transplanting help:)

My MIL has a bunch of Iris and I dug some up from her yard and planted in mine yesterday. Will they be o.k.? I am not sure when the best time to replant them. I'm in West Texas and the days are getting up almost 90 some days and the nites are lower 50's. I think the danger of frost has passed.
They are where they will get morning sun. Is that o.k.?
Also, what about watering them? I gave them a good soaking after I planted them, but I"m not sure how much or little to water them till they get settled?
Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated:)
Thanks, Elizabeth

others here are far more expert than I. now is not a good time to move most irises, as it is just before bloomtime where you are and they were putting all their energy into making stalks. Chances are they will survive, they just won't bloom for another year.

we mostly dig and replant irises in July and August, hot dry months.

how much water depends on what type of iris - there are three kinds, bulb iris (spring blooming bulbs) but I don't personnaly know of any that would do well in NC much less TX. Then there are beardless iris, which like lots of water. Bearded iris, which come from desert plants, don't like extra water EXCEPT when they have just been transplanted or in a drought.

so if you don't get much rain, you can water for 3-4 weeks after planting either type of iris. Overwatering the bearded will lead to rot. If you have beardless iris, you're going to have to work in TX to keep them damp.

they need a minimum of 6 hours of sun to bloom, 8 or more hours a day sun is best.

bonjon- thank you for responding. I'm not real sure what kind they are, but I know they will have a dark purple bloom. So far they look like they are doing o.k. but it's only been 3 days.
Thank you for your help:)
Elizabeth

not a problem, Elizabeth! I just got back from visiting San Antonio in February. when I sold irises last year, I spent more time helping folks know what to do with irises they already had than selling!

LA is famous for beardless irises, mostly water/bog irises. TX has some great bearded iris hybridizers. chances are you've either got TBs (most common bearded) or LA (beardless). Purple is one of the most common iris color blooms, all types of iris have a purple blooming cultivar or species.

Since the culture requirements of bearded vs. beardless are different, you might ask at the local iris societies what kind you have. you can find someone to contact at the www.irises.org website: go look under regions and find Texas, then find local chapters. they should list contact information. If you send someone a photo, they might be able to tell what you've got. there are culture directions on that website, too.

I was born in San Antonio. Left when I was 2 though and moved to Alabama. I just moved out here 4 years ago. West Texas is very different from AL.
The irises are the first plant I've planted in the ground here, all my other are in pots. I hope they do o.k. I planted 13 so maybe some will survive:)
I'll go to that link and look. Thanks!
Elizabeth

be careful - you'll catch the iris virus!

Can you post a picture so we know which kind you have?

well just in case you don't know, iris should be barely planted below the soil. You should be able to see the top of the rhizome. Water until they are rooted well. Allow them to dry out between waterings. They probably won't bloom this spring since they were moved. Many of them don't bloom the first year anyway. If they are reblooming types they may bloom later in the year.
they need full sun basically.

That's assuming they are bearded. If we can see the leaves, we can get a better idea. They probably are bearded, but I wouldn't want to say for sure without seeing the leaves. And if your plants are Louisianas, siberians or other water loving irises like that, you may kill them. by planting too shallowly, or not giving enough water.

Can you ask the MIL if they are bearded or some other kind of iris?

ah that is true, I just assumed they were TB.
I guess because I gave some to a neighbor of mine once. Two years later I asked her about them, she said they never bloom for her. So I went over to have a looksy.
Well LOL they were buried in the ground!
She totally 'planted' them!

I'm just kind of suspicious from the part of Texas Elizabeth is in. Lousianas are very common there, and the dark purple color is common in LAs. :)

I've seen people do that, plant bearded way deep. One time I mentioned it to someone, and they looked at me like I was crazy. I doubt they ever changed the depth, and probably always wondered why they never bloomed.

Elizabeth, you might be able to compare photos of irises and their foliage in PlantFiles, or on the American Iris Society website, to what you've planted, and from that figure out what you have. sometimes the foliage doesn't tell you. But the difference between LA and bearded irises foliage is pretty distinct.

HEY- I"ve got new leaves coming up from my plants!! I'm excited.
I guess that means they are doing good:) I've been checking them out when I water and I just found new growth!!
I will ask my MIL if she knows exactly what kind they are. I wish I had my camera back. I need to get a new camera so I can put pictures on here. Before and after pictures.
The leaves are just straight up and down. I will go look at the pictures in the plant files and see if I can find one that looks like mine.
I am soooo excited to see new growth. I've got them on the bigger plants that had bigger rhizones.:)
Does that mean they might bloom afterall?
It's only been 6 days since I planted them, they must be doing good??
Elizabeth

irises should be divided and moved from august to september and the green need to be cut down to six inches on the fans, now make sure not to plant them to deep or they will never bloom the top of the rizone should be somewhat visible or just lightly covered they like well drain soil and lot of sunshine

It is highly doubtful hey will bloom this year.
It sounds like there isn't anything to trim off, but usually I do cut mine to about 6 inches long when I move them.
The leaves going just straight up and down sound more like Siberian or something, and not bearded. But, who knows without seeing it ...
here is a pic of mine, they are bearded

I asked my MIl what kind they were and she said "purple". She only knows them as an iris. So, no help from where I got them.

