Re: Why Beardless?/International List
- To: i*@Rt66.com
- Subject: Re: Why Beardless?/International List
- From: L* P* <p*@peak.org>
- Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 05:42:40 -0700
Hi, all: These questions were first posed to me personally, then after I
had answered them, they were posted to the list, just so that no one is
confused, I am putting out the rest of my response.
>At 02:17 PM 9/2/96 -0700, you wrote:
>>Well, Louise - hello. For the benefit of those of us who live in the
>>Pacif1c Northwest - in Washington - please tell us the following:
>>
>>1. What type of spring fertilizer do you use.?
>
>I use superphosphate that I purchase in a big sack at the local farm and
ranch and seed supply in early march for the TB's and certain alpines.
Triple 15 is also purchased the same way and is used for most of my other
perennials and the beardless. The application rate can be "cut down" to any
percentage desired and many species do not need such a high percentage. It
is way cheaper to buy from this type of store than a garden center or other
store.
>
>>2. What type of fall fertilizer do you use?
>
>None except in new plantings where I may apply a liquid low percentage
balanced fertilizer or work a lower percentage balanced fertilizer into the
soil. Rock flour is also beneficial if your soil is derived from igneous
rocks that are mineralogically primitive (example:basalt) and may be lacking
in key minerals such as phosphate and other important trace minerals. I also
use rock phosphate for the same reason to get a long-term supply of it. If
you can afford it the timed release fertilizers are great and they also can
be purchased in bulk from the farm supply places.
>>
>>3. What type of fungal spray(s) do you use?
>
>I am probably the wrong one to ask about this, but I tend to selectively
shotgun with a mix that has "iris" listed on the label. If I have chronic
problems, I am more likely to try moving or to discard the plant than to
spray it forever. (rest deleted, previously posted)
>
>>4. How do you get away with mulching? Here, it would hold the "wet" in!
>
>I do not mulch my TB's and my MDB's and others in the rock gardens have
grit mulch that promotes drainage. I also have lots of raised beds and
"granny beds" (the alpinist's term for raised beds bordered with rocks!)
The siberians and other species don't generally mind the wet. I plant
pacificas and spurias where they get little summer water because moisture
during the hot weather causes problems with them.
Added today...
I would love to hear what *others* do especially with regard to spraying.
Growers have told me that some of the rusts, fungal problems, and blights
that iris get here present *cosmetic* problems only and seldom kill
otherwise healthy iris. This jibes with my own experience. I would hate to
spray simply for "good looks" especially if grooming solves the basic problem.
Many of my pacificas grow in what I consider "habitat areas" of my garden.
These are places that are home to various nice critters such as snakes that
EAT SLUGS. They get browned blighty foliage from time to time, but I trim
it away and all is well. I have some naturalized clumps (douglasiana X
tenax) that are twenty years old and have never been sprayed.
Louise, who will NOT letterbom this list today.
Louise H. Parsons <parsont@peak.org>
listowner, Alpine-L,the Electronic Rock Garden Society
Corvallis, OR USA USDA zone 7 , Emerald NARGS, AIS, SIGNA, SPCNI,
"A Sensitive Plant in a garden grew,
And the young winds fed it with silver dew." Shelley
http://www.peak.org/~parsont/rockgard/
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