Will old rhizomes grow?

Is there any possibility that years old rhizomes will sprout, live, and grow? ~~~ Carol

If the rhizomes are plump and firm, there's a chance that they will sprout new, baby rhizomes (increases) along their sides ... or they may not. If you have the time, patience, and extra garden space to grow them and see what (if anything) happens, then go ahead.

Laurie

Yes, there is a possibility. Very slim if it's totally dried up (a 'crispy critter', someone here once called them) but if there is some weight to the rhizome still, as if it is not totally dehydrated, there is a better chance. If there is some sign of growth along the sides of the rhizome, even better. The key here is the rhizome itself, not any dried up leaves that may still be clinging to it. And what do you have to lose, after all?

I have a triage section in an unheated greenhouse where I overwinter potted rhizomes of varieties that are at risk in the gardens for some reason. I'm always pleasantly surprised at the success rate.

katie

What do you mean varities "at risk" in gardens?

Gently press rhizome to see if there is firmness to it. If it feels soft and crumbly then it's life is over. If not, then pot up and see what happens.

I had gotten rid of mushy (rotten) ones long ago. They stunk! I do think that most of the old ones I have are hard.
Some of these may be 10-15yrs old. ~~~ Carol

Are you talking about rzs that have been growing in-ground for 10-15 yrs? Surely you're not asking about iris rzs that have been stored out of the ground for that period of time.

The ones I referred to as 'at risk' - sorry if it wasn't clear - are varieties for which I might have only one tiny remaining bit after a bout of rot, or an encounter with our local deer herd, which apparently enjoys playing some kind of soccer-like game with recently planted rhizomes. I have visions of four-legged creatures out there playing hackeysack in the moonlight.

katie

laurief,
Yes, that's what I'm talking about. I have some rhizomes that may be that old. Some I have may only be 1yr, but I found a sack of some old "named" iris that I received from a lady probably closer to 15yrs ago. I had planted most of what I received and evidently forgot about these that I recently found. Do you think they are WAY too old? I'm wondering if I should plant them in pot and give them a little closer attention (like a nursery).

stoneycreekiris, I think that is a wonderful thought (except their play toy are your iris). What fun for the deer.
That's what I thought you meant by 'at risk'. Just wanted to make sure it is not that there are some particular ones 'at risk'. (Like endangered) :)

If you have rzs that have been sitting in a sack out of the ground for 15 yrs, I can't imagine they'd still be viable. The 1 yr old rzs might be OK, and possibly even 2 yr old rzs IF they were extra large and plump to begin with and haven't completely dessicated. But 15 yrs - they're going to be a waste of your time.

Laurie

I was afraid of that. These are definitely not rotten. They are very hard, but are light weight. Just thought I don't have anything to loose. ~~~ Carol

I have some that I just haven't gotten into the ground yet this year. The leaves are dry and crinkled, but otherwise they look good. What are their chances?

I also have that one that I replanted after the squirrel took bites out of it. Is there a chance that that one will grow? Or, maybe if not next year, the year after? It was a Schreiners, so it was a fat, healthy rhizome.

WH, your unplanted rzs will do best if you pot them up and overwinter them in sunny windows or under lights in your house. That way they can develop nice strong root systems for planting next spring. As long as the rzs are firm and have some weight to them, they'll grow new roots and foliage.

The squirrel damaged rz may grow or it may rot. Wounds on rzs should always be allowed to dry out for several days before replanting so that the wounded flesh dries and scabs over. Otherwise, a fresh wound is particularly vulnerable to invasion by soft rot bacteria.

Laurie

Caganimalover:
If the rhizome is hard and 'lightweight', sounds dead. Like a mummy. Should have some weight (moisture content) to it. But you know what I would do? I would plant them in the soil anyways...if they are dead, they will just recycle back into the soil and return good things to the earth..
Laetitia

Couldn't Carol try cutting through one and if it has the same consistency as a good potato then she'd be fine with planting them, right or wrong?

I bought three on sale, two weeks ago, and REALLY want them in bloom next year: the older you get the more impatient you get with waiting for blooms. I did what Laurie said and put them in soil (Miracle Gro) and barely dampened it. Now they're in part sun and I'm "rooting" for them to be in bloom next May - Champagne Elegance.

I'm willing to cut one and see what it looks like. Got nothing more to loose, but everything to gain.

