Iris Care
A Few Tips On Iris Care
Iris care is a fairly straightforward process. Some will tell you the iris is a high maintenance plant, while others insist it is an easy care plant. There are a number of things that need to be done to keep iris plants performing their best, which may lead one to believe it is a high maintenance plant. These things aren't done all at once however, but extend over the course of the growing season. In that sense iris care isn't really all that complicated at all.
If planted correctly, in full sun and in the right kind of soil, the iris will usually fend for itself fairly well, and aside from watering usually doesn't require a great deal of attention. Starting with setting the rhizomes in the ground the first time, let's see what the basics of iris care involve.
Planting - Iris are usually planted sometime between mid summer and early fall. The iris is a tall, rather stately plant, whose sword-like leaves tend to fan out, requiring that the plants be spaced at least a foot apart, and preferably 2 feet apart. They should be planted in an area where they will receive full sun, and in ground that has been worked to depth of a foot or so. Before setting the rhizomes into the soil, it's always best to mix in a 3 inch layer of compost. The planting hole needs to be 4 inches deep and at least 9 inches in diameter. The rhizome is placed roots down on a mound or ridge of soil in the planting hole. When filling in the hole the top of the rhizome should either remain visible or covered with a very thin layer of dirt. Whether individual rhizomes are set in the dirt or the iris is transplanted from a pot, the final result should have the top of the rhizome level with the surface of the ground.
Food And Water - The iris requires watering just as do most plants in the flower garden, enough to keep the soil somewhat moist, but never so much so the rhizome is soaking in water, a situation which will result in root rot and loss of the plant. As far as feeding the plant is concerned, working in a little compost around the plant each spring will suffice, as the plant is not a particularly heavy feeder. The leaves of the iris are usually trimmed back, though not all the way, sometime in the autumn, and in cold climates, putting a mulch over the plants is often a good idea. The rhizomes normally withstand freezing conditions quite well.
Rhizome Division - If iris plants are left unattended, the flowering will begin to decrease after a few years and the plant may also become more susceptible to pests and disease. This means it's time to divide the rhizomes, possibly well past the time. Dividing the rhizomes to produce more plants is not usually difficult, as the new rhizomes tend to break off quite easily. The original parent rhizome may or may not be kept, depending on whether or not it has a good root system and is otherwise healthy. Because the iris is planted so close to the surface, lifting the rhizomes for the purpose of division or transplanting is an easy task, and one that can usually be accomplished without damaging the plant. It will be helpful to cut the foliage back to a few inches before lifting and transplanting or dividing the iris.
Inspection - Always carefully inspect rhizomes when first planting, transplanting, or dividing. If there is insect damage, such as may be caused by a borer, the damaged part of a rhizome can often be trimmed away. This is sometimes also the case if the plant is diseased, but care should be taken not to spread the disease to other plants. It is sometimes best simply to discard rhizomes that are diseased or suffering from root rot. Proper planting, tending, and dividing are the things you need to know for proper iris care, and as you can see, it's really not all that complicated.