Content
- Sharing irises: how and why?
- Share irises for propagation purposes
- Bring lazy irises on their toes with the division
- The best time for the division of irises
- The right approach to the division of irises
- Prepare the soil before replanting
- Tips & Tricks
The best time to divide the iris is after flowering
Sharing irises: how and why?
In the irises also referred to as irises may indeed take place on the seeds arising on the pedicels an increase. However, the more important feature of these perennial plants is the root rhizome, which grows out of the ground and from which new side rhizomes grow each year.
Share irises for propagation purposes
You can also propagate your irises in the garden over seedlings if you do not cut off the withered inflorescences before seedling matures in late summer. However, it can take up to two or three years after sowing, before first flowers are formed on the seedlings. In comparison, the division of the rhizomes is a relatively easy to maintain method, in which sometimes already in the following year, a flowering-rich flowering time is possible.
Bring lazy irises on their toes with the division
If the irises in your garden produce little to no flowers, then this can have different causes, such as:
An overgrowth of the rhizome can be assumed if otherwise good site conditions prevail and still show some flowers in ring form around a bare spot. The flower of the irises is usually not a matter of nutrients, since the very undemanding plant needs little to no fertilizer depending on the garden soil. With annular flower formation, all rhizomes are excavated and only the outer, young parts are planted again at even intervals to fill the bed again visually appealing.
The best time for the division of irises
It is possible to differentiate in the irises different early or late blooming species. In any case, the time after flowering is then ideal for dividing the rhizomes, when at the same time there is not too much summer heat and dryness. Thus, the newly implanted offshoots can form roots in the new location in the autumn and sometimes bloom again in the following year.
The right approach to the division of irises
Since the shape of the rhizomes above ground can not be estimated well, you should not simply prune offshoots of irises with a spade, as is possible with some perennials in the garden. Dig the rhizomes as gently as possible with a digger fork, so that no leaves break off. Then split the rhizome by cutting off pieces that are as big as a hand with a clean, sharp knife or with a spade. Make sure that the cut surfaces are as straight and small as possible so that the attack surface for germs does not become too large. Sort out the oldest rhizome pieces if you do not necessarily want to multiply your irises.
Prepare the soil before replanting
Irises do not necessarily require regular fertilization due to their sufficiency. But you do the plants a favor, if you loosen up the soil in the context of the division propagation with some seasoned compost and upgrade nutrient technology. If possible, also dig up the soil and add drainage materials such as gravel and sand to loamy soil.
Tips & Tricks
When splitting Iris rhizomes, do not overdo it: choose a size for each piece, with each item having some roots and leaves. In addition, proportionally large cut or fractured surfaces make the rhizome more susceptible to disease.