Re: CULT: "Shaving" roots & hormones

From: Linda Mann <lmann@icx.net>

Bill Shear said:
> > My experience was the opposite.  Removing all roots delayed
> establishment.
and Mark Cook wrote:
>      I have noticed this too.  Dr. Bill Griese of Richmond, KY once said
> that Iris roots can regenerate and keep on growing after the plant has been
> re-set.  Do you know if there could be something to this?  I have started
> to think so.

Bill Grise is one of our local club members and sez he did a careful
comparison, examining the roots of the plants (not just looking at
growth or how well the plant is anchored).  Somebody (on list?) said
that there are a fixed number of 'places' the rhizome can start new
roots, so the more roots taken off on purpose, rotted off etc would seem
to lessen the plant's "options".  

>From the various comments about this, I suspect shaving or not shaving
roots may be a little like doctoring or not doctoring for rot.  Some
plants in some growing conditions (garden/gardener) may take to
it/benefit or suffer from it more than others.

Here's another "question from Linda" (you know, the ones nobody can
answer) - plants send around little batches of hormones (auxins) to turn
on and off various activities, I think.  So I wonder if there are
differences within the great brew of cultivated iris genes that would
work differently under different environmental conditions.  Most of the
bearded irises seem to be REALLY adapted to drought (see archival
anecdotes re: no rain in the garden, baggies at WalMart, garbage bags in
the garage).  I don't know anything about the subject, but I suspect the
degree of drought they experience before being potted affects root
generation/regeneration.  My guess is that fairly fresh roots would not
have shut down growth, but would be more susceptible to injury and the
dreaded rot, while really dried out ones would not.

Just think of all the experiments we can do - fun with irises even in
drought, flood, freeze, and rot.

Yep, John, sitting in the shade in 100o weather potting irises sure
beats crawling around on the rocky ground out in the sun having heat
stroke followed by weeks of watching them shrivel up and not grow while
dragging a garden hose all over the place.

LInda Mann east Tennessee USA
two nights of hard freezes in a row - 25oF - I can get air in my lungs
again!  HARVEST OF MEMORIES stalks in the open seem to be unaffected,
two stalks on the clump I dug two days ago and potted are opening in the
living room, and one stalk under Reemay tunnel.  Fingers crossed for the
other cultivars



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