Does anyone know how to get ver old irises to bloom better? I have irises that have been in my family for four generations. However, only a few bloom. They are not planted very deep. In fact, the top of the rhysome shows when you look at the iris. I have tried dividing them as well, but that does not cause them to bloom any better. Any help would be appreciated.

Lisa

Well, it sounds as if the depth is right. How much sun do they get? Should be at least 6 hours for max. bloom, any less seems to cut down on bloom and make the plants a little "leggy".Do you fertilize? A small handful( 2tbls., or so) of 5-10-10, or similar(10-10-10- is ok) spread close to, but not on, the rhisomes, and a 1/4 cup of steamed bonemeal spread around the clump should be good.How's your soil ph? A soil test kit is cheap($15 bucks or so) Iris like a fairly "neutral" soil, but can stand it if it's just a little "off".A handful of garden lime around each clump probably won't hurt, till you get a test kit and can check for sure.Do this in early spring, before new growth starts, and again after they are done flowering. Do you know the variety of iris? Some of the older cultivars are a little "bloom shy", while others bloom their heads off...Hope this helps! ..Arlyn

good advice.

Thank you for your help. I use Osmocote every other year. One of the varieties is Indian Chief. I do not know the names of the others. Indian Chief, a yellow, purple and pink variety are the only ones that have bloomed. I have hundreds of them and would love to see others bloom to see if their colors are as pretty. I have them planted under a 100 year old sweetgum tree in a pasture. I have loads of earthworms and leaf litter in the soil they are in.

How long do you steam bonemeal? I have some old in the freezer that I need to do something with. I will try to find some pics on my computer and post them later.

Thanks,
Lisa

Gee, I don't know!? I buy it in the garden section marked"steamed bonemeal" I assume that they mean it is "cooked",and not "raw". Raw would smell/spoil pretty quick, I would think. All it does for the plant is provide a slow release source of phosphate, which helps in root growth and flower formation. I would fertilize twice a year, as I stated above. it's possible that competition from the tree roots is stealing the nutrients / moisture....Arlyn

Irises generally don't bloom well when growing under trees, so that might be the problem right there.

Lisa, I think Kent might well be right, and certainly good advice from Arlyn. A picture will help a lot. If you have 100s of them and they don't bloom, obviously some problem there.

Silly question, but are they all bearded iris?

Thank you all of you for your input. I have uploaded some images of the irises that have bloomed in the past. If you can recognize any of them, please let me know. As far as I know they are all bearded irises.

I was just talking about Indian Chief, and the last one does look like it. Remember, please, these are just suggestions. So many irises look alike, that we can't identify them by pictures alone. But this will give you a starting point.

I think I also have the Iris in your second picture. I saw it growing near an old gas station in town -- so I stopped in there, and asked the guy if he'd like to trade some Irises. I told him if he'd let me dig up some of the lavender one, I'd bring him some of my dark purples and I'd plant them for him. He said sure.

So if anyone can identify the Iris in the second photograph above, you'd be doing both of us a favor!!

Just Guessing, Now! A positive I.D. is a Long way off! But...1st yellow, I think is Goldbeater, blue might be Califonia Blue, and I think Polly's got the last pegged right as Indian Chief. That lovely in the top row , middle. ...not even a guess yet,,,but I want some !!! 2nd yellow I,m still thinking on! ...Arlyn

If you haven't done so read the link "How do your iris look in the Fall?" You may get some ideas there.

Thanks, this is fun. Paul, where do I find the link, "How do your iris look in the Fall?" I am new to this webpage, but love it. I met Dave Whitinger in Tyler, Texas a couple of weeks ago and he said to post my query here.

Ya'll are great!

Lisa

Go to the irises forum and you will find the link. I might mention that several hours of good sun are also necessary. Also when you replant use the largest healthiest rhizomes from the outer part of the clump and plant in nicely amended soil. We love questions because they stimulate discussion.

As stated iris do not like to be under or around tree's. Next year, try some open land where they get alot of sun and give them space and see what happens.

D

That lavender,top,center, MAY be Quaker Lady.?.?. ..Arlyn

Lisa, do you know if the leaf bases( right where the leaf comes out of the rhisome) are tinged with purple? That (called PBF, for purple based foliage) is a real help in ID. It would be good if you check that out. Also some iris "show PBF" early, before bloom, some late season, and some all season. Making notes of this will really help in IDing your iris next year.....Arlyn

Lisa,

I agree that that second iris is a looker. I have a thing for smoky purply irises especially and have just added Quaker Lady and President Pilkington this year so that I can try to ID one of the plants I've had for a long time. Some of the pictures of Quaker Lady do look a lot like yours. Amitola is another possibility that came to mind. Also, if you haven't already discovered it, I'd recommend visiting the Historic Iris Preservation Society Page (http://www.hips-roots.com/). They have lots of resources for identifying historic irises. BTW, much of the online material is accessible to anyone, but membership is also definitely worth the low cost ($10/year)--it gets you a couple issues of their magazine, the chance to buy irises at the annual sale, and access to the online forums ("Communication Center"), frequented by people with particular knowledge about historics.

Brett

..Arlyn

Dividing them usually works for me. When they get overcrowded they tend to not bloom as well.