The leaves get folds and the leaves get stuck inside each other. I gently pull them free when I can. The center fans can get so folded that they never grow fully. Which my problem now. So the center fans are small, but the increases are mostly growing well. I think that means the increases will be fine and carry on to next year, but the main fan will not bloom or not bloom normally this year.

The buds can get caught up in this too. Last year I had a bud that was all folded and I figured out it was never going to bloom. After I cut it off the plant started growing normally. And I got some normal blooms.

I will take some pictures tomorrow. That might explain it better.

I think I know what you're talking about, I definitely have that going on with a bunch of mine.

Daughter Of Stars has crinkled leaves and some still caught in others but has two bloom stalks. I wonder what the blooms will look like.

Lestv said:Well they aren't goners but I have A LOT of frost damage this year, and it has affected many of the center fans. We had very warm weather, then snow, then warm weather, then an ice storm, and the cold periods really made an impact. I am guessing many will not bloom this year, or if they do I will have a ton of chimeras.

And a squirrel dug in a pot and broke the entire fan off my Terracotta Bay.

Arlyn:
I saw a place called Argyle Acres online that seemed to have lots of historic irises. They are not too expensive. I guess it is still in business, located in Wisconsin. They had sine really old ones and you might find some of your list there.

Thanks ! I already made an order there....in fact, I even 'added to it".....they are a pretty good place to do business, and I have bought from them before (I think this is the third year. They actually grow many more varieties than what they list on their web page, so, if anyone is 'looking" for something, e-mail them , .....they may have it ! Thanks Again

I will email them. Thanks Jane and Arlyn.

Lestv said:Okay - I need advise from all of you. My second bloom of Little Stitches opened and half the flower was eaten. I opened the flower up, and there inside was a little pink worm, which for all the world looked like an iris borer to me. I have checked the rest of the plant and it is solid. No streaked or marked leaves. Just one hole at the base of the bud. So my question is how the world did it get there? This is a brand new bed, with all new soil, and a brand new rhizome sent early last September. All the rhizomes in this entire bed are newly planted. This one is surrounded by rhizomes from vendors.

Furthermore, I do not live in a region where borers are common.

So did the egg/s come in on one of the new iris rhizomes?

Should I dig it up?

I don't see any streaked leaves, or yellowing middle leaves, or nibbled edges on any of my iris. I have seen two iris borers ever before this. Both came in rhizomes I got from trade boxes, and both were found while the iris was still potted, not planted.

O MY GORSH!!, so I peeled back a dead leaf yesterday off a white noid. There at the base, curled up at the bottom, was a pinkish something. It didn't resemble a iris borer or a grub in character, but more a thicker sized inch worm. It wasn't eating or leaves with streaks, so I just smooshed it. Then I was like daang, why didn't I have my camera to ask you all. IM FREAKING OUT MAN! Could it have been?

I have never seen one, Gabe, but there are people on this forum that certainly have and could tell you.

I can't answer that Gabe. The one time in my life that I had borers, I didn't know it until they were all the way down into the rhizomes -- and by that time, they were full grown. Did you Google Iris borers? I would think they would have pictures of every stage..............

Wasn't an iris borer looking at all the nasty pics, but I'm on the watch now. I don't know if they're really in this area..

Leslie spoke of wacky fans and not so promising mother rhizomes. To add on I have some where they're just as you speak AND the fans are harder than bricks.


Here's one that I reported as a goner. I did some surgery and lost the mother fans. The rhizome is a little soft now and will die off, but look what popped up. It was a bonus, but I'd pay to have this in my garden.
Advance to Go* edit

Love Advance To Go!

Should I separate these from the mother? Feels like it aint broke, so dont fix it kinda situation. There's also a tiny increase starting..

That's a question only you can answer, Gabe ! I've left some......and had them be alright, and sometimes ,NOT so alright. And on the flip side, I've removed them from the "rotted" stuff, disposed of it, and had great luck.....and , then, also, some of THOSE didn't make it . So, to me, it's a gamble, either way. One thing I DO think makes a positive difference.....take a sharp knife, and split the top of that 'rotted" main rhizome (they sometimes already have a "split top"), I think that lets them 'dry up" faster (and, may also allow a little of any of the 'bleach water", or comet, or whatever you use (if anything !) to get inside....where the "action" is.

Gabe - sounds like the same worm I had. What in the world?!!

And your pictures of the crinkled leaves and squashed down middle fan are EXACTLY the problem I have. This is probably from the ice storm that left them sitting in ice after the temps had already been up in the 70's. The good news is that it doesn't hurt the iris. It will grow fine next year. Just a bummer as to blooms for this year.

The mother with the little increases. I would open the top of the mother and gently scoop out any mush. They pour bleach and water solution over it. Since it is in a pot, I would move the pot inside in front of a sunny window for a bit to let the soil really dry out. All this rain we are getting is not going to help. Letting the cleaned up mother rhizome dry and scab over is the idea. I have had luck saving some rhizomes with little increases this way. Bubblicious Blue wintered in my basement and is now returned to the outside. That said, I have had two or three that the mother just keep rotting even with the extra care.

Have to agree with Leslie. With sharp knife cut and scoop out all bad part of mother rhizome leaving it to dry off and skin over, no soil over the surgical incision until completely dry or don't put any on at all, just on the increases. I had a clump do that last season after transplanting and all seemed to come back fine this season. Let us know how it works whatever you do.

Leslie, Ice Storms may not be the cause. I have had more of those crinkled leaves this year than in the last 3 combined...and we don't get ice storms in sunny central California! Someone said it might be due to some kind of obstruction when the leaves are growing. I need to look at mine closer. Originally I just thought that was how some cultivars grew but now I think it's some physical cause...I'm just not sure what!

I finally gave up on Watch It. It never bloomed. I has been struggling for a long time but it was the only rhizome to not have pushed out any leaves. When I checked the rhizome was dried up and the roots were dead. Still I consider myself lucky. I have lost very few compared to some of you.

Gabe, your irises look great and healthy to me! I've got a lot of wacky leaves growing too...and a crazy amount of leaf spot. With the current warm weather, the center fans are starting to come out normal and (so far) clean of leaf spot.

That's great that saved little piece pushed out some new life!

Marilyn - I have usually only gotten those leaves after unusual weather, such as our on and off very warm/very cold winter. I can see the obstruction argument. It is like too many leaves are trying to push out from a small area of the rhizome. I also notice that I get the crinkles more on new iris. Those that have been here a couple of years or more tend to not get it so much. But then, the rhizomes have also changed their shape by then too. Longer and narrower. Which I am sure is a heat dissipation adaptation.

In the goner category - my beautiful bloomstalk of Blackbird Landing snapped in the storms yesterday. I brought it inside to see if I could still coat a bloom out of it. Then my very bad Felina ate part of it overnight. I am surprised she hasn't gotten sick from it. But her mommy is a bit ticked off.