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kept_gw

How do I move and store daylilies?

kept
10 years ago

How do I move and store daylilies, iris and peony without potting for 3-4 months? Is there a way.
Moving from midwest to deep south and do not have a house yet.

Comments (4)

  • Nancy
    10 years ago

    Bearded iris should be no problem, just keep them dry & cool, so they won't rot. Dormant peony roots may be the same, as long as you can get them planted in the spring, but I'm not certain about that. If you haven't already, you may need to do some research. My understanding peonies & some iris need a certain amount of cold to bloom and may not where you are moving.
    Daylilies, you might could just dig them, put them in plastic bags & store outside. This could be problematic though, especially in the south. Plastic tends to promote rot, more so in heat. Not much of a problem if you are just doing for a short time, but I can see this not working if you have to store them for a long time. I'm sure someone from the southern areas will be more help than me though.

  • FarawayFarmer
    10 years ago

    I recommend that you have a friend plant the dayliles for you, so that you can retrieve them when you're situated. Preferably someone in the area of the country to which you're moving.

  • beachlily z9a
    10 years ago

    I had a friend plant daylilies and iris for me when I moved from the Atlanta area to Daytona Beach, FL. None, absolutely none, of the plants survived. The daylilies were dormants and only evergreens are required down here. Iris? They don't grow in FL. Probably not a surprise, because they regularly rotted in GA too.

    I think your options will be based on how far down in the deep south you move. In north GA most of my daylilies were dormants--beautiful colors and fun not to be limited to one type of cultivar.

  • judyannz7
    10 years ago

    You may be successful if you dig them after they go dormant, shake the soil off, wrap in dry paper and store them in a cool but not freezing environment. I packed rather tightly the bare paper wrapped daylilies with tops trimmed, upright in small boxes which I left open at the top so there was air circulation. I think you would have to be cautious about that long a period, though. Perhaps you could give them a dunking in fresh water every couple weeks, and then re-dry them before packing again. It's worth a try. My move was successful, but the daylilies weren't out of the ground that long.

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