Viewing post #651340 by crowrita1

And in spite of all our "care", the iris still manage to do alright! We all need to remember that what works well( or at least has no adverse affects!) in MY garden, in Illinois, may be "sudden death" to plants in Maine, California, or where ever ! Weather is different, soil is different, and there may be a big difference in culture, as well. So, while what we hear about on the forums can add to our knowledge, we still need to consider our OWN local conditions! In the extremely sandy soil I have, I usually plant with about 1" of soil covering the rhizome, while in the "amended" beds, I opt for surface planting. I don't cut the fans till fall clean-up time, figuring that even a leaf with leaf spot, and a brown tip ,is better than no leaf at all.I irrigate the beds when the soil is dry to a depth of 4"-5", if it hasn't rained(NOT a problem ,so far THIS year!), that means I'm watering every other day in the 'sandy" beds, and every 4 days in the amended beds. We all may grow the same plant, but due to our local conditions, and the amount of time we can devote to it, we do it a little differently!....arlyn