Re: planting out seedlings
- To:
- Subject: Re: [sibrob] planting out seedlings
- From: L* K*
- Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 19:59:23 -0700
From: "Leroy Kriese" <ambrosia@silk.net>
I have had generally good success with any late planting here in zone 5
sunny Okanagan, but Arnold put it well, you have to know your local winter
conditions and that comes from experience. Also depends on the plant and
variety.
I did some late planting with what I knew were more tender varieties that
need more care during growing season and as seedlings they did not like the
late plant. I. versicolor, if it is from the north, which I imagine it is,
should be rock hardy. Last year I did a late planting with I. missouriensis
and sunk the pot in and mulched and they did not survive. I think they just
did not like the conditions or something, they were also very small.
I like seeding my Siberian and hardy iris outside in flats in late winter.
They get a bit of snow and cold and the germination is much better than any
success I have had from seeds stored in the fridge. I use about 4" deep
flats and plant the seedlings in rows with a label just like you would in
your veggie garden. Use chicken grit to weight done the surface, also works
well as mold and weed control. I put empty mesh flats over the flats and
wiegh them down to keep cats, frogs and salamanders out. The flats are put
in a lathehouse which gets about 50% shade and this seems perfect for
germinating in.
The seedlings are then pricked out in late spring and put in 3.5 " pots and
usually planted out in late fall, which reminds me, I have a bunch to put in
the ground now! The plants from the 3.5" pots have larger root systems and
larger crowns and seem to do very well with almost no losses when planted
late - doing JI, Sib, Spu, Spec x, and others. As you can tell I don't have
inside facilities for growing things but lots of space outside.
This year I purchased a few large plug trays. These are flats with 38 cells
all joined by rigid plastic. It looks strong enough to reuse a few years so
I will give it a try to see if it produces a nice plug. Also going to try
these trays for growing divisions or plants for sale that don't take
transplanting or root disturbance. Hoping that a nicely formed rootball will
ship intact wrapped in a small plastic bag.
-----Original Message-----
From: Arnold Koekkoek <koekkoek@mtcnet.net>
To: sibrob@onelist.com <sibrob@onelist.com>
Date: Monday, October 04, 1999 6:29 PM
Subject: Re: [sibrob] planting out seedlings
Ginny: I suppose the right answer may depend on one's climate and winter
weather conditions, but I can tell you I have had wonderful success with
burying
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