Hi all! My first time growing Iris, and no blooms! All of the rhizomes were planted last fall. The first batch is an unnamed lavender variety, sitting in full sun-the leaves are about 24" tall. The seconds (Siberian - Caesar's Brother?), plus Afternoon Delight and Ginger Swirl, are growing in part sun. The siberians are about 15" tall and the Afternoon and Ginger are barely out of the ground. I have only fed them once this season. Should I do something else? Or, since newly planted/transplanted will they take time to bloom? Thanks for any tips.
Iris Blooms zone 8?
Sue-
When TB Iris are Dug and Replanted...Depending on the Season...Iris usually take a Year to Set Good Well-Established Roots to Become Set in their New Bed.
Also check the Depth of the Iris...If the Back of the Iris is Buried...It may be too deep in the Ground. I have lots of Iris, and I have a Long Bed, that in a 25' Section I got carried away with the Mulch, and it has NO Blooms at all in this 25' Strip this Year...Due to Over-Mulching Late Last Summer. Iris like to have their backs exposed to the Sun. This may be the Problem. But I expect it's just the Re-Planting...They haven't had enough time to really get established in their New Bed.
I like to Divide my Rhizomes right after their through blooming in June. This way they get the whole Summer to bake and make small Rhizomes...And they will usually always bloom the following Spring.
On Your 'Afternoon Delight' and 'Ginger'...It may just be the Location/Part Shade, and the Fact that we have had an extremely Wet Spring. Things are Late Developing this Year.
ZZ.
ZZ, another Willamette Valley DGer , I think there is getting to be enough of us that we could do this roundup thing that those back east are doing. Are you in Corvallis? That is a very pretty town with the campus and all.
Hi ZZ, I know, everything is late around here! :-D I was happy to see some buds on the roses today. And the oriental poppies started blooming....
But the iris...I remember I planted them about 3" deep. The neck was closer to the top of the soil, but still just covered. I will remember your tip about the mulch, I tend to overdo it on the mulch!
Another question....are the leaves supposed to be that light green almost grey color? The tips are slightly yellow. I wonder if I'm giving the right fertilizer. I'm using Miracle Grow.
I still have so much to learn.
ZZ is giving you the right info on not planting iris too deeply. I plant my rhizomes on a ridge of soil with the roots going deeper. I'm pretty much organic in my growing. I use Planters 2, alfalfa pellets (which are kind of ugly after the rain for a short while). I also got some Bio Grow fert, which is organic and won't harm our worms. Siberian iris are a different story. they are planted with their roots in the soil and about 2" of soil or less above the crown. Mine are just beginning to open, picked 3 blooms this evening. Donna
Sue-
If I were you I would dig down and Expose the Top/Back of the Rhizome on the Bearded Iris...Clear some of the dirt around them away. This will allow the Rhizomes Back to be exposed to the Sun and it will produce off-shoots(Small Rhizomes) from the Sides that will produce future blooms. Your Main Rhizome will also Swell Larger and Grow too. You definately Planted them too deep.
As Donna said she just Plants the Roots...
The easiest way in Planting New Rhizomes is to dig a hole about 10"-12" Around and, about 5"-6" Deep. Mix in with this Soil Good Composted Matter in a Bucket. I also like to add Bone Meal, Blood Meal, A Good Organic Bulb Fertilizer along with some sand in the Bottom of the Hole. I am Constantly adding Year Round Material...that will Compost in My Beds...Iris, Like all Bulbs love Good Composted Soil. Now You can make a Center Hill in Your Hole about 5"-6" Around. Make sure you make Your Hill about the lenghth of Your Rhizome. Lay the Rhizome on Top of the Hill. Gently, but Firmly...Press the Rhizome into the hill with the Root Runners laying down the Slopes of the Inside Hills. Now gently Backfill leaving the Very Top of the Rhizome Exposed. Only about 1/2" across the Top is neccessary for exposure to the Sun. The Rhizome will Grow and Expand and will rise farther above where you have planted it. Plus Your Soil will Settle. Do Not Worry...This is Natural...And the Swelling of the Rhizome will also expose the Rhizome to Put out Smaller Rhizomes all around the Dirt Line. Make sure that when you are finished...The Hole is completely filled in with just the Back of the Rhizome Exposed. Everything below the Back of the Rhizome including the Sides and Roots should now be all covered.
About the Miracle Gro...It's a Fast Fix(Steroid) for Your Plants, A Way to get them to grow Fast and Bloom Heavier, but...It's NOT AT ALL Good for Your Soil...Or for Your Plants in General. It has a tendency to breakdown all your good Nutrients/Mechanics that Make for Good Organic Composted Rich Planting Soil. I am 100% Organic and it is amazing what a little Composted Manures can do for your Garden. Great in Nitrogen...And Wonderfully Loved by All Your Blooming Plants!
Your Yellowing on the Leaves are more than likely that the Plant is taking out all the Nutrition from the Flags(Leaves) to support the growth that the Iris is trying to do under all that dirt. If You get the Backs of those Rhizomes Exposed...You will allow those TB Iris to Breath...And Grow Properly.
Sorry I Rambled On...But STOP the Miracle Gro...
Your Plants will love You for it!
I GUARANTEE IT!
ZZ.
Ditto..ZZ
I so agree, compost and manure are the best, and yes Miracle Grow is just a quick fix..
