good luck Liz, I sure love Bronze Heart

Dachsylady86 said:I think I spoke too soon on being in the clear with rot. 2 more have rotting fans -Bronze Heart and Fashion Diva, but I may have gotten it just in time. It doesn't seem like it's made it to the rhizomes yet. I cut the foliage back to the base and I'm hoping that stops it from going any further. I'm going to have to be more diligent when doing my rounds now.

Don't necessarily give up even where the rot has reached the rhizome, Liz - some may survive. Here are 2 pics - one of part of what I cut off one of my 'refrigerated' rhizomes - I cut off the foliage, then quite brutally amputated over 1/3 of the rhizome, which was definitely mushy, and planted the stub (firm, but not a single increase on it). The second pic is from a couple of days ago, same rhizome stub, three little increases.



Not huge growth, and I don't expect any blooms for quite a while(!), but it looks as though that one will survive. I should perhaps add that the rot in my case was due to the refrigeration, but it does show that even part of a rhizome can regrow.

That's great!

Love that sandy rocky soil!

Yup, pretty dreadful soil, but the irises like it... glad you were too polite to mention the weeds.

Dreadful soil? That soil looks fine to me, you should see my nasty red clay soil. In the Summer months, I break shovels (and other garden tools) in my rock hard soil.

The only weeds I ever see are the ones that try to pop up in my garden.

Thanks Mika that is incouraging and I have had success with quite severe amputation in the past. I know in general that I won't be able to escape any complete losses and for how many I have now the percentages are still well in my favor.

UndertheSun said:Dreadful soil? That soil looks fine to me, you should see my nasty red clay soil. In the Summer months, I break shovels (and other garden tools) in my rock hard soil.

The only weeds I ever see are the ones that try to pop up in my garden.

Our soil in England is heavy clay (perhaps more anaemic pink than red once you get below the topsoil) - hard work, although unlike our garden in France it does retain plant nutrients well. So two extremes: I'd say a tale of two cities, but Menton is a town not a city, and Clifton is a tiny village in Oxfordshire...

If I remember correctly Arlyn did an experiment and posted it somewhere on here. Does anyone know where to find that one? He cut a rhizome in slices and potted each one and they all grew a new little increase.

@cliftoncat: Mika, every time I see your user name, I don't think of a village in Oxfordshire. It's one of my son's first names!!

Barbalee said:@cliftoncat: Mika, every time I see your user name, I don't think of a village in Oxfordshire. It's one of my son's first names!!

Ah, now you can tell him he has some English heritage!

Do you mean this one, Bonnie ? :
http://cubits.org/irisforum/th...

Yes, Arlyn, that is the one. It was fascinating to see little fans develop from a section of a rhizome.

edited to say "thank you, Arlyn!"

thank you arlyn and bonnie for the idea of the archive, and arlyn for posting it for us. i am happy to note, that your experiment was sucessful.

we might learn from that post on how to deal with rot and not to be too disheartened, because there's hope. ( i know you cut up a healthy rhizome for the experiment. but, i can be more optimistic, if ever i find rot.)

what the thread did not say, arlyn, was how the other 'experiment' went with the better conditions? did it go just as well? or better?

do you use hormone powder now, when potting your sliced off one with rot? always? or not?

that was very helpful.

Got some time to take pictures, so here's a couple of Iris I did surgery on due to rot.




This one I had to completely remove the mother rhizome. I have at least 25 more just like this one.




This one is an example of 'radical' surgery. It has one tiny small increase which I hope lives. I have about 10 or so just like this one as well.

Last year I just gave up on a rhizome when I spotted rot but this year I'm trying to save them. Arlyn inspired me.

Blessings

@tveguy3 Tom, some time ago you recommended MKP as a fertiliser for rhizomes recovering from rot. Well, I ordered some and it has finally arrived - it took weeks, but I guess customs might well get suspicious about a white powder being sent internationally!
I have a hazy memory of your saying that it should be a weak solution - I can't remember exactly and can't find the post - sorry, I should have starred it
Could you remind me, please?

Mika - Actually, I was the one who recommended it. I use a teaspoon per gallon in a sprayer. I spray the whole plant. When planting a new rhizome I use the same strength for the first two waterings.

Blessings to you

Yes, it was John, I don't use it.

Good morning Tom. Has it cooled off for you yet. We had a good streak of cool weather up until last Saturday then an outbreak of 90s'. We are supposed to cool off again on Monday. The humidity in Kansas City is beyond belief.

Blessings

The temps here have been cooler, but the humidity has been awful the last couple of days with short spurts of rain now and then, just enough to keep it humid.