News
DIVIDING OLD IRIS CLUMPS
Posted by Bonnie Hadaway on
Although your iris bloom should be fairly good the year after transplanting, your best bloom will occur in the second to fourth years, so do not divide your clumps too soon. However, after three to four years the rhizomes will become crowded and should be dug, divided and replanted. This is also the time to revitalize your soil by adding humus and fertilizer as recommended for new plants. Dig up the clump and remove and discard the old, bare center rhizomes. Cut the foliage back into an inverted V about 4 to 5 inches above the rhizome. Then replant the...
CULTIVATING
Posted by Bonnie Hadaway on
Keep your iris free of weeds and do not allow neighboring plants to encroach upon them. Because iris feeding roots are near the surface of the soil, cultivation should be done shallowly. To prevent problems with your iris, keep old leaves, grasses, and other litter away from the rhizomes. Iris should have sunlight right down to the rhizome. Bloom stalks should be cut to the ground after the bloom season. Healthy green leaves should not be trimmed back from established plants, but diseased or brown leaves should be removed . The green foliage helps to feed the plant.
FERTILIZER
Posted by Bonnie Hadaway on
Bearded iris do not require much fertilizer, but like most plants they need a little food to have stronger plants and nicer blooms. When planting, mix Superphosphate or steamed Bone Meal into the planting spot. Use at a rate of ½ ounce per square foot three weeks before the plants are set in. Half this amount should be used if it is added just before planting time. Once established, use a low nitrogen fertilizer (such as 6-24-24, 13-13-13, 10-20-10, 5-10-10) as a top dressing as plant growth and soil conditions warrants. About one ounce (1 tablespoon) per square foot of...