What I do is scatter straw, or dry leaves over the iris bed, and set it on fire. Some growers do this during late winter, or early spring, to
remove" all the dead foliage, kill insects, and help hold down disease. I , personally , have always cut back the leaves, and then burnt -over the beds. As long as there isn't too much "fuel", the fire burns so fast that the rhizomes aren't hurt . In the past I had always done this in the fall. but last year, decided to wait till early spring...mistake!..We stayed in our "winter quarters" a little too late, and the new growth had started by the time we got home( actually, it started under the darn snow AFTER we got home, but by the time the snow melted, it was too late!).There have been several threads about "bed-burning", both here, and on Cubits, and if you "Face-book", Comanche Acres page talks about it on a commercial scale....Arlyn
