irises

Hi everyone,
Just got back from the far north. Glad to be back, summer was cold wet windy and rainy.Got a question and hope you can help.

Last spring i received and planted approx 50 iris tubers,to date i have not seen flower one.Is this normal or have i done something wrong? The plants are all healthy and florishing but no blooms.
A reply to this mystery would be appreciated.

THANKS.

Georgia, it can depend on the cultivars you planted. Some cultivars require an extended cool period to bloom, and so they may not be encouraged to bloom because of your more moderate climate. Some cultivars need to be more established before blooming, so they may not have been in the ground long enough. And, some cultivars need more moisture than others to be encouraged to bloom. Many Californians, for instance, write that they have to water theirs regularly to produce blooms... which is of course opposite to what we hear as Southerners that we shouldn't water irises too much if we want to avoid rot. If the plants are healthy and fluorishing, then it's not a planting issue per se... if they were too deep, then you'd be seeing rot or stress I think.

I'm sure others who are more experienced will have some input here to help encourage your bloom, but it might help if you could give us a few cultivar names. Ev =)

Did you purchase from a Northern Source. Often I don't get 1st. year bloom here. It could be they are not used to your climate yet.??

Can you post a picture of what the plants look like now?

Planting notes: how deep did you plant them, the rhizomes should not be buried, they are a food storage stem & the tops should show above ground. Are they in the shade? they don't like that. Tall beardeds often take a second yr to mature enough for flowering stems.

The size of the rhizome does have an effect on bloom, , I have gotten small rhizome and they take 2 years before they bloomed and the bigger ones bloomed the first year.
Also I fertilize 3 times a year with a garden fertilizer, and use more pot ash. Then before they start bloom I hit them with a triple phosphate
for bloom. It has worked for me

Do you know the pH of your soil? Irises will grow very well, but not bloom, in soils that are too acidic. I would guess that acidic soils are common in Georgia?