Newbie plant/replant questions

Good morning, Irispeople,
I'd like to pick your brains a bit :). Thanks to the generosity of people here and itchy fingers on the internet, I am about to become home to a number of Irises (and Daylilies, if anyone wishes to chime in on them). Now I need to give them a good start. I have some yellow Irises already here, that I think have been here for years. Is it best to dig them up, examine for problems and replant at the same time I plant the "new" ones? Some seem pretty close together, which is pretty, but is it best to seperate them? How far apart? Soil is red clay based, but haven't gotten soil test results yet. I'm doing some research, but some results are conflicting, so I thought I'd call on Y'all, and see what People Who Know have to say.
TIA,
Margo

12 to 24 inches apart depends on immediate effect desired. I plant in mounds, a three sided triangle to a mound 12 inches apart .The mounds are for drainage so the rhizome doesn't set in water......no mulch, plant rhizomes horizontally only half underground the little fat bellys need sun and not much water after established....Daylily need mulch and more water than iris. don't plant them to deep their crown(where the leaves meet the plant) needs exposed to the sun

Thanks! I was just out looking at the possibilities, and that would work well.
Margo

Margo, If you are in doubt about what others send you, you can always do the bleach bath to be sure you're not bringing problems into your garden.. I always clean my iris and put labels on every packet letting members know they've been bleach dipped. The ones you have could be dug up and inspected, dipped and replanted. I'm sorry I don't have the ratio of bleach to water at hand, would have to go to the garage to get it. But someone else will jump in, I'm sure. If you find any problems, rhizomes or plants with borers or virus, do not put them in the compost.

If you find you have more than you want to keep, then you can offer them for postage or trade.

Soaking for 20 mins in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water, then rinsing with clear water is a good idea to help remove bacteria and other potential pathogens or pests from irises before planting them in your own garden.

Thank you laurief for jumping in. I find the trades I receive from Dave's members are often in better condition and packed better than the purchased ones. We know how hard we work at keeping our plants healthy and want to help others do the same.

Thank you for the "recipe":). It's the same prportions I use for claening the critter quarters, so I'm very familiar with it. I surehope the cooler weather predicted for this week comes to pass. I'm so anxious to get started. Will I need to replant the resident Irises the same day, or can I hold them until everything arrives? Don't want to cause them any harm :).
Thanks for the help, I'm going to need lots more, I think.
Margo

You can dig and clean them and hold until the new ones arrive.

Thanks, Mittsy,
And thank you for the Irises :). They're just fine, and I'm looking forward to meeting "old friends" when they bloom. Can't wait! I know that the ones you sent are "safe" so they'll be joing their new family shortly.
Thank you again,
Margo

You're welcome and I'm sure when they bloom, the fragrance will bring back memories. My paternal grandfather was Danish and a wonderful gardener, he taught me so much about gardening and respecting the land. I can still see him with a big bouquet of iris, (a few tears.... but they're happy memories).