New Rhizomes & Winter

It looks like all 38 of my rhizomes are showing signs of growth.

Our first freeze is about October 15, with snow before Halloween.

I have always feed my new transplants about every two weeks for a couple of months with liquid sea kelp, (0-4-4) & Thrive root stimulator. With Winter coming, should I wait for the ground to freeze and throw about an inch of acidified cotton boll compost over the bed, (pull back compost away from plant bases) and call it good, or can you recommend something better?

I am charged up after all this hard work! I have some oldies & goodies in there;
Edith Wolford: HM88, AM90, DM98
Rosy Wings: HM34, AM36, DM41
The Red Douglas: HM35, AM39, DM41

Sonny

The zone I'm in doesn't get winter temps that early in the season usually so I don't do much with my bed. I don't think you're feeding them anything heavy so that should be fine. I do try to wait till the first hard ground freeze before I pile up loose leaves around them for the winter. I don't pack them down or anything as I don't want to make a wet soggy mess of the soil line at the bottom of the pile but the leaves do help insulate a bit.

I'm sure some of the true experts are going to have better tips for you--that's just my thing:lol: Love the oldies and goodies---they're O&G for a reason:)

We use pine needles to winter mulch new plantings. Source-neighbor's trees. they don't mind. They gather less water than leaves. DH runs the lawn mower over the leaves before using them for other things, including breakdown in the compost pile. Irises are hardy, we just want to prevent heaving because of freeze & thaw. If your ground stays frozen, no trouble.

IrisMa,

Freeze & thaw is the exact problem. I face south at 6000 feet in western Colorado. Lots of snow & lots of sun. Many times all the snow melts and then we will get clear cold weather followed by who knows what! The sun up here is preety intense even in the Winter.

Pine needles may be just the ticket, there are plenty around here to be had.

Sonny

That is the problem here. Best of all, pine needles don't retain moisture.

That's a good point--gonna have to pick up a bail for winter.

We put on a loose covering after the ground freezes. We have used a leaf blower to remove them in the spring. Special attention to irises planted this summer.

Would you apply the pine needles now or after the ground freezes?

After the ground freezes. DH always rakes up piles of them, ready to go beforehand. to prevent freeze & thaw, the idea is to keep the ground frozen.

Good afternoon all, here in Colo. Springs, I don't mulch at all...I'll have to try the pine needles maybe...problem is, is that they'll just blow away...LOL!

Somewhere I read that you can place flat rocks on the newly planted rhizomes after the ground freezes. It is not the cold that damages irises, it is the heaving of the soil which tears roots. On well established plants I don't mulch or use rocks. Their roots can hold their own.

Right. While we have plenty of rocks here in New England, some areas do not. You can substitute a brick. I did the rock placement one year with a batch of irises sent to us rather late in the fall & it was successful.

I have been using wire hoops anchoring the rhizome into the dirt. Rocks seem like they would harbor slugs which love to nibble and allow rot to enter my irises...

I think I will throw down some pine bark & needles as it is free with all the dead pines being cut down due to pine beetles.

Sonny