Do's and Don'ts when dividing Iris and replanting?

Question

Live in South East WA

Thanks everyone!

What about lghtly covering them with bark not dirt? Is that bad?
Trying to prevent the weed from forming in-between.

Answer 1

Split them at natural breaking points into smaller rhizomes. Throw out all that feel hollow or feel soft. You don't have to do this but I recommend it--go to your L&G center and get some bulb dust or liquid and treat the rhizomes before you replant them. Replant them very near the surface of the soil--you can mix a little bone meal or bulb fertilizer (like Bulb*Tone by Espoma) in the soil as you are planting them. Don't plant them closer together than 6" or you'll be separating them again in a few years. Water them in and that's it. Wait for next spring to enjoy them.

Answer 2

Curious. We divide our iris in mid summer when they are somewhat dormant. Lousy job during summer's heat, but the plants don't seem to mind.

I cut the fans back to about 7 inches and write the name or color on a leaf with a Sharpie. That way I know what I have. I let the rhizome dry a bit, in the shade so the cut end dries a bit. Then I dunk the rhizome into a bleach bath......1 ounce per gallon... to kill diseases (or I pray that I do.)

I resent the rhizomes by making a little mound at soil level and spread the roots out from the mound, then add soil. Rhizomes hate to be over planted, 1 inch is absolute the most soil that can go over the top.

Remember, iris from from the "heels". If the leaves are the leg and the rhizome is the foot, the new growth will come out of the heel. So place the rhizome so the new growth will grow out into an open area. Don't set them so the rhizomes grow towards one another or else you'll be dividing again sooner than you like.

Answer 3

Divide Iris's after flowering: in spring for fibrous rooted varieties like Pacific Coast Hybrids, Siberian a Spuria Iris's. Dividing these is easy, as long as each piece has roots and of size you are happy with you can cut or pull apart.
Lift Rhizomatous kinds, such as bearded Iris's, in early summer and cut rhizomes into sections, each with roots and a fan of leaves, this can be reduced by cutting in a upside down V shape to about 10cm; replant, with tops exposed, 15cm apart.
Flowers will be sparse the next year, but good there after. A light cover of bark wont hurt but not too much as this will rot the Iris.
Cut rhizomes without growing points into pieces about 8cm long an put into trays, leaving tops exposed, shoots will soon appear. The plants will take about 2 years to flower. All Iris's produce seed and can be reproduced by sowing them fresh, but some need to be soaked in cold water for at least 48hrs and in most cases will germinate in 2-4weeks, sooner with bearded iris's. Don't let seed dry out before sowing.
All bulbs, corms or rhizomes benefit from the use of Blood and Bone when planting or well rotted animal manure mixed well into soil.

Answer 4

NO, do no longer decrease the roots off! once you dig them up, wash the soil off with a hose. The tops might want to be decrease down right into a fan , yet miss 2-3 inches of it. decide on rhizomes which have a healthful fan of leaves and agency white roots, discard the older rhizomes. not in any respect bury the rhizomes below the soil, in basic terms the roots, and the rhizome is slightly above the soil. Clumps of iris might want to be divided each and every 3-4 years to shop the plant life lively. the perfect suggested time is a month to 6 weeks once they bloomed. you are able to shop the solid rhizomes in a huge bucket or small garbage can with Peat Moss, or timber chippings/shavings, and also you would possibly want to mist them once in a lengthy time period with some water. Replant them in the early spring. a fan of Bearded-Iris, and many sorts and hues in my backyard.

Answer 5

Iris are easy to divide and replant. Just make sure the ones you replant have some roots. Don't plant deeply, just make sure the roots are planted. They may or may not bloom in the next spring.

Answer 6

Ahh fellow Washingtonian, Seattle here, be carefull when breaking them apart, make sure each bulb has roots and plant in the ground covering with only about an inch of soil, but not until spring when all signs of frost are gone. I don't know about any don'ts, Good Luck.

Answer 7

i work for a nursery and what we do is we take them out of the pots and shake as much dirt as we can off of them and then seperate them and cut their blades down very short and then put them in paper sack until planting time and then we just replant the bulbs. just let them dry out over winter and then replant in the spring. hope this helps in some way.

Answer 8

I live in Northern Calif..we divide them in Aug. the mother bulb sends out smaller bulbs..those are the ones you want to plant..they should be planted very shallow..dig up your flower bed and replant..they are very hearty and will grow almost anywhere with little or no care..once transplanted they may not bloom next year, but the following year you should have quite a show..enjoy. you should be able to transplant now in Washington.

Answer 9

the first answer is for german or bearded iris and siberian iris, the second letter is for dutch iris a bulb plant. both are right for their own type of iris. if your ground is on the soggy side you might want to work in a raised bed, enjoy.

Answer 10

i have allways just dug them up when they crown and cut them apart making sure they have a couple eyes and roots per piece . then replant them ,making sure they are shallow . any kind of mulch is a good thing ! if using leaves i would suggest you chop them up with a mower first to kep them from compacting. leaves tend to stack real tite otherwise .
pete