CULT:Root shaving revisited
- To: i*@onelist.com
- Subject: CULT:Root shaving revisited
- From: B* S*
- Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 09:14:42 -0400
From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>
After forgetting to mail my Schreiners' order back in June, I phoned it in
in late September. The kind lady I talked to on the phone told me they
were not shipping to Virginia any more (on the assumption it was too late
to plant) but I prevailed on her to go ahead anyway, since I know that iris
planted well into November here can do very well. The order was shipped
almost immediately; only one thing I wanted was out of stock, and one of my
extras was HIGH STAKES, which I had seen in the Fernandes Garden in OKC and
thought very well of. Delighted to have it! The rhizomes were potted
immediately and have already established firm roots.
I did not remove the old roots, which were still flexible and alive despite
the rhizomes obviously having been dug some time weeks before (much dried
foliage). Unpotting a couple of them showed new branch roots emerging from
the old roots after just six days in the pots. At this time, pulling aside
a little of the soil suggests to me that completely new roots have not yet
started to form. The plants have taken hold and begun new growth on the
revivified old roots alone. Had I "shaved" the roots of these rhizomes
before planting, I suspect they would still be sitting on top of the pots
and not growing.
"Shaving" roots might work if you plant earlier, and might be a benefit if
you are concerned about nematode infestations, or could make planting
easier if you have many rhizomes to set. But I remain unconvinced that it
is a good procedure to follow in all cases. I'll continue to plant my
bearded irises with full "beards" of roots.
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>
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