Irises - planting and care in the open field

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Irises are amazing flowers that amaze with a variety of shapes and shades. And in order to grow such a beautiful plant in the garden, you need to know the peculiarities of planting and caring for it in the open field.

General landing rules

Irises are undemanding flowers, but each species has its own characteristics that should be considered when planting and further care in the open field. Before planting a plant, you need to know which soil the irises prefer: alkaline or acidic.

Answer: not the one and not the other. Only a neutral soil is needed, the exception is slightly acidic. In an acidic environment, irises will not only not bloom, but will also be susceptible to various bacterial diseases. If there are no other options, then the soil must be neutralized by adding ash, chalk or lime to the soil.

They do not like irises and heavy soil; you will have to add peat, compost or sand. But you should be more careful with peat, if there is an excess of it, you need to add organic fertilizers.

There are many types of irises, but most of them are thermophilic. Bearded, Louisiana, Japanese and Siberian species are suitable for the Russian climate.

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Another important point when landing is the choice of location. This plant loves light, in the shade the flower does not bloom as long and intensely as in good lighting. Irises do not tolerate winds and drafts, this is also worth taking care of.

When choosing a place, it is worthwhile to study at what level the groundwater is located. The site should not be too high. If they are close, then you will have to raise the planting site by at least 15 cm or make a drainage layer.

When asked about the timing of when it is best to plant irises, experienced flower growers answer as follows: mid-summer, so that the plants have time to lay buds before the onset of cold weather and bloom in late spring.

You can plant irises in the fall, but preferably a month before the onset of frost, otherwise the plants may freeze or die completely. Bulbous irises can be planted in spring, between March and May. Then flowering will not occur until June, but basically they begin to bloom only next year.

Features of planting bulbous plants

Bulbous plants can also be planted in March, but on condition that the temperature no longer drops below +10 degrees. If the planting material was purchased earlier, then it can be planted in a pot, and as soon as the soil warms up, it can be planted in open ground.

First of all, we dig a hole, its diameter and depth depend on the size of the planting material itself, but not less than 10 cm. The deeper the bulb is planted, the more chances it has for successful germination.

In the prepared hole, if necessary, we make a drainage layer of at least 5 cm, add ash and fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus in the composition. Then put the onion itself with the bottom down, sprinkle it with soil, tamp it and pour it abundantly with warm water. The distance between the holes for planting is from 10 to 15 cm.

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Features of planting rhizome irises

When planting rhizome irises, it is important that the upper bud remains on the soil surface, it cannot be deepened. We also dig a hole, in the middle we make a small mound, on which we put the main root, spreading the side roots on the sides.

Sprinkle with earth, lay an additional layer of sand on top, but not thicker than 2 cm. It is important not to bury the roots too much, they should be as close as possible to the soil surface, and the central bud should remain “free”.

How to care for irises

Proper planting and care in the open field is the creation of favorable conditions for the growth and development of the flower. And although irises are strong and adaptable plants, you need to know how to properly take care of them.

Watering

The peculiarity of irises is that their roots are able to accumulate moisture, so they can do without water for a long time, with the exception of Japanese species. But you need to water the flowers every day - on hot days, three times a week - in normal weather.

It is better to do this in the evening, and it is important that water does not get on the leaves. Caring for rhizomes also consists in loosening the soil and removing weeds. We do this carefully, do not forget that the roots are very close to the ground. As soon as the plant grows, it is not necessary to weed and loosen the ground.

Top dressing

Like any other plant, irises need feeding. You need to apply fertilizers three times:

• in the spring we feed with a complex of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen;
• at the stage of bud formation, we increase the amount of nitrogen and potassium;
• after flowering, you need to feed with potassium and phosphorus.

During the flowering period, it is impossible to feed irises with fertilizers.

Wintering

After flowering, it is important to prune, this will preserve the attractiveness of the plant and prevent it from wasting its energy on forming seeds. It is important to prune flowers that have already bloomed with the green receptacle. Flower stems can also be removed, but the leaves must be preserved.

Young flowers, especially if they are thermophilic, should be covered with dry foliage or spruce branches for the winter. In the spring, as soon as the threat of frost has passed, the shelter must be removed, all withered and old leaves must be cut off, the plant must be treated for diseases and fed.

It is not necessary to cover an adult flower, irises tolerate frost well.

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Diseases and pests

Protection from diseases and pests is another important point in observing the rules of planting and caring for irises in the open field.

Diseases

Fungal and viral infections are common types of diseases that can lead to the death of a plant:

1. Mosaic is a viral disease carried by aphids. You can find out the disease by the spots and stripes on the leaves. There is still no effective remedy for mosaic, so it is important to immediately remove all affected leaves, treat the plant from insect pests, for example, Actellik or Confidor preparations. And in order to avoid the disease, it is necessary to observe preventive measures, that is, to apply fertilizers in a timely manner and not to disrupt the watering regime.
2. Bacterial rot - such a disease can be detected after wintering by brown specks on the leaves. The causes of the disease include a high level of soil moisture, freezing of the root system, a lack of potassium and phosphorus. You can save the plant by removing the affected leaves and treating the flower with a solution of potassium permanganate. But if the flower is completely affected, then in this case it will have to be dug up and the soil should be disinfected.
3. Gray rot - can affect both the root system (then the plant will have to be destroyed) and the stem with leaves (in this case, you can try to cure the plant with the help of fungicides). The cause of the disease is stagnation of water in the ground.

Irises, with the exception of the marsh species, should be planted in well-drained soil.

Pests

The most formidable pest is scoops, which eat out the peduncle right at the base. As a result, the plant begins to turn yellow and may die completely. Also, the activity of scoops becomes the cause of the development of bacteriosis. For prevention, it is important to treat the flowers with karbofos.

The iris fly is another pest that looks like a common fly, but feeds on unblown buds, which leads to its death. For prophylaxis, it is necessary to carry out treatment with Actellik and Aktara at the stage of bud formation.

Thrips are small but dangerous pests that settle on the leaves and then move to the buds. As a result, the leaves turn yellow and dry up, and the buds do not open. You can get rid of thrips by treating the plant with karbofos with laundry soap or Aktellik and Aktara preparations.

Medvedka is a well-known pest (especially to residents of the southern regions of Russia), which causes irreparable damage to the plant. The thing is that the bear feeds on bulbs and roots. They are trying to get rid of it in different ways. Some growers pour soap or washing powder diluted in water into the passages, others add crushed eggshells to the soil or plant marigolds next to irises.

Slugs are spreading bacterial rot, they also infect the leaves of the plant. Slugs can be removed directly by hand or treated with superphosphate. It is also important to make sure that there are no weeds near the irises.

In addition to diseases and pests, flower growers may face other problems:

1. The appearance of yellow or brown spots on the leaves indicates waterlogging of the soil.
2. A sluggish and modest bloom indicates a lack of sun or an excess of acidity in the soil.
3. Stopping flowering - there can be several reasons: insufficient watering on hot days, pests or disease, depletion of the soil, strong growth of the root system, freezing of the buds.
4. Wrinkles on the leaves - such a defect is caused by bad weather, in this case the plant is not in danger.

Irises are beautiful and low-maintenance plants. But before planting them, it is important to study all the varieties. After all, everyone has their own subtleties of planting and care in the open field.

Summarize

1. Irises can be planted in autumn and spring, but it is better in the middle of summer.
2. Plant bulbs should be placed in the soil as deep as possible, and rhizome, on the contrary, closer to the surface.
3. The main elements of care are watering, feeding, prevention of diseases and pests.