Irises no longer blooming - fertilize now?

When we moved into our home 15 years ago, the irises we inherited were blooming like champs. About 8 years ago, we divided them. They continued to bloom beautifully. But, about a year or so ago, they stopped blooming. Foliage looks good but no blooms.

Somebody suggested hitting them with some phosphate now since they'll be storing up energy and food for next spring. And yet the posts I've been finding here seem to suggest waiting to fertilize until next spring.

Thoughts?

If your irises haven't been dug, divided, and replanted in 8 yrs, it's definitely way past time to be doing that. I recommend you also run a soil test to see what, if anything, your soil actually needs. You can then amend and fertilize the soil as necessary before replanting.

Laurie

i agree divide replant then fertilize

I'd divide and replant now, amending the soil.

I'd fertilize in October ( Cooley's has a fall iris fertilizer and a spring iris fertilizer that's worked very well for me) and again in spring.

If no one minds, can I piggyback my question on here rather than start a new thread?

I'm removing some overgrown iris that have been in the same bed for about 10 years. What is the best soild ammendments you would recommend for that area? I'll be continuing to grow iris there just named varieties from new purchases so it might be a season or two before I see any flowers. I know I will have to replace some soil but what else would be beneficial for iris?

dmac, compost and alfalfa meal or pellets (manufactured as horse feed) would be safe amendments. Coarse sand would be good, also, if your soil is heavy clay. Just make sure to run a soil test before adding any chemical fertilizers so that you don't add more than your soil needs. Overfertilization will poison your plants.

Thanks! The flower bed is sitting on top of clay (red and nasty here in NC). I removed so much when I first dug the bed 13 years ago. It's a standard apartment size front flower bed, 10 x 2 ft and I swear I had to put 10-12 cu ft of soil and ammendments back in once all the rocks, weeds and chunks of clay had been pulled out. I'll probably find that more clay has moved up towards the surface over the years.

I'm not sure I'll have access to any horse feed....would rabbit feed work? The first ingredient on the bag is alfalfa meal. (I have a rabbit). I can ask a couple of my customers too. Some of them live out in the country and may have horses. Other than watering with MG once in a while or some Messenger, I pretty much keep organic. Mainly because I don't like to store chemicals in the apartment with the small space and the pets around.

Thank you for the guidance!!
Donna

No, do not use rabbit pellets. They contain ingredients that you don't want in your garden soil. If your friends can pick up a bag of straight, 100% alfalfa pellets or meal at a feedstore, great. Otherwise, forget the alfalfa.

Thanks! I really appreciate your advice:) I think I know someone who can get me some alfalfa pellets...so that will be something new for me to try.

Are there any historic iris among your old, overgrown iris?

Unfortunately not. Just some stuff I bought at a box store when I first moved here, otherwise I might have offered them here just for postage. I have a couple of friends and neighbors who want them and even volunteered to dig them up themselves:LOL: