Do you cut the flower stalk to keep it from seeding, cut the fans back? Fertilize? Just wondered what the best thing for the Iris is once it has been so spectacular! This is my heirloom purple from a great aunt and they are done....except sometimes they do shoot a few stalks out in the fall. Forgot to add I have plenty of these if anyone is interested in trading for Iris I do not have already.
This message was edited May 16, 2005 4:03 PM
If you are not intentionally using the irises for hybridizing, it is best to cut off the flower stalks once bloom is finished. That way the plant can put all energy into producing new rhizomes and storing energy for the next bloom cycle rather than wasting its energy producing seeds.
Healthy, green leaves will continue to feed the plant throughout the growing season, so they should not be cut back. Dead, dying, and diseased leaves should be trimmed off.
Fertilizing with a low-nitrogen fertilizer immediately after spring bloom can help promote the rebloom stalks your irises produce in the fall.
Hope that helps,
Laurie
Great info...thanks a lot!
JanetS
