I Rescued Some Iris Clumps Yesterday

My neighbor had them out on the curb saying "free", so I took some. They're obviously overcrowded. What do I need to do to salvage them and prepare them for planting? Do I need to rinse them off and cut them apart or what?

I can post a pic of them when I get home. When I drove by their house this morning, the box full of them was still there, so I might go back and get more! LOL

separate, clean them, dip in 10% bleach solution for 10 minutes, air dry for a couple of days , then plant as you would any bearded iris. You probably will get first blooms next 2011 season

The large mother rhizome will have smaller ones attached to it. these are your blooming fans of the future. Follow instructions in the above post. Perhaps you could consult your neighbor on the colors which are available.

My goodness you made out like a bandit. I'm sure your neighbor can tell you the colors and share more information on taking care of them. The most important thing I can share with you that others have not stated is:

Make sure the rhizome is not buired more than about half way. They actual do much better if that part gets alot of sun. Also, if they have long roots, you might want to cut them way back. They will grow new roots very quickly.
Good Luck

Here they are! The box is still out there full if anyone wants some. LOL

So approx. how deep do I plant them and do I need to separate them? Do I whack the tops down some like you do with daylilies?

Can you tell I'm a total newbie? LOL

As posted the top of the rhizome should peek above the soil. It is a stem, not abulb. Since they are being transplanted trim the foliage back about half way to prevent too much water loss. they might not bloom to 2011 so don't worry.

I didn't expect them to bloom this year since it's coming up on their blooming season. I know that with daylilies they seldom bloom the year they're planted, so I'm not expecting anything except for them to get established and grow.

Thanks for all the help.

as large as they are, they may bloom if they weren't out of the ground too long.

But I'd disagree with whacking 1/2 the foliage - it looks like they aren't that tall foliage wise yet.

Trim them back to around 6 to 8" length foliage. If you aren't in a windy area, you can go longer. If you experience high winds , you might want to go 6" or lower. The biggest reason to trim them back when newly planted in the summer is to lower the transperation. But if transplanted in the early spring, it's to prevent spring storms and wind from knocking over a topheavy plant.

has anyone mentioned they could use just a touch of bone meal or super-(or tri-)phosphate at planting? dig it deep under their roots to encourage new roots. And no other fertilizers until they are well rooted.

If you are a newbie, you may not know that bearded irises do not like a heavy nitrogen (first # in fertilizer formulas) fertilizers. Later, when they are rooted, in about a month, you can give them any well balanced fertilizer, or something with lower nitrogen. 5-10-10 is not that easy to find, but it's a good formula for irises.

Thanks everyone! The winds the past couple of days have been sustained at about 25mph, so yes, I live in a windy area! LOL At least at this time of the year.

I try to go organic, so I usually either don't fertilize, use dried molasses, or a compost tea mixture. I do have some bone meal, so I'll add that to the soil before planting.