I know this to be true.

The one thing I've learned this year is that Iris need at least 4 to 6" of leaves when replanting them. I order perhaps 60% of new Iris off E-Bay and I have enjoyed trying out new sellers each year. Yes, I've been duped a couple of times...maybe more. :o( But Rags&Riches, Tiggers and Green River have always sent lovely rhizomes & bonuses and I enjoy their friendship.

This year I decided to try a new vendor as his feedback was very good.
When I received my order, my first thought was, 'Wow, the rhizomes are so hugh but why did he cut the leaves down to 1-2"? I did write him that perhaps he should check this out because no one I've purchased from have trimmed the leaves this short. Reply was I didn't know what I was talking about and so I in return sited a couple sources for him to check out. I hope they have listened because two months later my BIG rhizomes with short leaves are still struggling and producing none or few 'babies'. They need the leaves to produce food until the roots can take over.

Right Sending rhizomes with roots cut off doesn't work either. the plants spend energy growing new ones instead of making increases.

Thank you IrisMA...I value all your knowledge. That is why I joined DG. I want to learn all I can from the 'Pro's.

Sharon

Yet, Lucy here in OR we cut the roots off and the leaves to about 6" and you have seen how they grow. BUT look at the weather we have.:)

D

Leaves to 6" is one thing, but roots are another. If new ones are coming the old ones can get cut back. One time I had to lean a couple of TBs up against the metal label to keep the plant upright & avoid burying the rhizomes. They can't be underground without rot in this climate. I didn't see that roots on your plants were too short. However some people have taken them all the way off. One person is no longer with us & we don't buy from the other.

I take all the roots off if I have to pot them up, within a month, sometimes less, new roots will have filled a small 4 in" pot and it is ready to plant in the soil. I sometimes pot in a bit larger pot if I want to hold them over longer. The reason all my iris now are potted up first is that our climate is just to hot to get a decent transplant started in July and August when most of the sellers are sending iris. I put the pots where the sprinkler will barely hit them for a few weeks, I use 1/3 garden soil, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 potting soil, it makes a great potting mix and then when I plant I add a bit of bulb fertilizer and some alfalfa pellets in the hole. works for me , my native soil is pure alkaline sands

I do not cut the roots on orders unless REALLY too long, but do cut them back to about 1" for plantback...easier here and they do beautiful as you have seen in the pictures

D

Sharon, I honestly didn't know the reason for potting Iris. I surmised that you were holding them over the Winter until they were able to root in Spring. TX verses MN~NE is a whole new concept. (I told you I was new to the game.) I am starting to value how good our soil is also. A 'story'...my Brother from MT was just here and I'd asked him to bring me a Larch Tree. He was going to plant it for me and when he stepped on the shovel, he said, "Ahh! I can't believe that I can dig in this far!" (8 to 10 ")

I have a couple rhizomes that I just dug up because they didn't look right. I clorox bathed/ sun dried/replanted them but doubt they can 'root' in the 6 weeks until we return to NE. Is it plausible to put them in pots to hybernate in NE until we return in May? That would be a fun experiment.

Chief John Jolly that I want to root.

If you pot it, bury the pot or make some arrangement that the root don't get frozen.

irisloverdee where do you sell your irises at? I have seen your pictures here and there and you grow some very lovely ones in deed....we only have one nursery unless you want to drive for hours and they don't have a lot of selection on anything

trina - she's Snowpeak Iris in Oregon. she's highly rated here on DG and she has a website. she's pretty much done sales this year.

that doesn't mean I can't window shop for next year though now does it...I found her after I posted that question....I could get in alot of trouble at her website that's for sure!

Yes, you could Trina! But it's good trouble and I would tell you to relax and enjoy the ride! You are among knowledged Iris lovers that can answer any questions you want to ask. Snowpeak is one of the best!

Thank you one and all, and I do not take the site down except just before I put the new one up....o) LOL

D

I saw some beauties that is for sure! my grandpas fault...he taught me about the "magic" of the garden and how to make things grow...unfortunately he didn't teach me the name of anything!

LOL trina, around here the people are just proud they can tell the difference between and iris, and a dayliliy. Or a tulip and a Narc, or spider lily. Very few of my gardening buddies can even tell you one or two names of any of their plants. Knowing the names is just one more step up the ladder. Then of course there's awhole lot of other rungs on that ladder to learn.

You have some excellent teachers here!!! Listen to what they have to say and try it. Then in a year or two you might experiment a little on your own.

Happy Gardening and watch out, Irises can become very addictive.
Marian

I have planted them everywhere I've lived but this is the first time I got to enjoy the blooms...our old house I planted over 500 that fall..but before they bloomed we found out who we were buying our house CFD from hadn't been paying the mortgage! So we lost 6 years worth of paying this guy not to mention all the work I did in the yard...new owner came in with a front end loader and leveled everything in the yard before we were even moved out..I didn't get to save anything!