TB: CULT: Drought

I am very interested in the report of irises that grow many small feeder
roots during a drought that slough off after a rain.  I know about drought.
We have had less than an inch of rain since last March.  Fortunately, our
irrigation district pumps still bring us water every two weeks.  I try to
give my irises supplemental water with soaker hoses between irrigations, but
I don't always get around to all of them.  We have a condition called
balding that destroys some of our irises.  In it,  the fans stay big and
green but all the roots of the rhizomes disappear and there are no
increases.  Eventually the fans die also.  Young rhizomes resemble old ones
that have bloomed without increasing.



I believed for awhile that this was caused by hard, dry, hot ground, which
describes much of mine in the summer time.  This year I have decided that
the basic cause is genetic.  Only two third year crosses were affected by
balding, one each in two rows of otherwise healthy seedlings, and those were
badly affected.  I was very disappointed in one purple amoena that everyone
liked.  It had a big green clump from which I anticipated harvesting many
good rhizomes, but the shovel just lifted it off the ground.  It had no
roots.  All its siblings were affected though none so badly.  Other crosses
on both sides produced nice rhizomes.  This is evidence to me that it is
genetic.



Overly hot, dry irises turn yellow and brown, but in my garden if they go
completely brown, they die.



Francelle Edwards  Glendale, AZ  Zone 9

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index