
How to divide irises and replant them in the garden
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The next to last picture and the last picture show different soil levels. Should the tuber be covered with soil, or not? What about wood chip mulch?
The next to last picture is to show how the tubers were placed. In the last picture some of them have been covered with a thin layer of soil, which is okay. Much of it gets washed away when watering or during a rain storm. The trick is not to deeply bury the rhizomes. When you mulch, try not to cover the rhizome. Just put it on the bare soil around the plants.
Thank you! I'm leaving the state and going South soon! plan to bring some of them down there in my garden there ! I did not know about cutting the tops off. THIS WAS VERY INFORMATIVE and HELPFUL to me ! Thank you for having this for us faithful gardeners out there ! Does anyone know why my bearded irisses did not bloom this year ? A lady in my church said they only bloom every 4 years ? I never heard of that. They did bloom last year ! All of them! I do feed them in March and June. as all my plants.
I have known for a long time that iris should be divided in August, but never found any detailed instructions for how to go about it. Robin to the rescue! Thank you so much for the invaluable step by step direction with great photos!
I have Siberian irises. Noticed someone asked about dividing those. It's similar, but I didn't get small, tidy, individual stalks to replant. After 5 years, they slowed blooming and I could see the center was dead, an outer ring still green = time to divide. Ugh. Big chore. I only had 3 of them. Each had to weigh 40 pounds by the time I got them out, loaded with soil in the roots, etc. Tried different methods to separate clumps and get rid of the dead areas and after failing and struggling many times, I settled on a handsaw! Should have thought of that first. It worked. Put them all on tarps - lots of dirt, easier to clean up. Replanted the vigorous growth, dumped the dry, had lots for the back yard and front. The first spring, however, this year, only two flowers showed up after all that stress. The foliage is looking good, though. I'm feeling confident that they'll come back next year with a nice bloom. But seriously, be very cautious dividing irises or hostas or any well established perennial. I hurt my shoulder badly. Pinched a nerve. Weeks to feel better. Of course, that's just a cautionary message from a middle age dude! I should have grabbed that saw first thing. At least it's something that only has to be done every 3 to 5 years!
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