What to do about my Irises

[BernardandMissBianca]

They have pushed up from under the soil a bit, exposing the tubers. Do I just cover them with more dirt until Spring or should I dig them up and replant them deeper? Also they have resprouted leaves due to the warm weather we have had, I cut them back about 6 weeks ago. Should I cut them back again or just leave them. They bloomed for the first time since I planted them (6 years ago) and I'd hate for the process to start over again. These are DH's moms, grandmom's, and great grandmom's flowers so I don't want to lose them.

Thanks!!!

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Are these the old-fashion double bearded purple or white irises?

These don't like to be deep in the soil. That is why they probably haven't bloomed for you before.

To cover rhizome or not: Most planting instructions advise against covering rhizomes. However, professional iris growers in regions that experience frequent freeze/thaw cycles without reliable snow cover recommend covering rhizomes with about an inch (2.5 cm) of soil or sand; this helps prevent frost heaving and root rot. Avoid mulching bearded iris with wood chips or leaves.

In autumn, trim away dead foliage and prune back healthy leaves to a height of 4 to 5 inches.
Once the soil has frozen, apply a layer of mulch to help prevent roots from heaving out of the soil during alternate freezing and thawing.
If heaving occurs, don't try to force plants back into the soil. Instead, cover rhizomes and exposed roots with soil.
Divide bearded iris every 4 to 5 years, preferably in late summer. Each division should have one or two leaf fans. Older rhizomes that have few white feeding roots should be discarded.

If the new growth is under 5 inches, leave them alone. I guess.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

They are regular irises, I think. But they are purple, 2 shades and 1 rust colored one might be in there too.

They aren't deep, I think they were just in shock from moving from GA to 2 houses in CT in the last 10 years.

Interesting that is says not to mulch them, I did this year and I think that is part of why they bloomed.

Thanks for the info Ann.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I think the bark type mulch encourages the roots to rot. They seem to be very prone to that. But I've learned to not take everything the "experts" say to heart. Some of my best plants work where they are not supposed to and I don't prune back my Clematis and they look wonderful.

I have some Siberian Iris around my little pond. They were NOT happy the first three years I had them. I finally got around to dividing it and now they bloom like crazy. They probably need to be divided again, but I have no place to put the new ones.

 

[LindaBabe]

You could always throw out the oldest ones and replant the newer ones . Especially you want to toss any that are mushy or show worm holes or other damage - that could be evidence of Iris borer. Just cut the tuber with a sharp knife in the undamaged part.

The key is - only the roots need to be covered with dirt - it's fine if the 'tuber' is visible.