You are here:
- Home
- Home/Garden
- Gardening
- Bulbs
- Iris rhizomes - storage
Bulbs/Iris rhizomes - storage
Advertisement
Question
I have several Iris rhizomes that we got from a friend end of august and never planted them. They are clean and dry. We are in N Idaho, zone 4/5, and have had some hard freezes already. Should I store them in cold (35-40)in peat? Or plant in pots and keep cool until spring?
Best thing at this point: put them in pots in some rich garden soil and store in a cool basement or cool garage.
These plants suffer out of the ground. They may survive, but they will be miserable and you'll look at a long recovery period if you don't get them in a pot. The trick is to keep them cool, but not frozen.
And if there's any possibility of planting them -- of course you have made it clear there have been at least a few hard freezes, so you know what you're talking about -- of course put them in the ground. But the best carryover will be to pot them up asap and keep them, unfrozen, until spring thaw. Don't fertilize and don't forget to water from time to time, just a little.
Good luck. Let me know how it works out.
Related Articles
- Spring Gardening - Waking the Garden with Spring Bloomers and Cool Weather Crops
- Cool Season Annuals - Flowers for Spring and Fall
- November in the Garden - Regional Gardening Guide for November
- Flower Pot Craft Projects - How to Make Crafts Using Flower Pots
- Healing Garden - What Grows Best In Your Healing Garden
Long Island Gardener
Expertise
Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.
Experience
Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.