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is also acceptable. Plants pur-chased
from iris growers are gen-erally
available only during the
late summer and early fall, and are
shipped bare root. You'll receive
rhizomes in packages designed to
ensure that they remain moist dur-ing
shipment. Unpack them right
away, and do not let them dry out!
Placing rhizomes in a shallow pan
of water at least overnight, or until
planting, is highly recommended.
LA iris rhizomes can be held in
water for some time without dam-age,
especially when water-soluble
fertilizer is added to the water. It is
important that the rhizomes not be
completely submerged. Sufficient
foliage must remain above the water
line or the rhizomes can't breathe
and will deteriorate.
Container grown plants may be
planted at any time of the year ex-cept
during the coldest winter
months. Re-establishing a root
system as quickly as possible re-quires
good soil-to-plant contact;
make sure the soil is firmly
pressed down around the plant so
there are no air pockets. Watering
the new planting is very impor-tant.
A root stimulator fertilizer is
also a good idea. A spacing of at
least two feet is recommended be-tween
varieties. Louisiana irises
are well-known for generating
many new plants per rhizome, so
give them space to grow. Rhi-zomes
should not be planted
deeper than one inch. Mature rhi-zome
size varies greatly from one
variety to another. Length can
range from 3 or 4 inches to 12
inches, or even longer!
When planting in water settings,
be sure to firmly pin the rhizome
to the ground. There should be as
much foliage above the water as is
below. The rhizomes can't breathe
without sufficient foliage. Clumps
should be divided every two or
three years to avoid over-crowding.
To lift and divide over-grown
clumps, begin by trimming the
foliage by at least half when
transplanting. Loosen the soil all
the way around the clump before
trying to break it apart. Rhizomes
will tend to break away at the
point where they emerge from the
mother plant and would be re-moved
with a knife, but some care
should be exercised to avoid
breaking them at some other point.
Once the new-growth rhizomes are
removed from the old mother
plant, put them in a pan or bucket
of water to prevent the roots from
drying out. Rhizomes can be held
in water for months without any ill
affects. Adequate foliage is a must
to ensure the rhizomes can breath;
add fertilizer to the water if you
want to delay replanting for an ex-tended
period.
FERTILIZATION: Louisiana irises
are very heavy feeders and benefit