Have you bought from Blue J?

I'm sure that Blue J is as careful as they can possibly be and I wouldn't discourage people from buying from them. But I did find an iris borer on one of their plants. Please watch any plants you've received from them for any borer damage.

This is not a negative review. They have done everything right. But I felt that they would want you to know too.

Hopefully you won't have the problem. Just keep your eyes open.

Thanks for the post. I didn't see any damage to my plants, but I'll check just to be sure.

Edited to say that I checked my irises from them and found no trace of borers.

This message was edited Aug 18, 2005 4:10 PM

Just so you know, the rhizome looked perfect when I got it - which is why it wasn't caught. I didn't find it for about a month when the damage became obvious.

I'm glad that you aren't having a problem. I like the people at blue J.

Doss - As a newbie to iris, I just received my first order from Blue J, checked it, and found no evidence of borers. The rhizomes look absolutely beautiful!! Appreciate your post, as it's always a good idea to check any orders for problems. Judy

Just keep an eye on them Judy. Blue J wouldn't have sent them if they had any evidence of borers on them. As I said before, the damage didn't show up for about a month.

Thank you, Doss. I know, from their feedback, that they wouldn't send anything if they knew it were present. As a precaution, and I'm new to iris, what symptoms should I watch for?

Here's a photo of the iris borer itself.
http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/weeklypics/Weekly_Picture7-25-00.html#iris_borer

Here's one of damage
http://www.entm.purdue.edu/Entomology/research/cs/mg/mg.html

The damage is pretty obvious if you keep looking at the leaves to see a brownish chewed place next to the rhizome. As I understand it you don't need to toss the rhizome if you can catch the larva and kill it. Do kill it before you toss it. Laurief has told me that there is only on larva on each iris and that if you find the larva there won't be any eggs left either. I decided to toss rather than worry.

This message was edited Aug 20, 2005 3:09 PM

Doss, your links aren't working.

Thanks mendy - they should now. I forgot that google Image links don't work. Sorry about that.

Thanks mgh - I thought it was me again!

Yuck! Them r sure ugly little critters, aren't they!

They sure are ugly. Not what you want in your garden. :-O

Thanks for the very informative links, Doss. Sure hope I never find any of those disgusting little critters. DH would have to get rid of them for me, as I can't stand squashing any type of bug. Sends chills up my spine. Yuck!!! Judy