Storing beards

I was reading another Iris forum and someone mentioned that they store their late coming bearded Irises for the winter. Treat them like the non hardy bulbs you bring it for winter. Just pack them in vermiculite along with your Dahlias, Callas and such. In late March pot them up and they will be well rooted by planting out time.

What is your views on this, has anyone else tried this and can this really work?

Sharon

Not I.
inanda aka Ginny

I wouldn't recommend it. Bearded irises are not bulbs. You'll have better success and healthier plants by potting them now and overwintering them under lights or in sunny windows in your house.

Laurie

do they do ok potted up in the greenhouse? I live in a very mild climate but still have some freezes some times til april, but between times it is not unusal to sometimes have winter days into the 80s and maybe frost a couple of days after. I ordered so many this season that I used the Canadian iris association article that said to trim off the roots and pot them up in four inch pots (because the summers are so hot here) and then they make new roots in the dirt in the pots and plant them when the weather is cooler just as you would any other potted plant. It's still very hot here and I may not plant til mid October but I was wondering about the ones I don't get to if I could procastinate by leaving them in the solar heated greenhouse thru the winter months and plant them in the early spring.

If anything, I'd be concerned that it could get too hot in the greenhouse, but I don't know... I'd be tempted to put them in a sheltered spot, maybe against your foundation with some mulch up around the pots... if you do that, be sure to tip the pots a little to ensure good drainage (I've heard that ice can build up in pots).

I haven't tried that technique yet myself... with the irises that you potted up earlier, have they made good roots in their pots as expected?

Irises that are overwintered indoors are susceptible to aphid infestations, and the lack of winter chill throws off their bloom cycle. If they get insufficient sun, the leaves will grow weak and floppy. It's also important to make sure the pots are watered sparingly, as it's easy to overwater and rot bearded irises in pots.

All of that said, overwintering in pots indoors (or in a greenhouse) is still a good option for preserving late arriving bearded irises that you can't safely plant outdoors until spring.

Jill I agree ......yes the ones I potted up in late August are already showing new growth. 1/3 sand 1/3 garden soil 1/3 potting soil with a bit of bone meal mixed in. Make sure the small pot is filled to the brim with soil mixture so water won't stand in it. Soak the soil in the pot and push the rhizome in til about 1/3 of the top is still exposed. Set in the shade, water only from the bottom if they should get too dry. Rest til new growth appears and you can't easily lift them from the pots. Keeping in mind that it can still be 100 here with extreme droughts this time of year.

Both of you are right my problem is more with heat than cold.....I can probably even plant them on thru November. I work alone and I ordered and traded for wayyyyyyy too many this season. My intention is to have a verry small farm and maybe retail a few.

Lauri......what you said makes sense...I was just looking for a lazy way out. I really need to get them in the ground, and I still have a lot of time before cold weather.
Thanks to you both, your advice is appreciated

I always pot mine up if I don't have a proper yard location planned for them. Sometimes they stay in the pots through the next bloom cycle. Some of them even bloom, but the ones that are in pots often don't. I received some iris in July and August, potted them up, and am now putting them in their permanent locations. When I go to pick up the pot, I find that not only is the pot full of roots, but they have gone through the hole in the bottom of the pot and attached them to the soil underneath the pot! Iris are so easy! ( Tall bearded ones, that is.)
My latest method of dealing with irises that haven't got a place is to plant them in my vegetable, raised beds which I have been composting for years. You should see them take off when they hit that nice soil! But I better get them planted in the landscape or I won't have veggies next year!

this one from Cooley's order of 8/16/07....roots were completely cut off before potting....looks like I need to get out and get them all into the ground soon..I have 50 or more in pots ready to go. I received some small dried up rhizomes in trades, rehydrated them, potted them in 2 in pots, now showing new growth and the pots are filled with roots and ready to go.

I really wish I had potted up all the ones I received this year. Some I have fried because of the hot weather, others I have rotted by watering too much trying to get them established during the dry hot summer

One mini warning. If sinking pots in ground for the winter, it is best to totally bury the pots, so the sides do not show above the ground. This means of course that the rhz. are just on the very top of the soil.

Also, !@#$ bushy tailed RATS. If you have any around, squirrels just love to steal newly planted rhz. and take them away. You might want to put wire over pots or make staples from wire coat hangers. Just a thought. I've had to put wire over all my newly planted rhz. this year. Luckily they are not in front yeard where people can see them.

inanda aka Ginny

I experimented once. With some iris I cut roots back tidily before replantiing. Some I totally cut off before replanting. In the spring I checked to measure the length of the two sets of roots ----- same length so now I just leave enough roots on to anchor the newly divided rhz. when replanting.

Of course, this is because exisiting roots die off after replanting. Good to have something to anchor them though.

inanda aka Ginny