Q. I planted several bulbs of iris in my yard about 7 years ago. They bloomed for many years but the last two years they had no blooms. Is there anything I should be doing? I clean out all the dead leaves between bulbs and have removed a couple of bulbs. They are watered same as other plants according to the time of year for 25 minutes.
A. The usual problem when iris is not blooming when they
were when they were younger is not dividing them.
They
must be dug up, the rhizomes severed, dusted with a fungicide and left to heal
for a day or two in the shade, spaced appropriately and replanted. Throw out
damaged or rhizomes that are too small unless you want to baby the small ones
until they get enough size to bloom.
Distances
apart depend on the size of the iris; smaller ones closer together and larger
ones further apart. Taller ones toward the back and shorter ones near the
front.
Replant
them with compost and a starter fertilizer mixed in such as bone meal. Fertilize
once a month lightly with a good quality flower fertilizer.
But
overcrowding will cause them to stop blooming. They are in the same spot so I
am figuring the light is the same unless some trees got bigger and limited
sunlight to them.
For
watering a large iris bed I would use low pressure, in-line drip emitters in half
inch poly pipe such as Jain or Netafim brands preferably. Space the pipe about
12 inches apart parallel to each other throughout the bed. They can be laid on
top of the soil, just under mulch.
howdy neighbor. I live in Laughlin and just found your blog. Thank you so much for all this great information. Look forward to reading back through old posts. I know who to ask when a question arises. thanks so much!
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