Oh, I have Champagne Elegance and have seen pictures. When I got mine (dug my own from a farm last fall) the only rhizomes left were about 4 little tiny ones. I went ahead and took them because I wanted it really bad. The only thing I can say is that they are still alive. Not really done anything else. ('Course I bought about 30 last year and only had 3 blooms this year. Very dissapointing.)

Pirl, could you please post a picture when it blooms?

I have some TBs that just bloomed this spring and they were planted 3 years ago. Patience is important.

LOL! I had a couple of irises give me maiden bloom this year after having been planted SIX YEARS AGO! In my very short season climate, I typically only get about 20-30% bloom on first year irises, 40-50% on second year, 70-80% on third year, and any that survive longer than that will bloom some time later.

Laurie

Laurie, you are the Patience Queen! LOL I "found" some iris in my beds blooming this year that I thought had died out 5 years ago. "Chickasaw Sue" was blooming in the middle of "Melissa Sue"--very noticable!

Tazzy sent me some incredible historics I coveted. This spring saw "Mulberry Snow" bloom in the middle of a clump of "Tropical Butterfly". Tazzy had to go back 7 years of charts to see when Mulberry Snow had bloomed last for her!

That's why I grow so many of the doggone things! I never have all the same irises blooming from one year to the next. Some will take a year off, while others will decide to show up again. That's also why I try to add new irises to the beds each year. I don't care WHEN maiden bloomers were planted. I just enjoy seeing new faces opening every year. As long as I keep planting them, I'll keep getting new blooms ... sooner or later.

Laurie

This year gave me LOTS of surprises. 3/4 of my TB blooms were caught in a late April 28 & 30 hard freeze in 2005. No TB blooms & dead tree leaves in most of my yard. I guess all the ones slated to bloom in 2005 joined 2006 plus some hidden babies that i thought died out ages ago. Quite a surprise for me .

What a beautiful yard. If my iris would bloom like that maybe my husband wouldn't hate them so much.
Two years ago I tried to get Chickasaw Sue but it fell through. The plant did not produce any new rhizomes to be harvested. Haven't found it again. It's an intermediate isn't it or is it a shorter one?

I had the same sort of iris bloom this year. Absolutely unbelievable! I've never had a year like it, and I don't know if or when I ever will again. It was glorious! I've added about 160 new pages to my iris site recently for all of this year's maiden bloomers. Oh, and in case you'd like to check out the new pages, I'm in the process of moving my sites onto my new domain. This is also the only site I'll be updating from now on, and it's where you'll find all of the new iris pages:

http://lfrazer.com/iris/index.html

Laurie

I think all the irises I've ever planted got the cycles matched this year. Incredible bloom period!

Chickasaw Sue is a Border Bearded. It is a shorter cultivar that blooms at the same time as the Tall Beardeds.
I planted it twice and thought it died each time. I probably shouldn't have disturbed the blooming roots, but I moved them away from the surrounding TB Melissa Sue. We'll see if they rot on me again on their new home.

I tried Chickasaw Sue, and she disappeared before I ever saw her bloom. She wasn't one I replaced.

Laurie

I like the color on Chickasaw Sue and we'll see how it likes it's new spot.

Ruffled Copper Sunset was another one that fought me. Do you suppose it's the color range or speckling or something that makes them more susceptible to rot & such?

I think I tried Ruffled Copper Sunset once, too. It was another one that disappeared over its first winter. I don't know if there's any sort of link between color/pattern and tendency to rot.

Oooo yes, that's Chickasaw Sue. I don't know why the lady wouldn't give me the last of what she had. The lady keeps saying she is getting out of the iris business and that she wants someone to 'take them all', but then she has just a few left of a cultivar that she won't get rid of.

Sounds like the lady wants to make her business back into a hobby and save her favorites.

Oh I know that's true with some. Lady Friend is one she definitely wants to keep and hasn't sold in at least 2 years and there are at least 4 others that my sister and I were interested in that she wasn't selling either. :-(

Maybe if you tell her you DON"T want certain ones, she'll sell you the ones you want?
Lady Friend is a beauty--unusual red.

Yes, beautiful (almost a rosey) red. That's why I wanted it.
Wouldn't I need to tell her which ones I want to be able purchase them? She does her fall sorting and gathering by the orders people make.

Well, you must have good taste if you love all the ones she wants to keep.

I LOVE most all flowers, plants, trees, nature, but I do LOVE iris, daylilies, and cannas; because the flowers are so beautiful and showy. Especially the iris because of the wonderful fragrance.