Hello!
I'm new to iris, and super excited to see the first bloom of the season this week! I'm wondering how long the rhizomes can be out of the ground before they're goners? We're moving to another state this year (from zone 5b to 7) and I want to take some with us!

Thanks!


This is the only bloom from last year (they were transplanted in last May), and of course I didn't take one once it was completely open

I've had them out of the ground for a few months. I just gave them a good dousing of water twice a week, kept them in the shade, and they were fine. Iris are surpringly tough.

I wouldn't do what I did but a few days would be fine as long as you keep them hydrated. You could also pot them up for the move if you can manage it.

Good luck with the move!

Thanks Zencat! I'm going to try and take sedum and peonies with me too...we'll see how many pots I can fill

Hi @Zencat. I have a bunch of irises that I pulled from a family's home that is being sold. When you said you doused them with water twice a week, does that mean soaking them? and for how long? Thanks

Good luck and have fun. Come to the iris forum and see all the pretty things there.

They were loosely placed in plastic grocery bags on their sides and left open. During the heat of summer, I gave them a good hosing. At the beginning of Fall, I potted them up and kept them in the garage over Winter. Next Spring, some were planted and others left in the pots. All are in the ground now and doing just fine. They took a little longer to bloom, 3 years for most and one took 4 years.

I'd be careful dousing them with water so that they don't rot. They would be fine just being left to dry out a bit for a month if necessary in a cool place. Then give them a soaking for a while just before you plant them. They are pretty hardy. Or if you have room, pot them up and they will hardly skip a beat. I had some that were extra and didn't find homes for, left them in the basement over winter, and in the spring planted one to see if it would grow,and it did fine. I wouldn't recommend that, but it was an experiment.

Hi Sara! to the Iris Forum!

When you have time, check out the different threads here, as so many have irises in bloom now!

There are many wonderful members here, and quite knowledgeable too. Also we have an up-to-date complete database, not only for irises, but all other plants as well.

Last year I received a few orders at once, and the irises sat in their boxes for over a month. They did get a little dry, but they all did just fine. That said, this year, I intend to pot them up as soon as I receive them, and then plant them later when it cools off. Most vendors ship in July.

Happy gardening!

I still have some NoID rhizomes in the barn that have been out of the ground since June-July. The smaller rhizomes are a little shriveled, but the larger ones are still firm to the touch. I wouldn't recommend letting them sit around for this long.

Before moving, I would give the irises a deep soaking so the roots soak up enough moisture into the rhizomes. Then when it's time, I would dig what you want and cut back the leaves. Then let the rhizomes dry out before placing them in paper bags with breathing holes cut into the sides of the bags. That should help control any mold that may grow on the rhizomes. You also want to write the name of the iris on the bags, or if the names are unknown, the colors. I wouldn't continue to leave the irises in the bags, they need to breath, or they will get moldy and/or rot. So remove them at your new place and lay them out in the cool shade until they can be planted.

UndertheSun said:Before moving, I would give the irises a deep soaking so the roots soak up enough moisture into the rhizomes. Then when it's time, I would dig what you want and cut back the leaves. Then let the rhizomes dry out before placing them in paper bags with breathing holes cut into the sides of the bags. That should help control any mold that may grow on the rhizomes. You also want to write the name of the iris on the bags, or if the names are unknown, the colors. I wouldn't continue to leave the irises in the bags, they need to breath, or they will get moldy and/or rot. So remove them at your new place and lay them out in the cool shade until they can be planted.

This is kinda what I was hoping for

Thanks everyone!

I think UndertheSun has given very good advice. I have dug up rhizomes and kept them in paper bags in my garage for a month to six weeks. Just before I planted them, I soaked the roots (not the rhizomes, just the roots) for fifteen minutes. It works out fine.

@AndreaD this is good news to me!! The week before we list our house I'm going to try and help my mom find/relocate her old iris bed (dad likes to use a mower on the leaves, no matter how much she tries to tell him not to) and save some of her rhizomes too. Hopefully

evelyninthegarden said:
When you have time, check out the different threads here, as so many have irises in bloom now!

There are many wonderful members here, and quite knowledgeable too. Also we have an up-to-date complete database, not only for irises, but all other plants as well.

Thank you!! I'm excited, it's just fun to browse and see what all is growing in the forums! Right now I'm waiting for these beauties to open up:

Hoping they're the nice light color they appear to be right now!