What's going on?

Every morning as I check my iris beds, I will find one or two flower stalks (before the blooms open) lying on the ground. The stem left behind and the stem on the ground have a perfectly clean cut -- almost as though it's been cut with a knife. I presume that some kind of insect is doing this -- but what kind? And what can I do to stop this??? HELP!!!!!!!!!!

I had this happen and suspected some evil person. I figured out that squirrels can make a very, very clean cut and then leave the iris on the ground. Perhaps there are other animals that do this too.

I have used Tobasco sauce in a sprayer with a touch of oil to make it stick to keep the cats away from the bird feeder and nests, I have heard others use it on the green parts of plants to keep different rodents from eating them. I would not spray it on the bloom however. That may deter whatever it is though. I would be so upset. I make no guarantee, it is just an idea.

I am betting on a rabbitt.

Rabbits do that here with the beardless. Stinkers.

I've noticed that rabbits make very clean diagonal cut.

Really. Rabbits. I thought for sure it was a cut-worm of some kind. Never considered critters. This is the same kind of cut that tent-caterpillars make on the small branches of my pecan tree, so that's why I thought it was a crawly thing. OK -- I'll spread Coyote Urine around the beds and see if that stops it. So far, I've found three stems ruined. Last year, whatever it is took out every stem of my Picasso Moon. :-(

Peg -- you're funny -- "evil person". lol They would have to be very evil, indeed.

nooooooooooo, EVIL.... is a bowl of anti-freeze left out in the iris beds

Sharondippity -- what's the deal with anti-freeze left in the iris beds? How will that help? I need help badly, and quickly -- found ten stalks on the ground this morning, cut cleanly just like the others.

Sharon was surely joking about the antifreeze which can kill cats and dogs.....

Are the stalks cut off at ground level or higher up?

Not at ground level -- so probablly not cutworms. Higher up, but varies from stem to stem. Some maybe 6" from the ground, others at a foot or higher.

Deer?

I was going to say deer - when they are swollen right after a rain, and the deer go traipsing through my beds, they break very cleanly right at the base.

Still sounds like rabbits to me. They get them pretty high sometimes. Groundhogs too, if you have them or woodchucks. But rabbits are my main pests, and that's exactly what they do with the siberians and Japanese.

I bet rabbits too. I have a bunny hanging around and found 2 irises cut at the base, along with lettuce cropped. Black pepper...regularly.... tobasco sauce too.

This is what I woke up to yesterday morning -

its poor little head two feet away - I am thinking squirrel, could be rabbit. Ground is too dry, no tracks or I could tell you exactly!

I hate to tell you this. Last year I experienced the same thing, iris snapped off head lying on the ground clean cut, and found that the iris seemed to be snapping off by themselves in the wind. I do not know if this is what you are experiencing but I had this happening mysteriously and then I witnessed it happen. They can snap off when conditions are just right. Don't mean to say this is your answer, but it was mine.

K

Oh great. I already have a crop of wire cages around my emerging lilies to thwart the wascally wabbits. Now it seems the irises may be in danger too. May as well put wire fencing around everything. ;)

Muddymitts, I have a large vase of iris that I picked up, that snapped off in the wind two nights ago. Some were just the flower heads, and some were down at the base.
We have had lots of rain and cool weather that made the stems just right. In fact, I accidentally snapped off several more, just cleaning up the beds. Otherwise, this is the best iris year we have had for several years. They are big, tall and gorgeous!

Ah, now I feel better! I really thought there should have been tracks. The wind is a perfectly good explanation. In Oklahoma, guess I best get used to that. This was my prize bloom - didn't figure I would have any blooms - I just reworked the bed this fall (and winter - I am slow). Oh well, no whinning in gardening right?

You might try staking them in windy weather. It may not help, but it is worth a try.

This may sound horrible to you guys but I think I will let nature take its course this year. I have never seen that happen before and have lived here for 5 years. I suppose since they have not grown in yet, the don't have the protection they had before.
If it happens again next year, I will certainly do something different.

Last spring I had trouble with wilting stalks due to too much rain.

