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minflick

wilting bloom stems

minflick
10 years ago

There is wilting to the stem above and below the second bud on the stalk. I've never seen this before, and the other rhizome of this one the stalk had completed withered and bent in half. I couldn't see any bugs, bug holes, I didn't kick it, I have NO IDEA what caused this. It was only China Dragon that did this, and this was its first year blooming... All the rest of the irises around it are blooming like crazy and are beautiful and this frustrated me enormously. is it something I can do anything about? I Facebooked the nursery I bought it from, but they haven't replied yet.

Melinda

Comments (8)

  • hosenemesis
    10 years ago

    I don't know what that is. It could be a fungus, a virus, or just damage from insects or trauma from winds.

  • minflick
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm pretty sure it's not wind damage, because it hasn't BEEN windy here. When there's wind here, things hit my roof (old oak out back) and everything shows a bit of wear. This is all on its own in oddness. My guess is it is fungus/virus damage, because I checked pretty hard for an entry hole from bugs and saw nothing. It's just so weird.

    And I'm so bummed about it - I really wanted to see those flowers, darn it all!

  • littlebit_gw
    10 years ago

    Could it possibly be cold/weather related?

  • hosenemesis
    10 years ago

    You can try cutting them off above the damage and bringing them indoors to let them bloom in a vase. Sorry.

  • minflick
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I did do that, and put them in a tall drinking glass to better support them in their wobbly state. The next morning, the stem pictured above had totally folded over the side of the glass! The nursery I bought it at suggested that I cut open the stem to see what I could find inside, but he said it this morning, and the stem went in the trash days ago... There was nothing visible in the cut ON the plant that I could see, but I also didn't take it down all the way to the leaf. Darn it. Next time it happens (if it does) I absolutely WILL do that. I'm dieing of curiosity as well as annoyed as hell!

    I do think it's something buggy, or fungal/viral, rather than cold. (I was mid-response this morning when my power went out for 10 hours!) It hasn't been below 40 at night for over 2 weeks, and all the irises came through the winter just fine. No drought (I water...), no cold, no care issues that I can see. I think, if it were a care issue, other things in the bed would show signs as well, and everything ELSE is happy as a darned clam! So, here's hoping I never see it again...

  • Nancy
    10 years ago

    I have 1 tall bearded iris, Fireside Glow, that does this every year for some reason. The flower stalks are very tall, rather thin. The first year it happened I thought it was a fungus because of the excessive rain, but it happens every year to some extent. It does last well enough to flower, beautiful orange blooms. I think it must just be a weakness in the iris itself & it will be leaving my garden. No other iris around it are affected.

  • minflick
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ngraham - that's both good to know, and REALLY frustrating. I sure hope China Dragon doesn't do this every year. Gah. Do you have other orange irises that don't have this issue? I fell in love with the nursery's picture online of this one, and I WANT to see it, but the bloom only showed color at the edge (1/4" or so) and the rest was tight green bud, so I got NOTHING out of it except a heaping load of frustration and aggravation! I'll give it another couple of years and see how it does, but it too may get the Goodbye Kiss...

  • Nancy
    10 years ago

    I do have a couple other orange iris that I got more recently, & they are not showing that problem. I love the orange color of Fireside Glow, but not this habit. Crackling Caldera is nice, & so is Olympic Challenge & Orange Pop.
    Hopefully yours is some weird quirk for this year & will be nice next year.

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