's Choice, I discovered something  
significant.  Although it had dropped all foliage due to the drought, it  had put on 
massive amounts of small feeder roots.  The interesting thing is  that the feeder 
roots had been smothered.  They were dead.  I peeled  them off in layers.  
Apparently the constant rain was enough to do serious  damage even though it 
didn't show any evidence of actually killing the  plants.  I dug into two 
different clumps in the same bed.  Both showed  this damage.  
 
As most know my garden was in the drought zone this summer.  Many  of my 
irises, all types, dropped foliage to survive.  Tara's Choice is  one, but it is 
also one of the strongest irises in my garden.  Maybe  due to the massive 
feeder roots it produces?  Others I dug did not show  this condition.  
 
I received half an inch of rain on Sept 27, followed by an inch of rain on  
Oct. 9.  Then last week it rained for four days straight with an  accumulation 
of 7+ inches.  
 
I've seen no rhizome rot from the rain, but then I didn't expect any.   My 
garden in on a slight slope with each bed being just a little bit lower than  
the first.  Only one bed (not this one) appears slightly compromised.  
 
 

________________________________________________________
Betty W.  in South-central KY Zone 6 ---If you don't cross them, you can't 
plant them!  
Bridge In Time Iris Garden@website:
Some seedlings planted and some still  in the pots! 
_www.thegardensite.com/irises/bridgeintime/_ 
(http://www.thegardensite.com/irises/bridgeintime/) 
_Reblooming Iris - Home Page_ (http://www.rebloomingiris.com/)  
_iris-photos archives_ (http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/)  
_iris-talk archives_ (http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/)  
_AIS: American Iris Society website_ (http://www.irises.org/)   






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