I have been known to stake a new iris that I was anxious to see. However, I have 12 8'x8' beds of iris, and 75' of 4' beds of iris, so staking is not feasable for me.
I know....its just nutty to have so many!
I figure its best not to be greedy, and just let mother nature do her thing. I think I will save tomato juice cans, and decorate them, so when this happens again I can share with the nursing home.
I have given most of my big vases away, as I seldom bring flowers inside the house.

Gosh Caliche - it is really too bad you don't have very many irises! I feel bad for you. LOL
Giving them to the nursing home is a wonderful idea though - I am sure the residents there really enjoy them.

Hi Ladies! Well, I typed a whole reply to this thread last night -- then went to look at one of the above photos above, and the message disappeared! :-( And I was too tired to re-do it. So here I am -- and I'll try again!

I have read every reply to my question, and appreciate the time that it took everyone to respond and the thoughts shared.

I don't think the problem in my garden is rabbits or wind. If wind was breaking off my bloom stalks, it seems like the wind would damage the stalks on the outside of the clumps -- wouldn't they be the vulnerable ones? It has been very windy here for the past few days, but stalks with open blossoms on them (which would offer more resistance) have simply swayed -- not broken. The damaged stalks invariably are in the center of the clumps, and have just buds on them. It also seems like rabbits would have a hard time getting to the center of clumps to get to the stalks that I find broken off.

Another thing -- the damage seems to be localized to specific areas. If wind was the culprit, seems like I'd find broken stalks everywhere -- rather than here and there. If there's a flaw in my thinking -- don't be afraid to point it out!! My goal is to save my Iris!

I'm running an experiment. Last year, whatever is causing this, systematically demolished every stem of my Picasso Moon (vivid gold) which is planted in front of my Japanese Red Maple. This occurred over the period of about a week's time -- one or two stalks severed every night. This has begun again this year. I did sprinkle a pesticide around the base of these plants, and so far, no more have been damaged. At the same time, other plants without the pesticide have been damaged. So yesterday, I bought a new bag of the product (can't recall the name at the moment) and today I'm going to go out and sprinkle it around as many Irises as I can. The outcome of this might give me some idea of what's going on. If this doesn't work -- my next step will be to sprinkle Coyote Urine. Between these two products, I ought to be able to stop whatever is doing this.

Unless, of course, it's the wind..........................

Perhaps the wind is not afraid of coyotes.

Are your fans falling over too -- or just the stalks?

IrisMA -- I suspect not!! :-)

figaro -- no fans, just stalks

Thank goodness! No borers!

Just a thought question. Could it be any type of bird that would nip off the stalks in the center of a clump?

It would have to be a big bird to cut the way she is describing it.

Sue

I live in the middle of the woods. I have every kind of imaginable critter including wild boar traipsing thru my beds. I have never had the kind of damage you describe, sounds to me it may be an insect problem....

Hi All. I've read all replies, and I've asked every expert that I have access to elsewhere, and no one knows for sure what is going on. I continue to find bloom stalks broken off here and there, but not where I've put down Bug B Gone. Sharon -- I think you're right, and it's what I thought all along. Here is a photo of exactly what I find.

And yes figaro -- no borers please -- no "B" word!!!! Been there, done that, didn't want a T-shirt!!!!!!!!! Ugh!

I think you need to go out at 2 AM and see what is going on. This is just Bizarre and whatever it is seems to be happening in the night and it is gone by daylight. I am stumped.

hmmmmm, very clean cut,, don't think bug would do that. I had the same kind of cut on mine, Maybe it's something going after bugs and they don't go where you've sprayed because there aren't any bugs there. Moles? Voles?
Maybe all the rain is causing the heavier stalkes to pop off.?
Mine are almost gone now.

Do you have a trail cam or know someone who does? You could set it up to see if some animal was doing it. Only records when motion activates it, leaves a date, and a time.

My 2 cents worth is this. Lightly rake the soil around the irises that are attacked. If it is an animal that walks, there should be foot prints where you raked. If none, then whatever it is is coming from above. Is it possible that it may be some kind of large bird that is using the buds as part of its nesting material. Evidently whatever it is, is awake at night rather than during the day. Hmmm..... interesting!

I found a severed scape in my front garden bed yesterday. Odd!