novice needing advice

I have sandy alkaline soil....very hot drought conditions....gardens in amended beds.....do you fertilize bearded iris with anything special other than regular stuff I use in the gardens ? miracle grow, phosphrous, dried molasses, alfalfa tea....I mulch around but not on top of the iris.....sand seems to blow and shift and sometimes covers the rhizomes completely....should I keep this cleaned away?..these were blooming Easter, but I have many more selections that haven't bloomed at all and are all foilage, don't seem to multiply or prosper

Hi Jackie, I live in No California, with summer drought conditions. The iris don't seem to mind. I amend my beds well before I plant anything in them, and since I tend to plant things closely together, they generally get a follow up of granular fertilizer (plus some alfalfa and epsom salts) in early spring before things start taking off. I do use some alfalfa/manure/compost tea and hose spray fertilizers during the season, but not with any regularity. I've completely given up on mulch because I overplant, but I do try to keep the iris corms close to the surface as much as possible. If your iris aren't multiplying or blooming, I'd guess they need better soil/nutrition. I notice sometimes that the plants don't seem to multiply, but the corms can get quite large, so I'll cut them up and replant. Could that be the case with yours?

It makes sense..I"ll give it a try......
Thanks, Jackie