CULTURE OF BEARDED IRIS 



Irises prefer full sun but will grow and bloom well if given half a day of sunlight. The 

 bearded iris will not tolerate wet feet and the gardener can avoid many problems by providing 

 good drainage. 



Irises will grow in any good garden soil. If other plants make good growth in your garden, 

 irises will flourish in it. But extra food is necessary for best growth and bloom. For the new 

 planting a balanced chemical fertilizer can be dug into the soil at the rate of one ounce per square 

 foot, if this is done three weeks before the plants are set in. Half this amount should be used if 

 it is added just before planting time. Large quantities of well-rotted compost or well-rotted 

 manure are good additions but should be placed eight inches deep or dug into the soil and they 

 should not be piled around the rhizome. It is good to combine the chemical fertiHzer with the 

 rotted materials and to dig both in together. In general, fertilizers high in nitrogen should 

 be avoided. 



Each spring, after growth begins, one handful of granulated super phosphate plus two 

 handfuls of agricultural gypsum can be sprinkled in a circle around each clump. A half ounce of 

 balanced fertihzer may be substituted for the super phosphate. It is good to make these apphca- 

 tlons just before a rain, or to hose the plants clean of any fertilizer which has fallen on the 

 new growth. 



Like many perennial plants, irises may be moved at any time if proper care is taken. However, 

 there is a best time to move them. This is during the dormant period which extends from soon 

 after they bloom until the time when new root growth develops. ( It is for this reason that we ship 

 in July, August and September. ) If you move your irises within this period you will have the least 

 trouble and the greatest success. 



Just one word of caution about injury is necessary. Since disease may enter through open 

 wounds it is better to trim fohage away with shears rather than to tear it away, and to cut 

 rhizomes apart rather than to break them apart. Cut surfaces and injuries which do occur should 

 be exposed to the sunlight for several hours before replanting. A hght dusting of sulphur on 

 such wounds is stiU fmrther insurance against future troubles. 



Although your bloom should be fairly good the year after transplanting, your best bloom will 

 occur in the second to fourth years, so do not divide your clumps too soon. But after three or 

 four years the rhizomes will become crowded and should be dug, divided, and replanted. This is 

 also the time to revitahze your soil by adding humus and fertUizer as was recommended for 

 the new planting. 



TO KEEP THEM HEALTHY 



Iris plants are remarkably hardy and in any given locality there are only a few pests and 

 diseases which damage them. Serious troubles usually can be avoided by providing good soil 

 drainage, by keeping the beds clean and free of weeds during the growing season, and by 

 thoroughly cleaning up and burning all old plant refuse in the faU. Following are some of the 

 specific problems which may be encountered: 



Sclerotium Rot or Cro-svn Rot. This disease develops under warm, moist, shady conditions. 

 It attacks at the base, or crown, of the plant near the rhizome and the leaves fall over. Other rot 

 organisms may enter through the diseased tissue and cause extensive damage, or even death, to 

 the rhizome. The fungus may make a web-like growth on the soil at the base of the plant and 

 produce tan or brown mustard seed-like structures which give it its common name, the "mustard- 

 seed fungus." Control: Clean up the plants and let in plenty of sunshine and air. Provide for 

 good drainage aioaij from the base of the plant. Drenching the bases of the plants with a 

 preparation containing 1 level tablespoon of a new fungicide, Terraclor 75, in a gallon of water 

 has provided good protection against Sclerotium rot. 



