PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
This is a paper that Yvette wrote, we will be asking other members to
contribute their own planting instructions so we can add them to this page.
What to do with your Bearded Iris Rhizome
I have been growing iris myself for almost 20 years and have learned a lot and
still continue to learn. I have been a Master Gardener/Master Composter in
Placer County, CA for about 10 years now and have wanted to write about bearded
iris for quite awhile, so I am going to start with this one. I hope I will be
able to use some of this info for a UC paper on Bearded Iris.
Yes, there might be better times to plant or transplant, but also know that
according to some of the top experts like Ben Hager, you can plant iris most
anytime (remember I am talking about my area. I myself have planted iris all
through the year with success, my most favorite experience was last year in
January, the middle of the month, I planted a lot of iris in flats as I did
not think many would survive as they had been out of the ground for many months.
But I was overjoyed when I found that most had survived and a lot of them
bloomed a few months after planting. So the point I would like to make is to
experiment with your iris, maybe not with a $50.00 new intro but with some older
varieties that you have lots of. We are lucky where we live here in CA as we can
do a lot with our iris that some may not be able to do. But you will never know
if you do not at least try.
The books say a better time is approx. 6-8 weeks after bloom, so they have had a
chance to rest and go semi dormant. You will see that most commercial sellers ship
from sometime in July through Sept-Oct. Your goal would be to have them planted
and growing new roots before winter. The tall bearded varieties can be out of
ground for some time if needs be, keep in a cool dark place until ready to plant.
Where to Plant Your Iris:
Bearded Iris are sun lovers, so more is better, but the minimum desired is 6 hours
(half day of sunshine). All day and they will love it.
Soil Prep, Watering and How to Plant:
The bearded iris family likes well drained soil, so planting on a slope or in
raised beds will help to accomplish this goal. If your soil is one of the heavier
types, adding some organic matter such as compost will help. Spread the roots
out and down and only cover the rhizome with a small amount of soil as the top
of the rhizome loves to be baked by the sun. Plant iris 1-2 feet apart, planting
closer will give an immediate effect but a word of warning from one who knows,
the closer you plant your iris together the sooner you will have to divide for
various reasons. But to tell you the truth, I still do it (plant too close, that is).
They will crowd each other out, so lack of growing space and that leads to a lack
of room to walk in and around your iris, very hard to weed in conditions like that too.
Bearded iris are not one of the varieties that like wet feet, yes they like some water,
but not too much as they are fairly drought tolerant. Water deeply, once a week or
less until they get established (roots grow and take hold). Over watering of this
type of iris is a common mistake and can if conditions are right create adverse
effects, such as rot. I myself do little watering as I grow way too many to baby
them all. But that is part of growing TB's that I love, if they are of good stock
to begin with you should have no trouble at all in growing them.
Feeding your Iris
If you read any good book about iris you will know that if they are planted in good
soil to begin with, you should not really need to feed them for awhile, say a year
or so. But if you just want too, try a low nitrogen fertilizer something like 6-10-10
(low nitrogen, and this is just an example) at this time you want root growth. If you
were to talk to 10 different people you would probably get 10 different answers
on what to feed them. Going back to what I said at the beginning, experiment,
see what works best for you. I have tried alfalfa pellets which work ok too,
low nitrogen and low cost, just don't pack them on thick as it can cause
anaerobic conditions, like when you pile up your grass clippings. You will know,
like me, when you start smelling an odor you don't particularly like. You can
top dress or mix in with the soil.
By Yvette
If you have any questions about iris please feel free to email me at:
sfis@nccn.net
Have fun with your iris:
Yvette