Re: Crazy weather, dividing Sibs

I find siberians fairly easy technically to divide, but does require a
little strength sometimes. One easy method is to get a nursery spade and
chop a pie-wedge right from the edge of a clump. Then, a cross-cut or
pruning saw can be used to chop this piece into smaller pieces if you wish,
by cutting right through the typically solid mass of tangled roots. I'm
pretty ruthless. Smaller divisions sometimes re-establish better than large
ones with huge, dense roots and knotted rhyzome structures. I feel that
roots and the base of growths should have contact with the soil and water in
order to get a new foothold. As for setback, some will be inevitable. By the
way, if you are in a cold area, try springtime division rather than the
usual fall planting procedure. I have had bad luck with the latter, but then
I am in North Idaho, too.

It is indeed difficult to dig siberians if the clump is old and you are
trying to lift out the whole thing at one time. Don't even think about it.
Ugh!!!

Bob Dickow

----- Original Message -----
From: <Rxiris@aol.com>
To: <sibrob@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 9:50 PM
Subject: Re: [sibrob] Crazy weather, dividing Sibs


>
> In a message dated 4/16/02 10:26:39 AM, ecpep@aol.com writes:
>
> << Whatever is written about Siberians, I have never found that they
> transplant
> easily.   >>
>
> Nor are they easy to divide. In fact, if anyone has any tricks to dividing
> Siberians, please pass them on, because I would certainly appreciate all
the
> help I can get!
>
> I have a bunch of clumps that *must* be moved to make way for major
> renovation in my garden. I've started the process, but I have a long way
to
> go and the plants keep growing...
> For those of you who toured my garden at the Denver convention, I am
planning
> major renovations. Remember the four long rows where all the convention
> plants were growing? Well, they've been a nightmare to maintain so they
will
> be replaced by much larger beds on each side of the yard with a curving
swath
> of grass down the center of the yard. After the convention, the rows had
been
> converted from mostly bearded irises to a mixture of mostly beard*less*
iris
> and daylilies.
> I plan to do this renovation over three years. For this year's portion, I
> must move the Siberian irises and other perennials from two of the four
rows.
> I am potting up the portion that I can keep from each Sib clump and
sinking
> the pot into the ground in an unused area until after August, when the new
> bed will be put in and I can re-plant the clump.
>
> While it has been warm here, it is also *very* dry. Each day the evening
news
> reports on grass fires and forest fires. My garden is in the process of
> turning to dust and many of my Siberians are not mulched (I plan to recify
> this with the new arrangement). Supposedly we will get some rain and snow
> this weekend.
>
> Have MDB iris in bloom.
>
> Lynda
>
> Lynda Love
> Rxiris@aol.com
> Denver, Colorado USA
> Zone 5, 5400 feet elevation on the high *dry* plains
>
>
> To post to Sibrob: sibrob@yahoogroups.com
>
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>
>
>



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