Re: CULT: aspects of rot - long

Maybe those grasshoppers have bitten some rhizomes, causing 
small 'wounds', that you might not have seen, causing bacteria to 
enter and cause rot? Maybe the more established iris are less 
stressed, and can recover from a nibble or two. Just a guess. The 
grasshoppers around here never seem to have a palate for iris 
rhizome, but they jump around them all the time. Its funny, I have 
alot of squirrels and they don't care either; but with my Mom on Long 
Island about 70 miles away, the squirrels have eaten every single new 
rhizome this year.  They ignore the old HONORABILE that have been in 
the ground since my grandmother planted them a zillion years ago. Now 
why do you suppose they do that??
Laetitia


--- In iris-talk@y..., "Donald Eaves" <donald@e...> wrote:
> Hello Folks,
> 
> Rot has been a strange visitor this year.  About a week and a half 
ago I
> received a shipment from a supplier I've ordered from for several 
years now.
> I promptly opened the box, examined everything and then spread them 
on
> newspaper in the office along with those from other suppliers.  Due 
to the
> continuing foraging of grasshoppers, everything has been potted 
including
> anything I've dug from my own yard.  This weekend I reached some of 
what was
> left of that shipment and discovered one plant had rotted lying 
around in
> the cool, dry air of the house.  Leaves, rhizome and all were mushy 
and
> smelly.  Beyond any attempt at salvaging.  This bad effect had the 
contrary
> effect of making me feel some better, though.  Last year I dug a 
clump that
> appeared to be in the early stages of rot, gave it a bleach bath 
and laid it
> out to dry.  It continued to rot lying on wire with air circulating 
all
> around.  Another bleach bath and back to dry and it still rotted.  
Finally a
> much stronger bleach solution and back to dry and it STILL rotted.  
I'd
> started with a good size clump with rot only in evidence on a 
couple of
> rhizomes, but by the time the rot stopped, I only had one rhizome 
left.  6-8
> of them simply rotted no matter.  Oddly, that rhizome has gone on 
to do well
> and there is not a hint of rot in another good size clump that has 
formed.
> For the record, I also planted that rhizome back in the exact spot 
with no
> soil treatment.  I saw a bloom stalk this spring and if the clump 
holds up,
> should have several next spring.  Go figure.
> 
> Otherwise, rot has been more persistent this year than any I've 
experienced
> before.  I think because of the grasshopper damage.  The one thing 
most
> rotters have in common is either they were new acquisitions last 
year or
> they were moved and relocated last year.  The further back the last 
move
> goes, the less rot.  Those in place and undisturbed for 4 or more 
years have
> had almost no rot at all.  In fact, of that group only one has 
shown rot and
> it seems to have recovered with no assistance.  Soil makeup can't 
be the
> sole cause, because I planted some new acquisitions in the 
established beds
> without troubling to change the soil (in a hurry) and those have 
rotted
> right along with those in new, amended soil.
> 
> Treatment.  Some have received it, some have not.  In both cases, 
some are
> going to survive the rot and some will or already have perished.  
One new
> thing I did try that seems to have helped is a cattle antibiotic 
with the
> trade name Liquamycin.  This is an injectable form of 
oxytetracycline.  On a
> few selected (I was desperate) rhizomes that appeared gone and of 
some
> cultivars I really wanted I loaded a needle and actually tried 
injecting it.
> Didn't work on a firm rhizome so I essentially squirted it directly 
on the
> wound area and over the rhizome.  I did this on some after a bleach 
bath,
> some without, and some that were in pots and rotting badly that I 
simply
> left in the pots removing as much rotted material as I could without
> uprooting what little was left.  I wouldn't have given most of 
these another
> three days and the first ones to get the treatment was around three 
weeks
> ago.  They still survive.  These were rhizomes that were nearly 
completely
> gone, so it is the side increases that survive, but the rhizome 
tissue was
> soft at the time.  It has since hardened and the rot doesn't seem 
to have
> progressed further.  I don't recommend this treatment.  It's very 
expensive,
> for one thing.  I have most of the bottle still on hand for the 
cattle.
> Also, poor use of this kind of thing will lead to resistance.  
There is no
> way of knowing how much would be optimum.  I'm not looking to grow
> antibiotic resistant rot and I think misinformed use of this kind 
of thing
> could lead to that.  However, I tried it this time with a promise 
to myself
> not to make it a habit.
> 
> Rot in families or as a natural tendency of specific cultivars - 
couldn't
> prove it by what I'm seeing.  Rotters from other years have no 
signs this
> year if they weren't moved.  Plants I've had for a long time and 
never had
> rot, were much more likely to have had it this year if they were 
moved last
> year, or even moved the year or two before.  So when I had two 
clumps, one
> new and one well established, I often saw rot in the newly 
relocated clump
> but not in the one left alone.
> 
> I can't figure rot out.  It certainly doesn't require moisture 
here.  It
> also doesn't seem to linger in the same spot of soil.  It can wreak 
havoc in
> one clump and not another next door under the same stressed 
conditions.
> True, the worse the stress - the more likely to get rot.  But it 
sure wasn't
> a guarantee.  I think the salvage rate of success is about the same 
rate of
> success as some I just ignored and left alone, but trying did make 
me feel a
> bit better.
> 
> I'd like to say I'm going to give up trying to beat it, but the 
next time I
> see rot on something I'm really wanting, I'm sure to try again 
anyway.
> 
> Donald Eaves
> donald@e...
> Texas Zone 7b, USA - and who is still not certain what will survive 
this
> summer and what will not and wondering when, if ever, the 
grasshoppers are
> going to let me put something outside without it being devoured.


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