Re: fertilization question

Response to the posting by Lynda Love, quoted at the bottom of this message.

Lynda,
The March 17 snow storm you mentioned dumped 52 inches on our garden 
(6 inches of water) and the warm weather of the past two weeks has 
kick-started all the iris.

I'm about to fertilize my established Siberians now using the method 
described by Currier McEwen in his book, "The Siberian Iris." He 
suggests 10-10-10 (presumably, any balanced formula) in granular form 
applied when growth starts in the spring plus a later supplemental 
application of water-soluble fertilizer as a booster, if needed. A 
second application of fertilizer is recommended after bloom ends or 
in mid-summer. That's essentially what I have done for several years 
with good results, based on a culture sheet from the Denver Botanic 
Gardens. McEwen says different gardeners use different fertilizer 
formulas with good results so it will be interesting to see what 
others say in response to your question.

Cheers,
Glenn

Glenn Guenterberg
tzero@mindspring.com
Littleton, Colorado, USA
6300 ft elevation, Zone 5, Rocky Mountain foothills



>Hi all!
>
>Well, a good portion of my Siberians are up and growing. Not all of them are
>accounted for yet, so I'm still waiting, and hoping for few losses. We have
>been very fortunate to have a significant snowstorm in March to help ease the
>drought. The snow came at just the right time for the irises. Lately we have
>gotten rain too.
>
>My dumb question of the day is when to fertilize. I'm notoriously bad about
>fertilizing. Basically, the only time I'm consistent with fertilizer is when
>I'm planting a new plant. After that, it's usually on its own, although in
>years past, I have applied some Miracid in the spring. I live in Zone 5. My
>MDB's are in bloom right now. When is a good time to fertilize Siberians and
>what should I fertilize them with? Any help would be appreciated!
>
>Looking forward to SIB convention!
>
>Lynda
>
>Lynda D. Love
>Rxiris@aol.com
>Denver, Colorado, USA, 5400ft elevation, Zone 5 on the high dry plains
>
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>To post to Sibrob: sibrob@yahoogroups.com
>
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-- 
Glenn

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