FrillyLily- I don't think my fans are like yours. Yours sure are full and pretty. They kinda look taller than mine? I could be wrong though.

The taller fans bend over but the short ones stand up. I pulled them gently up after I planted them, so I'm hoping they aren't too deep. I don't believe they are too deep though. ( I hope)
I wish I could take a picture of them to show yall. Heck, I wish I had paid more attention to the blooms last year at her house.
Hers are blooming now, so the next time I go over there I will look and pay attention to the blooms.
Elizabeth

Let's start with the leaves.

Do they look like these:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=6341729

or these:

pollyk- they look like the leaves on the link, not the pictues. They are the thick looking ones. Wow, never would have "noticed" something like that before. I really need to be more attentive:)
Any ideas? I planted mine ALOT closer together. I have 13 planted in an area of around 3 ft. wide and around 6 ft long. Too close, huh?
Elizabeth

If the leaves are like the link, then they are bearded irises.

Don't worry about never noticing things like that before, we're all on here to learn.

There are lots of people that know better than I about bearded irises, so I'll let some of them take over and answer your questions.

Enjoy those irises!

Thanks for the help. At least I have somewhere to start now.

the only thing you really need to know that no one ever explained to me is that bearded irises, which is what you think you have now, grow from the tip of the "toe" backwards toward the "heel" [folks call bearded irises "feet" because inidividual ones look a bit like a shin, ankle and foot!] so, if you put them in the ground, make sure they have room to expand backwards. they will also expand to the sides, and eventually form a clump, but mostly they grow behind themselves.

accepted distances apart for tall bearded irises is a minimum of one foot, up to a max of 3 feet. less than 18" apart will make for a quick display that will need to be thinned in only a year or two. otherwise, you dig clumps every five years. I've seen lovely huge clumps growing every three feet down a fenceline, and I've seen lovely "drifts" of iris planted a foot apart for display beds. another way folks like to plant them is 3 in a circle, with all "toes" pointing inward. this makes a nice display quickly.

the Foot = a potato like storage system, but it's not a root. it's an on-the-ground STEM, so don't bury it. in warm weather its upper half should be exposed to the air. in winter many folks mulch them with a extra inch or two of soil.

when you get a chance at a camera, send us a photo, and we can help you if they look like they are planted incorrectly.

Oh my- I may have planted to close to my house. I know what you are talking about it growing backwards. I pointed them backwards towards the house. I noticed the roots were weird.The fans looked like they were facing the right way, but I had to really maneuver the root part and they are facing towards the house. If it hits something will the foot turn and keep growing?

yes the roots will turn as for the blooming only about 20 per cent will bloom so if you need to pull them back its ok or you can do it later in the summer if you like

My fans are growing like crazy. Should I cut the ones back that have bent down and are on the ground?
I don't have blooms yet. When do they stop blooming?

the best time to move irises is after they bloom cut the fans down to six inches and transplant

I've already transplanted them. On March 24th. One month ago today. The wrong time I found out, but they are doing good. The fans have really grown since planting them.
Should I cut them back now or wait?

if you are talking about foliage on the ground, yes, it's best to trim off at the base any that flops on the ground, to help prevent disease.

if you are talking about stalks, well, they will topple if they get too heavy with blooms, and you can stake them back up. of if they get knocked about, you'll find you have an oddball stalk still trying to bloom but looping around on the ground like a snake!. I had one, Bad Cad, that got flattened by a sheered off treetop toppling onto that iris bed. it just bloomed anyways.

Bad Cad

The fans have flopped over. Not blooms or stalks. I don't have them yet.
They are called fans- right? The "leaves"

I've heard a few DL people call them fans. don't know what else you would call them.

Should I cut the ones touching the ground? And how far?

to the base. leaves touching the ground often get diseased.

editted to add - unless you are talking about just after transplanting. if they flop over then, trim them back to about 6"

This message was edited Apr 24, 2009 5:27 PM

leaves = fans do cut them back if touching the ground.

i transplanted a month today. The fans weren't this long at transplant, they have grown alot.
6" even a month after transplanting? or just enough they aren't touching?

no the six inches is when you transplant you cut the fans themselve down to six inches irises should be spaced from each other about one per square foot since they need space to grow and when fans are squeezed together they die off in the center I usually stager mine in a zig zag patern

oh o.k. so I don't need to cut the fans that are touchoing the ground now? Just let them grow?

trim off the ground & let them grow

if the fans were transplanted and touching the ground a month later....sounds like either they are unhappy or not getting water....

I guess I will water more. The fans weren't this long when I transplanted thema month ago. They have grown. I thought they were doing good since they grew?

They need to be held up straight--don't want diesease.

a drooping fan on an iris means there's a problem. the fans should stand up straight and tall, some call them swords. they grow from the center, like other fans do, the oldest and therefore closest to ground are the leaves on the outer sides. These will eventually age and touch ground, and can be trimmed off for health sake.

but if the whole fan is drooping over, they are not happy. in TX, not enough H2O is a safe bet. they need to be watered for the first month after transplanting.

but in TX, I think most folks water them more than that.

sorry it took me so long to post - I put this in a trade forum thread by accident - was hurrying as DH said "time to go" LOL

editted for my horrid spelling!

This message was edited Apr 26, 2009 9:31 PM