Iris Nursery

Howdy doo! I haven't posted on this forum in a while, so I thought I'd update with the progress of my deep south iris experiment. Unfortunately, I'm a bit behind due to Gustav cleanup and related complications. We're on the waiting list for our fence to be rebuilt, and as the iris beds were to be built in front of the fence, I would prefer not to construct them until after all the men come trampling through my backyard with boards. I don't want to crush my new babies! We may have to rethink that plan if our name doesn't come up pretty soon on the list though... it got down to 49 degree last night, so I'm getting a bit nervous about not having my babies in the ground yet.

This is a pic of where the irises have been enjoying their late summer and early fall... my "iris nursery" so to speak. So far, only 6 rhizomes have given up the ghost. Considering I thought I'd lose about 1/2, I believe it's going pretty well. That stack of cinder blocks and pavers you see in the background is construction materials for the new beds.

Ev

Glad that your pots of iris came through Gustav. Hope that your general area is recovering.

Hi Ev... glad your irises survived the storm and you came through in pretty good shape. I have a friend that lives in Galveston, and he came through Ike ok, but he has a friend that came back to a home that was a complete loss. By the way... those were some great photos you took of the surrounding area after Gustav..

I have almost identical shelving for storing my potted iris. You have an advantage with the containers holding the pots... looks as though they block some direct sunlight that would otherwise hit the pots and possibly overheat the soil/roots around the edge of the pot. It's best to block the pots from direct sunlight using a thin strip of ridgid plastic, styrofoam, etc... about the height of the pots. Something that can be attached to the shelving with clothes pins or clips is very easy to use.

In your climate, I wouldn't be concerned about getting the plants out of the pots and into the ground right away. Unless the ground is frozen and prevents you from planting, you should be safe planting from pots year round, except during the blazing summer in direct sun, where some temporary shading would help. Many of the iris that I overwinter in 6" plastic pots bloom come spring. The key to growing in pots for me has been to use a very well drained soil mix. I've had best results using a mix of about 50/50 washed brick sand and spaghnum moss. A store bought mix containing bark has caused me the most problems, with the bark encouraging some rot. The ones I'm planting now that were put into pots a month or two ago are just filled with new roots. To brighten up the post... here's a photo of Blond Bombshell blooming in a pot. I just moved it into the garden to get a better photo.

From what I can see, I really like the looks of your home and backyard. Good luck with the potted iris, and your new beds and fence.

Dan

Hi guys! Thanks for the response and the advice. Zac, I hadn't thought about protecting the pots on the sides.... I'll have to rig something up for that. I had originally intended to put casters on the bottom of that shelving so I could wheel my babies in and out of the carport for the heat of the day (and during the two hurricanes!), but I found it wasn't that difficult to just slide the shelving units whole in and out, without the casters. So, that's been my tactic up until now.

I've got them growing in a mixture of about 1/3 sand, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 organic potting soil with no nitrogen. I added in a healthy dose of bone meal and PCNB for each one as well. They haven't held moisture at all. Four of the ones I've lost all seem to have been the puniest rhizomes at the start, and all came from the same grower. Two of the ones I've lost were large, but had touches of rot when I received them and I had to treat them immediately. Those two also came from one source, but in different shipments from that grower... which I find a bit troublesome since I bought soooo many rhizomes this year and did not receive any others with signs of rot upon receipt. Perhaps it was just the distance they had to travel to get to me.

Your Blond Bombshell is beautiful. I can't wait until I can see some blooms after all this work!

Ev =)

Where did you purchase your tray setup and how expensive are they. It looks like an ideal way to hold the 6" pots.

Rebloom,
I bought my pots and trays at Greenhouse Megastore. Most of the vendors I've used for things are listed in my DG Journal, either under "Iris Lust" or "Rose Lust". Here's the info for GM:

Greenhouse Mega Store - C and Potting Supplies
Phone: 1-888-281-9337 (Toll Free)
International: 1-217-443-0600
Fax: 1-217-443-0611
1644 Georgetown Road
Danville, IL 61832 USA

And a link directly to the page with the trays and pots I purchased:

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CN-STD

The pots are much cheaper if you buy them by the case. To purchase the number I needed by the sets of 10 was more expensive than if I had purchased a case and I would have had hundreds left... but unfortunately, they were out of the cases when I needed them. I had rhizomes on the way before I even thought about ordering the pots and trays. It definitely pays to plan ahead if you can! You might even find someone who wants to split a case with you who lives in your area.

Ev =)

Thanks for the info and link. I will look into it.