I'm having a senior moment I was just outside, digging iris because that bed is way overcrowded Now when I separate the tubers, the tuber that just bloomed is no longer good, right? I think I need to leave those behind and move onto the new tubers if I remember correctly. Please help! This will keep me up all night wondering!! moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
when i dug up a laaarge clump of roots, there were lots of parts that no longer seemed ok. they were healthy, but didn't have any green shoots on them. so I just snatched them in pieces, (not cutting), separating the "in-active" parts and just kept the smaller parts with green leaves on them. that's it. i had to throw away lots of roots, but i didn't feel sorry cause i know irises multiply quickly.
Deanna, when I divided a bed in the Fall, I replanted everything, unless it was hollow. If it had green leaves, I trimmed them down to about 6 inches or so to make it easier to handle them. The new bed was twice the size of the old one with many extra tubers leftover and they bloomed beautifully.
I have never heard that the Iris rhizomes are a one time deal. Everything I have read about transplanting Iris says when you divide you should cut off and throw away or compost any dried up or hollow ones.
Thanks ya'll! Calin it's funny that you mentioned "feeling sorry" about throwimg them away, because I felt horrible!! I was able to give away most of the purple tubers today. I wish I had room to replant ALL of them but space is limited :'(
yea. i know what you mean. and yes, they rebloom over and over - for some years. i was referring to the parts of the tubers that were still good, but... infertile. some of them just won't ever shoot new leaves. and if i leave them they bunch doesn't look that good. and also, they multiply like crazy. if you still keep all tubers from year to the next and separate them and plant them ALL, after a while there will be room for nothing else, but IRISES.
Information found at .... http://www.region18.com/bearded_iris.htm MOVING OR THINNING YOUR IRIS: Every 3 or 4 years, dig clumps, remove and discard the old center divisions that have bloomed and replant the new large fans with strong foliage. Use a sharp knife to separate rhizomes, borer holes or diseased looking parts. Trim leaves halfway back to an inverted V shape (^) and also trim roots back to about 4-6 inches. Soak for 1-10 minutes in 10% bleach solution, dry in cool, shady place for a day. If leaf spot is a problem, soak in fungicide for 30 minutes after rinsing in bleach water. Dust any open wounds with sulfur . moderator's note: credited original source of content, see point 3.4 of usage rules