Has anyone had success with the product- garden shield- on their Iris, for controlling borer? I have an infestation that is killing my plants. I plan to dig and do the bleach solution this fall. I will use the bayer product in the spring as suggested, but wondered if this product will be good to use now.
Picture is of my beautiful plant ..now half eaten by borers.
Jill
No, Garden Shield won't help you. Your borers are already in the rhizomes where they are protected from the deterrent effects of Garden Shield. Don't waste your money. And do NOT wait another SECOND to dig those irises if you want any hope of saving them. The borers are fast at work eating your rzs. If you wait, there won't be anything left to try to save.
Laurie
Thank you Laurie,
I spent all afternoon - into the evening ,digging them, and dividing them, soaked in bleach solution, rinsed them and they are now drying.
Will keep my fingers crossed.
Jill
Jill, did you also inspect your rzs for holes and borers? The bleach soak won't necessarily kill borers that are present in your rzs. You need to cut them out and destroy them.
Laurie
Wow, this sounds really sad. Good luck, Jill.
Pat
I would be surprised if you found any borers in your rhizomes this time of year. You may find rot and holes and those little wormy things that are some kind of maggot...but borers? I don't think so. They are pupating now in the ground.
However a bleach bath and trimming the rotten parts is definitely a good idea for saving them.
Like I said, the borer are pupating and will be moths soon leaving their eggs tucked in places you cannot find.
Do a good cleanup either in late fall (get rid of all old iris leaves and debris around the iris) or early to mid March . This will remove alot of the eggs.
Then treat with Merit in March or first week April at the latest. If you wait till May they just don't die even with the Merit.
Good luck.
Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions, I appreciate it all!
I will spread some diamaecous powder when I plant to control any other slimy critters that abound this fall.
Jill
I leave my foliage intact to help keep the leaf mulch in my beds during the Iowa winter winds. I cut the leaves & push the mulch away from the roots in mid-March pre 70s degrees. My iris are all in mixed perennial beds.