Larkie
ZZ, Rutholive and Larkie, thank you for your advice. I will take care of the iris this week. At this point, I may just move them so I can plant these correctly and hopefully next season I'll have some pretty blooms too. I love compost and use it as much as possible also. I also have worms and the worm tea really makes a difference in the gardens. When I'm out of everything else, I use Miracle Grow. I never knew that MG had an adverse effect to the soil. I have a large box from Costco that I need to finish off!
ZZ--Please back up your comments on Miracle Grow! I've been against it for years but keep bumping heads with everyone singing its virtues! Would love to have some real proof! If this is true, more folks need to know of it.
It also looks to be the main food for the Brug Lovers, is it OK for pots, not just in the ground?
Hi Violabird...Here's a Good Article...
From Experience, I Have to Totally Agree with this Condensed Article from Organic Gardening Magazine. It is from the July/August 2000 Issue. It's Brief but it Nails down the Point. If Anyone Out There is Using MG(Blue Water) as a Fertilizer. They will Clearly Notice how Receptable Their Plants are to all Kinds of Disease and Harmful Insects.
Miracle-Gro is a synthetic fertilizer that contains ammonium phosphate and several other chemicals that can be toxic to your soil and plants. It is prohibited from use in certified-organic farming. Here’s what soil expert Robert Parnes, Ph.D., says in his book Fertile Soil: "[Ammonium fertilizer] acidifies the soil, and thus it is probably more harmful to soil organisms than any other nitrogen fertilizer . . . . The application has to be timed carefully and placed properly to avoid burning the leaves and roots . . . . In addition, ammonium tends to inhibit the release of . . . potassium . . . Ammonium fertilizers are deliberately manufactured to be spread at high application rates in order to obtain maximum yields with no regard to adverse effects on the soil. Probably nowhere is the conflict between the mass production of food to feed the world and the preservation of the soil more obvious than in the confrontation over the use of either ammonium fertilizers or liquid ammonia."
And there’s more: long-term studies at the University of Wisconsin have shown that acidic chemical fertilizers are causing serious, permanent damage to our soils. Usually these fertilizers are also highly soluble, so they leach away and pollute our water systems, too. Soil fertility authority Garn Wallace, Ph.D., of Wallace Laboratories in El Segundo, California, points out that Miracle-Gro contains muriate of potash, which contains excess chlorine that will burn plants and inhibit the uptake of nitrogen. Dr. Wallace also warns that products such as Miracle-Gro often contain unsafe levels of zinc and copper that will be toxic to soil life.
And if all that’s not enough to convince you to avoid this stuff, consider this: you have to mix Miracle-Gro with water and apply it ever "7 to 14 days." If you opt to fertilize organically, on the other hand, all you have to do is mix a ½-inch layer of grass clippings into your beds before each crop. As the grass decomposes, it will improve your soil’s texture and stimulate microbial life and help prevent disease, all while releasing plenty of nutrients to feed your plants. (For full details on organic fertilizers, see "How to Fertilize Your Garden," Organic Gardening, July/August 2000.)--KATHY BAUMGARTNER, Fremont, Michigan
And in Closing I Must Add...
"Real Gardeners Grow Without Miracles!"
ZZ.
Thank-you for sharing that, ZZ. Every new gardening book I read starts with the importance of the soil. I have spent hours - days - weeks amending our soil with compost. To think that I was unknowingly eliminating it's benefits! Just like the food I eat, I need to pay attention to the labels and learn about what I'm putting in. I save the rest of the MG for the pots.
Aha! Thanks for the lesson, ZZ! Now I think you should post this on another forum for all to see. I pretty much just use composted leaves that have plenty of free worm casings mixed in. I do, however, use Osmacote (4-month) is this bad also? Do I wanna know?
And 11 months later........drumroll please..............
today in the garden. Success!! Thanks for all of the help!
Congrates Sue! Mine are just a day or so behind yours in bloom growth.
Sue-
Wonderful to See Your Results!
That is Going to Be a Stunning Bloom When it Opens!
(It's Probably Open By Now with this Heat Wave!)
Be Sure and Post More Pictures as They Are Blooming, Please!
The Long Iris Lasagne Bed I Was Talking About Above...Across Half the Front of Our House, Are Half Way in Bloom(All Blues-Purples, Lavenders...And All Historic/Heirloom Varieties). There Must Be 200 Blooming Now and With This Hot Spell This Week of 80º+...They Will Be in Full Bloom Quickly. They Are Putting on Quite a 'Big Show' for the Neighbors!
And the Smell is Just Incredible This Year!
I Will Try to Get a Picture Posted ASAP.
I rushed out in my jammies first thing this am, and sure enough!
These are certainly a dark purple, not blue like the photo shows. I was not expecting a beard either! I traded for this stand and was not sure of what they would look like. I'm pleasantly surprised! There are several buds on each stem. I wish I could identify them. A few of our other Iris have buds too, but only one each.
ZZ, wow wow wow. You must post pictures, and Riker you too! :-D
Weather is predicted to hit 80 today, yes!!!
Having fun with my camera:
This message was edited Apr 26, 2004 7:53 AM
ZZ... I heartily agree with Vi that you should post the Miracle-Gro information elsewhere so that more folks here might see it. Not the OG forum... that's like preaching to the choir...
Sometimes the choir needs to be preached too. Someone put a link to this forum from the tomatoes, and I appreciate the article from OG&F. I knew MG wasn't the way to go, but backing it up with info like that makes a world of difference. You never know, there could be many new people, like me, looking for answers at the OG forum. So if you haven't already, would you (could you) please post that info there. Thanks!
Tam, I just put the MG info in the Garden Terms, but maybe it would be appropriate to post it in the OG Forum, as information and a warning.