CULT: different approaches

From: Marte Halleck <MorJHalleck@worldnet.att.net>

Hi all:

I've been lurking of late with not much to say but, as always, enjoying
the chat. It struck me today how often the List has provided a variety
of ideas for growing strong, healthy irises & I have certainly benefited
from seeing the different approaches. 

For example, I would never have considered soaking a rhizome in water
until I read it here because I would've expected the rz to simply rot.
However, I got several freebies this past summer with the look of
permanent dormancy -- they had scant or no roots & the leaves, if any,
were dried out with no green showing. A week or so in shallow water
(changed daily) & surprise! new roots. All rz were planted out & have
since sent up new leaf growth, indicating they'll overwinter fine &
maybe even bloom next spring. Most of the stressed-out rz were TBs or
BBs but some were ABs -- I felt particularly daring putting these in
water during their period of dormancy but it is so dry here in the fall
(typically) that I didn't think they'd survive without at least SOME
roots. Seems to have worked just fine.

Again thanks to info from the List re "shaving" rz, I would not have
been alarmed at the lack of roots per se but these puppies appeared dead
to me. Personally, I wouldn't shave rz here because the growing season
is 'way short at 7,400' altitude & anyway, nemotodes are not a big
problem in my soil. I do cut off extra-long roots when planting tho, &
usually pull off any old, "spent" roots as well.

I have yet to have good reason to pot-up newly received rz, because of
exceedingly hot weather or whatever, but will keep that idea in mind
should the need arise. That's what's so cool about this List -- plenty
of different approaches & suggestions for problem-solving.

Marte in the mtns	Zone 4/Sunset 1  Colorado/USA

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help support ONElist, while generating interest in your product or
service. ONElist has a variety of advertising packages. Visit
http://www.onelist.com/advert.html for more information.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index