I haven't heard of the 'soft soap' treatment.

I found out about it a couple of years ago, and so far it has worked for me when part of a rhizome is affected. The main ingredient of SoftSoap (and others as well, although I don't know which others) is Triclosan, and it does something to kill or inhibit the bacteria -- although again I really am not sure what it does. I think encapsulates bacteria so they can't reproduce, or something like that -- or maybe it just flat out kills them. But it's a quick fix without any mixing. Some people mix 3 Tbsp. SoftSoap to 1 gal water and water the plants, or you can just go out there with your little bottle and zap it! Love it! But I always try the sunlight technique first if I can.

Actually, Rita, you're right though about letting the strongest and healthiest survive. There are some plants that really seem prone to soft rot even in normal conditions, while others right next to it stay perfectly healthy -- and those are the winners in my book!

Could not do anything in the garden today as it rained off & on all day. TV says it has moved to NH. Not by the noiwe on the roof. Spent the day breaking iris seeds out of their pods, 191 of them on a paper plate to dry.

Lucy, It cleared up today as the rain moved off and the sun did come out. The garden was so soggy though that I didn't do anything either.

Betty, I don't have much patience with the poor performing daylilies either. As to the iris, there are so many that I can easily find others that I would love to have. So if I lose some, so be it. I will just buy more.

3" of rain yesterday and overnight. The grass between the house & iris bed is very wet so that I will wait to work on it. A bit of sun will help. Sorted seeds from the pods from one of the plants yesterday. There were a couple duds but have 191 seeds drying with a couple pods left to pick. Not a tall bearded plant however.

Well, getting out there and doing an end of summer check on this iris bed. I have totally lost one iris, Fashion Magic. Not a sign of it left except the marker were it used to be. Other rotters do have new rhizomes growing even if they are small so I guess they will be ok to live.

I spent some time rewritting all my markers for the iris in that bed as they were fading fast. I knew that I would never be able to read them next year. Fading plus what looks like rubbing off. I do find it strange as I use the same type of black marker on my daylilies which lasts two years. I figgure it is because the markers are different from the daylily ones. Those are 8 inch by 1/2 inch white plastic and these are a "T" type were it has space up top in front to write. They are not very big though but more shinny plastic than those other markers.

I would 'double mark them & map your bed if you are having marker problems. A pain to do things more than once & lose track of your plants.

Rita, I always make a diagram of every bed so I can find plants by diagram if something has happened to a tag. Plus I can make my plans for switching plants by just consulting the diagrams at night when I have more time. Do you do something like that?

Well now Lucy and Betty the diagram idea is a great one but I haven't actually done it. I did do a diagram of my front yard iris that I divided last month because I knew it was difficult if not impossuble to see the tags in iris corner during bloom season. With the diagram I could just look at that to see what is blooming instead of needing to see the tags.

Not to give you a headache or anything, but here are two of my diagrams from this year. And once you go to the trouble of getting it all plotted out the first time, then you can go in and make changes each year and it's no longer the time-consuming task that it was the first time. There are software programs that do this, but I prefer to scrunch up in my recliner in front of the TV, stick my tongue in my cheek and scribble away! But then I'm a list-maker, so I actually enjoy doing this type of thing...

That's great! Do you do it in pencil so it's easy to make changes?

Oh no, wouldn't think of it! I do it all in ink, over and over again as I make changes through the fall planting! And right now I have copies of all of my diagrams that are totally marked up in red to implement my "plan." Total waste of time, eh? But I find it relaxing, believe it or not! Left over from my clerical days, I guess.

I like doing things on paper too. I also have all my irises on index cards, and as I move them, I cross off the area and put in a new one.

To me index cards, and folders with paper are comforting, like a real book, instead of a Kindle.

Buy a CADD program Betty. I can't think of a better person to enjoy one.

Goodness, Betty. I could NEVER do that. When I said I made a diagram of my front yard iris, I meant I went out there with a sheet of paper and spent very few minutes making a rough sketch and just writing in the names of the iris.

One reason I don't have most of my yard mapped (besides lazyness) is that I am always moving things and would have to contantly redo my maps. I consider it a total waste of time to have to redo maps. It certainly would not be something I find enjoyable.

Different strokes...

Betty, I think those charts are fasbulous. I was just saying that while I am glad you enjoy doing them, for me it would be an aweful ordeal to get anything like that done. Plus I don't know how you manage. They are so neat. I could never make anything that looks that good.

My diagrams are not that neat or organized either! Wow!

Well, I did it. I did a chart for that bed so in case those markers do fade again, I will still be able to ID all those iris. I have three rows of 14 each in there so that would be an aweful lot of NO IDS if the markers got trashed.

My chart is very basic and rather sloppy as it is just three rows of numbers side by side of 1 to 14 and then the name is written near the number. Still, it is done