Totally clueless to iris

Hello everyone, I just received some bearded iris rhizomes in a trade. I do not know which cultivar, only that they are dark/light purple. For some reason (and I don't know why I thought this) I thought Irises like to be wet - like around ponds/bogs. I had planned to put them by my pond, where they would stay nice and moist. But as I am reading now I see that they need good drainage, so I guess the pond thing is out.

So other than having to find somewhere else to plant them, my biggest question is should I plant now, or wait till spring? I am in zone 9. The rhizomes are dry, no roots. There are a few leaves that were trimmed down. Will they store ok? And do I need to keep them chilled in the fridge like with some other bulbs that need a chilling period? I am so clueless, I've never had an iris.

Thanks!

Welcome to the world of irises!

I would think in zone 9 you could still plant in the garden. It will not last till spring out of dirt - so garden or a pot. I would plant this late in something really 'lively' like Moo-Doo Potting Mix, so the roots get going quick. If it is an iris of olden-days (historics) or it will be fine.

If you are inclined to freeze-thaw cycles a bit (does it freeze in Z9?), plant the tubers about 3/4-1" deep. Pat the dirt well, water slowly but well that first time. Generally, then leave them alone. If a lot of heave and get tired of pushing them back in - a brick works well - just don't put it over the growing tips, or a shovel of smallstones. As they develope roots, that initial process of thrusting roots out will get them back to the surface in a year or two. Irises like sun on the tubers in the spring.

I do not soak my tubers in water, with or without bleach unlike many others, unless they are ill looking - then I toss them if possible. For me, it is one thing to try to save a sick plant, another to poison a healthy one but I get to rely on the deep-freeze to kill alot of garden goop. If there were roots, I would (but often don't)soak the roots (not tubers) in water a for a couple of hours as gets them restimulated. With the seasons changing as they have been, may change here.

You can get a good number of iris in a space smaller than you think - especially if you just want to get them past the first winter - it's called toeing-in and it works for the 'just get them in the ground' phase - where they much prefer to be.
This is what works for me in 5B-6A region. Hope you love your new irises in the year or two!
hespiris

Good info, I think I will go ahead and plant in the ground and just cover with a thin layer of mulch. It occasionally drops into the upper 30's some nights, mostly it's in the 40's or higher. In January we may reach 32 once or twice. Of course there could always be that freak incident where it gets colder (Like the year it actually snowed on Christmas!!)

Some beardless iris are fine for your pond situation. Bearded irises don't like to be wet. They are not bulbs, the fat rhizome is a food storage stem. The tops of those should be above ground, with the roots underground. Not your fault, but I really get angry at people who cut the roots off, it takes the plants' energy to grow them back when they could be growing increase. The pot situation or heeling them in with good compost would be your best bet.

Is heeling them in the same thing hespiris called toeing in?

Yes

Gotcha thanks

IrisMA I wish you would tell that to Virginia Lyle, stupid MTB lives despite being flooded every time it rains, treatments with weed be gone or even total vegitation killers, 3" of ice in the winter and anything else I can throw at it. THe thing is a menace. The once clump I have decided to keep just to have, I have to keep in shade (Thanks the squirrels this clump would not exsist, at least not here), I have given away literally thousands of these things and am finally down to a few clumps. I believe I could put this stupid thin IN a pond and it would survive.
LOL
A

You could use it as a replacement for I. pseudacorus.

LOL
LOL
LOL

When you dig them up, take some of the dirt (or mud) along with it to the new location. Maybe you won't have to disturb any new roots that have been forming while it was in it's wet environment.

I moved irises in early spring and was still able to get blooms since I dug and moved them in their clumps and was carefull to keep the roots in tact as much as possible.

You can also put a brick on top of the rhizome to keep the winter thaw from heaving it up out of the soil, or you can cover with a bit of mulch. When I use a brick or a rock, I don't cover the whole rhizome, just enough of it to hold it down firmly in place until the spring growing season arrives.

Cathy

Well, I planted the babies when it was 80 outside, and as I was out there in the garden, the wind started blowing in from the north and I watched the temp drop on my digital thermometer from 80 to 64 in less than 15 minutes! Today it hasn't gotten above 38 so far - which is totally abnormal for south Houston. I can't believe this weather. Hopefully the newly planted babies will be ok. I put a little extra mulch over them for this cold snap, will brush it back off when it warms up again.

They'll be fine - it is still planting time for us.

Wonder if they'll like the 1-2 inches of SNOW covering them now :0 OH MY

I know my brugmansia, plumerias, adeniums, mandevilla, coleus...... and the list goes on and on........ HATE it :(

Iris usually ignore snow--nature's mulch.

Dwarfs love snow

Nature's mulch LOL I like that

rntx,

I plant mine with the rhizomes (well the very top part of them, near the leaves) right at the soil surface/exposed to the sun. I do NOT mulch mine and mulch would likely even be detrimental in your climate unless it drops to below 15 degrees or so which is next to impossible. Irises prefer dry as opposed to wet conditions, so yes well drained is a must and I have read they they sometimes struggle in wet/humid climates. The biggest thing I'd be worried about where you are is rot. Here is some reading from Schreiner's Iris site (one of the major growers/sellers online) - it may be helpful to you.

http://www.schreinersgardens.com/about_iris.shtml

That was a good page, thanks.

I am definitely going out to brush off the mulch now and just leave a very very thin layer of soil over the tuber. According to the diagram on that page, I think I got the depth right for the tubers. And they still have green leaves, amazingly.