Expert: Long Island Gardener - 6/22/2008

Question
I used to live in Colorado, but I'm in Oklahoma City. I have some Iris and have never had much luck with them. My soil is clay. I have some beds that have been built up and I used garden soil from the nursery. The first place I had them was a southern exposer and garden soil. They just didn't do a thing. The second spot is an Eastern exposure with clay soil and they spread very well. They bloomed fair in that spot, but we got some hail and that may have affected them. They have been there for quite a few years and I know you need to split them every three. Is it true that every time you move them it takes them time to recover and you can't expect bloom in the spring? I would also like to know are they heavy feeders because I haven't been very good about feeding. I want to split them because they are very crowded. Is it acceptable to do so now? Instead of covering them with soil would mulch be acceptable? Should I feed them at this time? They haven't received any this year. It's no wonder I'm having trouble. I want to try them with a western exposure and garden soil this next move. HELP!! Thank you!

Answer
Odd but true... The answer posted to your AllExperts question, my friend, was not mine.

I happened to stumble on it while searching through my past answers to other questions.  I would never write something like this.  It appears that the beginning of my answer WAS posted; the part after the link was totally off the wall!  'not your orthotics, not your toes...?' 'kicking and punching contests?' What's THAT all about?  'C'est la vie' ??????? HUH?

So herewith let me re-post over this ridiculous answer you got to your very simple problem.  I don't know if someone walked past my computer and decided to play a joke here.  Or if someone at AllExperts fiddled with the website.  Or what.  But even if it's too late, at least the people who look through these in the future will see what needs to be done in a situation like this.

Also, let me point out I am a great speller.  I can spell 'exposure' -- which is one of the links you can't see, but is typed below my answer here as 'exposer' for search engines.  Really, I have no idea what happened here and I am sorry you did not get the answer you expected.  The websites work -- copy them and paste into your browser; these are great websites with a WEALTH of information that I think you'll find very helpful, if not today, during the years you grow these very pretty flowers.

I'll keep the answer at the end that you originally received just so someone at AllExperts can see the off the wall reply you got.

Again I am sorry this happened.  I wonder what else went on that I have not noticed yet.

Here goes:

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The Median Iris Society posts an essay on your very problem: 'Why Iris May Not Bloom':

www.medianiris.com/why_iris_may_not_bloom.htm

and 'Frequently Asked Questions about iris cultivation' by Laurie Frazer, Minnesota Iris expert:

www.hips-roots.com/articles/FAQ-culture.html

The first website points out: 'Some Iris cultivars need a year or more to fully establish in their new locations before blooming.  If you relocate them frequently, they may never become well enough established to bloom.  Plant Irises far enough apart to allow for several years' growth before requiring division.'

See that?  IF YOU RELOCATE THEM FREQUENTLY, THEY MAY NEVER BECOME WELL ENOUGH ESTABLISHED TO BLOOM.

Translation: Good things come to those who wait.

My first thought was that the original location you placed them in, with Sun and Clay Soil, would have been quite a pleasant place to call home for an Iris.  Some of this of course depends on WHICH Iris you are growing.  Dutch Iris, I assume not, because you expect these to bloom in Summer whereas Dutch Iris bloom in Spring.  Siberian Iris would bloom somewhere around Mother's Day for us here.  Bearded Iris are the late bloomers.  These are the ones relevant to the articles posted above.  Here's a photo of the Bearded Iris on Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_(plant)

You mentioned fertilizing -- but that does not really tell us much because you did not mention whether it is 'balanced', high N, P, K or all purpose Iris food.  That tells me something else: You are not paying attention to those N-P-K breakdowns when you feed your flowers.  Some plants respond to a high-Nitrogen ('N') fertilizer by building foliage instead of flowers.  If you never switch from high-N to balanced or high-Phosphorus fertilizer, Iris flowers would remain a mere gardener's wish, never becoming the blooming reality that you see in every garden but yours.

I have an essay on Irises that includes some of the nation's premier growers and some basic Iris care.  Probably a little too basic for your purposes, but for the record I post it here:

www.helium.com/items/1110619-growing-iris

So...

If you would still like to review this problem, and you can tell me what you used for Fertilizer, or how things went this year, or even that you thought I was a total nutcase for sending an answer like that about someone's orthotics (????), we can pursue this problem as long as you like.

The internet certainly is a strange and sometimes dark place.

Thank you for your question.

THE (real) LONG ISLAND GARDENER



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ORIGINAL ANSWER (Part mine, then added by someone with a bad sense of humor):

The Median Iris Society posts an essay on your very problem: 'Why Iris May Not Bloom':

www.medianiris.com/why_iris_may_not_bloom.htm

and

lfrazer.com/iris/faqnobloom.html

Your thoughts, please -- why or why not would any of these work?  And what else have you grown in this same Soil?

Just a quick note re your comment, 'Should I feed them at this time?'  Build up your Soil.  Not your orthotics, not your toes, nothing.  Your Soil is getting damaged, and the other hand it may not be damaged.  NOthing happens to those who did the killing and punching contests.  OK.  C'est la vie..