RE: Pot culture yet again

Hi George,
Are you potting rhizomes from a sale or something
similar?  Or are these seedlings?
Char, New Berlin, WI

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net
[o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of George
Schubert
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 7:55 PM
To: iris@hort.net
Subject: [iris] Pot culture yet again


The recent thread by Linda regarding dirty perlite
caught my attention, 
especially the 90% perlite part.  Sure enough when
I initiated a pot 
culture thread several months ago, when Baccto was
mentioned, Betty's 
response mentioned the 85-90% perlite, which
didn't catch my eye that 
pass.  The Miracle-Gro and Sta-Green stuff that
Lowe's carry does indeed 
have perlite, but more like 5% if that.  That
unfortunately is the stuff I 
have recently used to pot up about 90 containers,
with another 200 yet to 
go.  SO, time to do some damage control, as I can
just see these rhizomes 
rotting over the next several months in this high
peat content.  In that 
all my potting has been done within the last
several weeks, with some fans 
getting a bit longer but no increases showing yet,
do you all think it 
would be prudent to repot everything, mixing the
current mix with 85-90% 
regular horticultural perlite, which should be
more readily available than 
Baccto, I think and hope.  The plants might not
appreciate the repotting, 
but better now than die of rot.  Has anyone mixed
their own Baccto, of 
sorts, with let us say Sta-Green and perlite, in
1:9 ratio?

Let me review what I think are the pros and cons
of pot culture, as opposed 
to garden dirt, hopefully with amendments.

Pros: (1) more effective weed control (my personal
perceived main benefit); 
(2) more resistant to seasonal precipitation
swings; (3) more resistant to 
rot (with proper soil); (4) more likely to
stimulate rebloom if genetically 
predisposed; (5) more increases; (6) with the weed
control, maybe better 
borer resistance, with or without Merit.

Cons: (1) initial investment in pots (but should
be reusable for several 
cycles?); (2) cost of potting soil ( but maybe
recyclable with care to 
nutrients); (3) more attention needed to
nutrients; (4) more frequent 
division required.

Comments please.

Thanks,
George

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