|
| I have been planting Bearded Irises for several years, but I usually do not use a mulch because I thought that the rhizome is not supposed to be covered. Is it ok to cover the rhizome with a mulch? My irises don't bloom every year, some have not blooomed at all although they have been growing for a couple of years.
Terry |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 14, 10 at 8:34
| on my pure yellow mineral sand.. with incredibly high drainage.. and otherwise bone dry .. i have no problem with wood chips ... pretty heavy also .. since i grow the iris in the conifer beds ... they get no supplemental water.. and no fert ... nothing.. nada ... nil.. zero .. etc .. [except at planting of course] the sand is so dry by mid july .. that it becomes nearly water repellent without the mulch ... i think the key .. and i welcome correction or observation ... is that the roots need moisture.. but the rhizome want to basically be dry ... too much moisture.. and they tend to rot ... am i spot on.. or way off base?? if spot on.. the issue is not so much the mulch.. but how it all works with your soil.. your drainage... and how it all coalesces in your garden ... ken here is a pic .. too bad they werent in bloom ... |
|
| Don Spoon, of Winterberry Gardens irises, once (or twice) told us that you could use Pine Bark mulch on iris beds (not too thick, though).... I do use it here on Cape Cod, but the soil is basically sand (I add a lot of top soil and Compost/Humus (sp?)), so the drainage is good. |
|
- Posted by newyorkrita z6b/7a LI NY (My Page) on Mon, Jun 14, 10 at 12:40
| I have the large pine bark nuggets mulch on my TB iris beds. It is the only place that I use them. They are too big for any of my other beds but are great for the iris. Ken, your garden is lovely. |
|
- Posted by hosenemesis SoCal Sunset 19 USDA (My Page) on Mon, Jun 14, 10 at 21:39
| Ken- what is that wonderful thing with the white tips in your garden? I have never seen anything like that in my life. Just breathtaking. Renee |
|
- Posted by terry-upstate-ny 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 15, 10 at 2:34
| Can the pine bark cover the rhizome? Beautiful picture Ken. Thanks for your suggestions. Terry |
|
| Well, too bad I didn't have the sense to ask Don about whether the pine bark could/should cover the rhizome... but, if I were to guess, I'd say it's probably best not to cover the rhizome (if you can help it.... mine somehow usually end up not only covered with the mulch, but also manage to sink into the soil and I have to try to scrape the dirt off the rhizome the next year... finally figured out that this is not necessarily because they are planted in a sandy soil, but because the area where the new rhizomes get planted really hasn't had time to settle) |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Iris Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.