Has anyone used wood shavings or aged sawdust as mulch before? I need to find a solution or downsize a lot. I also grow hundreds of other perennials, so it is hard to hand weed them all and I don't want to spray. Thanks!

Other than weeding, I don't think there is a perfect solution when it comes to weed control. It's probably one of our biggest battles.

The problem with wood shavings, is that they take up nitrogen when they decompose. Also hold moisture. I wouldn't use them. The best thing that works here, and I couldn't garden with out it due to quack grass, is Grass B Gon. Spray it on the grass, and it dies. Doesn't bother irises, or day lilies, or peonies. The grass dies slowly, but does die. It won't kill broad leafed weeds though. I hear that it works on Bermuda grass too. Lucky for me we don't have that here, but you probably do have it in Kentucky, and I hear that it's hard to control.

second the use of Grass B Gon.

another vote for the product - fluazifop-p-butyl
(the active ingredient in Grass B Gon)
Fusilade II, is another iteration of this product but at a stronger concentration
https://www.domyown.com/fusila...
(the above product "Fusilade II is not available for homeowner use in some states and locales)

"Over the Top" (Sethoxydim ) is another effective weapon against grassy weed control,
https://www.domyown.com/fertil...
but i've found certain iris cultivars can exhibit some phototoxicity with this, so test before widespread use.

As with all product recommendations given, please follow container instructions precisely and be mindful of any application\oroduct restrictions in your state or locality. Also consult your local extension agent or certified nursery professional concerning use of selective herbicide products

Teresa @bluegrassmom I noticed in your picture you have iris in rows. My question is, how wide are your rows??? If they're wide enough, you could fit a push mower in there and mow down the grass and weeds on the lowest guard. Then lay grass clippings on top. However you will still have to hand pull weeds that grow very close to/in between each iris plant.

I have found this method very efficient when it came to my vegetable garden.

I wonder how something like hay would work. Or would the hay keep the soil to damp and promote rot?

I have Bermuda grass. It is nearly impossible to remove by hand or even mechanical. Rototilling seems to encourage it.
I used Grass B Gon after reading an earlier post by TvGuy3. I treated the areas twice, 7 days apart. The Bermuda grass died. Wherever I used Grass B Gon, the area was grass free for a very long time.
However, the Bermuda is creeping back in so I will probably need to do it again next year

My rows are about 36 to 40 inches apart. I have seen Grass B Gon but only in the small spray bottles. I am hoping to get a load of wood chips for the walkways. Mowing might be a alternative. Thanks for everyone's input.

Merry Christmas from KY!

Teresa

@bluegrassmom
Hi Teresa, I've pondered this thread since you first posted. I don't deal with aggressive, hard-to-control grass, and I haven't tried wood shavings/sawdust, but I thought maybe I should go ahead and mention what I am trying with some of my iris.
I cut long lengths of cardboard (collected from the cardboard recycling bins around town), and I pinned them down between rows with garden staples. Then I covered the cardboard with wood chips. I kept the iris rows themselves uncovered and hand weeded whatever came up there. If I remember, I think I put a little fertilizer down before putting down the cardboard.
This definitely controlled the weeds between the rows. Some drawbacks: heavy rain would wash some wood chips around the iris plants. I would rake the chips away as needed while weeding the rows. I also noticed that iris roots were growing immediately under the cardboard.---Limited air exchange. Potentially could be some problems with this---maybe less vigorous plants or frozen roots in winter---but I couldn't tell that any iris were damaged.
I've only tried this a couple of times now for just a couple of years. The cardboard breaks down a fair amount by then. Probably this wouldn't work if you have hundreds of irises, but on a small scale it might be fine. As mentioned, the woodchips will tie up nitrogen as they decompose.
I'd be interested to hear any comments about this from everyone.

Posters on the Daylilly forums use clethodim. Does anyone have any experience with Select (clethodim) in Irises?
It is listed for Irises. I want to use it around grapes and lilacs. Grapes are listed for non bearing (only for small vines) and lilacs are not listed.

I use Grass B Gone. List of safe plants which are not bothered on the label.

irisarian said: I use Grass B Gone. List of safe plants which are not bothered on the label.

I used Grass B Gone. The active ingredient is Fluazifop. I can't find it except in small bottles. I use very many expensive little bottles every year as I have bermuda grass that is very difficult to weed out of lilacs, grapes and Irises.
Clethodim is available in concentrate and is listed for a wide variety of vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants, including Irises (according to the label)
Clethodim is sold as "Select" or "Grass Max"
I wondered if anyone had used products containing Clethodim on Irises as the Daylilly posters mention it on their sites.

I pull by hand. With Bermuda though, I have seen roots 2 feet down so it can be a big effort to eradicate by hand. Most my gardens are grass free now except for a few seedlings that crop up here and there because I have a Bermuda lawn. But one of my gardens now that has so much grass that the only solution I have thought of is to pull all the Irises out, dig down deep and take out all the grass and then replant the Irises. I have never tried Grass B Gone. Maybe it's time to try.

Bermuda... I finally used Grass B Gon last year. I sprayed once in the spring and again in mid summer. The Bermuda was gone. Then it creeps and seeds so I have to do it again this year.
The toil involved in removing Bermuda is daunting and all that work does nothing more than control it for a time.. And it will come back if there is a speck of Bermuda anywhere around.
Grass B Gon worked. Now I am going to try Clethodim. It is rated for Irises and can be purchased as a concentrate, very economical.
The Daylily folks mentioned Clethodim.
I just wondered if any Iris growers had any experience with it.

Can I throw in a related question...How do you all deal with clover in the Iris bed.

Clover is a problem for me too. If I keep it out of the lawn it helps to keep it from creeping into the iris beds. There is a product called Thistledown that will kill broad leaf plants and not bother the irises. Kind of expensive, and slow to work, but will kill it.

Thank you much Tom!!! I am going to try to redo the garden it is most prevalent in and see if I can get rid of it this year, but if not, I do think I will need to try the Thistledown.

I was wondering if anyone grows in pots. I received our Regional newsletter and it had pictures of many in 2 gallon pots. I emailed the lady that sends it out and she said she used 1/2 garden soil and 1/2 potting soil like Miracle Grow. If you do, what potting medium do you use? Thanks

I grow my seedlings in packaged topsoil in containers. They do great but I Always worry about the wood chips. I'm always afraid that I'll have babies that aren't strong enough to push up those wood chips. But I think for mature irises the topsoil works great, even in containers