Other murders in iris bed.

IMy iris are being murdered by something. I can not find any borer holes but the leaves are falling over and then when I dig in the ground the bulb is mushy but there are no holes in the bulbs or the leaves. What else is eating them and what can I do? They are in full sun and watered as needed. I use a water meter to check the soil. Thank you for some help.

Try googling 'iris crown rot' or 'iris bacterial soft rot'. Supposedly, if they stink
to high heaven, it is soft rot. Some of the more experienced members can offer
treatments and solutions. Most of the time, the disease is in the soil just waiting
for a long warm wet period.

and we no about that long warm wet don't we Oldgardenrose?

Yes we do. You will see this info if you check as suggested above but one of the
most important considerations in trading irises among friends or even transplanting
to another bed is THOROUGHLY WASH AND BLEACH THE ENTIRE PLANT. The
soil on the roots can harbor the spores.

Thank you for the information. I think that I have the crown rot. I will clean out the iris bed and put them in an bleach bath. How long do I let them soak and do I let them dry for a period of time. What do I do to the bed its self. What kind of spray or other stuff do I use on it? Thanks. Elaine

The typical cleaning method is thoroughly pressure hose all the soil off the roots and
rhizomes and sterilize in a mixture of 10% bleach/water for about 30 minutes then let
them dry in a shady area.

My method is dig the clump, put it in a wheel barrow and cover with water. I have a
special slatted wooden box, placed on a couple saw horses, that lets the soil fall
away as I hose them off. The pre-soak in the wheel barrow will remove most of the
soil if you slosh them around a bit before separating the rz's. Pick out any weed and
grass sprouts and look for any non-iris roots. Make them completely clean. I use
a little extra bleach with a shot of dish washing soap to do the final soak. I dry mine
at least 2 days which helps seal the wound in the rz's where they are broken apart.
I think one of the pros said the wash and bleach treatment must be done twice for
interstate shipment.

As far as chemicals are concerned, I have not seen a suitable treatment in the local
gardening places. I am sure some of the members can advise both of us on that
issue. I think there are members on this forum from Georgia who could help you
a lot on handling the problem.

As soon as I see crown rot, I dig up the rhizome. You can scrape the "mush" away, and if you have anything left, make sure it is creamy white and firm. That piece can then be soaked in the bleach solution and replanted. As far as the ground where it occurred is concerned, I use a comet-type powder, sprinkled liberally around the area. Since this also contains bleach, it kills the bacteria. I have had great success with this method. The trick is catching the rot before it completely consumes the rhizome. NOTE: I use disposable gloves when I handle soft-rot rhizomes and make sure I throw them away to keep from cross-contaminating my plants. I also use an old milk jug with a 50% bleach solution in it to sterilize the spoon I use to scrape the mush away.

have always heard to use a spoon to scrape away the soft parts.

I use a serated knife, and I cut the rz back just a little farther than where the rot ends.
Then I soak and dry and replant.

wow Frillylily I use to live really close to you

alot of people are familiar with Springfield or Ft Wood

I lived in Waynesville, Dixon, Laquay