Nutrients are necessary for any crop, especially those from which we want lush long flowering. Large flowers in the summer and their powerful leaf mass, which grows in the spring, needs systematic nutrition. This article contains recommendations, following which will make feeding irises useful and timely.
Timing for feeding irises
When caring for most varieties of iris, three most appropriate fertilizing periods have been established. The first is carried out after the snow cover has completely melted and the soil has partially dried out. Depending on the region, this occurs from late February to mid-April.
The second feeding of irises is appropriate during the period of bud formation, when fists of future flowers begin to form among the tall foliage. The third - in the summer, during the preparation of the plant for wintering; it is usually carried out on highly depleted soils.
Early spring: add nitrogen and microelements
To actively grow foliage, irises require nitrogen supplements in the spring, and magnesium and other microelements to form chlorophyll in the cells. On still damp soil you can apply:
- ammonium or potassium nitrate;
- well decomposed compost;
- complex mineral fertilizer.
Nitrogen fertilizers are used at the rate of 1 tablespoon per plant. For better digestibility, they must be diluted in a little warm water and carefully pour the solution into the soil around the bushes. If the flowers were not covered for the winter, the granules can be scattered directly on the snow before it begins to melt. But it is strictly forbidden to apply fertilizing on dry soil: the roots of the irises will be burned.
The compost is laid out thin layer under the leaves. Manure is not recommended for irises: this fertilizer stimulates only the vegetative part of the plant to develop.
We are waiting for flowering: phosphorus and potassium are needed
In May, irises require a lot of energy to form buds and subsequently bloom. For accelerated metabolism, flowers need phosphorus-potassium supplements. There is a fertilizer that contains both of these elements - agrofoska. You can also mix a “phosphorus-potassium cocktail” yourself from substances available on the farm.
Simple and double superphosphates, products of industrial processing of bone meal, are suitable as a source of phosphorus. They are significantly worse than nitrogen fertilizers, dissolve, so it is better to introduce them not from the surface, but into shallow grooves around the curtains.
Attention! Superphosphate can increase soil acidity, so its use is more justified on slightly acidic sandy loams. For sour soil will do phosphate rock.
Fertilizers such as:
- potassium sulfate, half consisting of the necessary element;
- sylvinite;
- ordinary stove ash.
Granulated salts (potassium sulfate and sylvinite) are added at the rate of 1.5 tablespoons per square meter and do not forget to water the soil after applying the fertilizer. Ash is scattered around the plant in the amount of 2-3 spoons and also covered. When applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers simultaneously, it is advisable to place the entire mixture in the grooves.
Preparing plants for winter
Approximately 3 weeks after the last flowers wither, the last feeding of irises is done. Its basic rule: no nitrogen. Firstly, it will force the plants to resume leaf growth, as a result of which the bushes will not go to rest in time and may die from frost. Secondly, autumn rains will dissolve most of the nitrogen and carry it into the deep layers of the soil, and this is unprofitable.
Early autumn – best time enrich the soil under irises with phosphorus and potassium, which will serve to lay full-fledged flower buds for the next season and ensure the plant’s immunity to cold. The application rates are the same as in the spring.
If you plan to replant irises, then place a medium-sized handful of ash and 15-20 g of superphosphate in each hole.
Advice. At autumn feeding add 2-3 g of powdered sulfur to the fertilizer mixture - this is an effective prevention against bacterial and fungal infections of the rhizome.
Irises are one of the plants that are better to under-feed than to over-fertilize. Apply nutrients taking into account the existing soil fertility and time of year - irises will respond to care with beautiful flowering.
Iris care: video
Delightful “rainbow” flowers can be of all colors of the rainbow, which is why they got their name. After all, “iris” is translated from Greek as “rainbow”. There are a lot of representatives in the iris family; there are up to eight hundred species. It’s not just a rainbow that’s presented here, but almost the entire possible palette of shades.
Irises are one of the first flowers. With daffodils and tulips blooming in May, they unanimously take over the baton of garden flowering in June.
Irises are sometimes called "killer whales" or "cockerels." But this is in the Russian outback, and sometimes you can hear very sophisticated names for these magnificent flowers. For example, “side heating”. That's what they're called because they love sunny places and expose their thick light roots, protruding them from the ground and as if warming them in the sun. So if you see that the roots of the irises have crawled to the surface, do not rush to bury them. Otherwise, you will have to wait a long time for flowering.
The rhizomes of irises branch, creep, and have a bulbous shape. The leaves of irises are long, dense, and narrow. And the flowers are the most gorgeous, like orchids. Astronomers even called the nebula in the celestial constellation Cepheus the iris, since its shape resembles an iris bud.
Irises are perennials. In our Russian latitudes they winter well, sometimes even without any shelter, including in cold Siberian regions. But in Mediterranean countries, as well as in Southwestern and arid Central Asia, it is presented in all its splendor, where you can find its most amazing and bizarre species.
How to care for irises
Caring for irises is not difficult; they are unpretentious and grateful plants. We water, loosen the soil, remove weeds, feed with fertilizers.
As we have already said, irises are quite winter-hardy flowers. They do not need to be dug up for the winter and hidden in the cellar. We just leave them in open ground, you can cover it with tree branches (best of all with fir or spruce branches), or the simplest option is with dried tops of vegetables (tomatoes, for example). This is good. But if you did not have time or forgot to cover the irises for the winter, they will overwinter quite safely, despite their roots sticking out of the ground.
Irises are completely unpretentious in terms of soil composition. Although they prefer loamy soils that have a neutral reaction.
But irises need a lot of light. Under no circumstances should they be planted under trees or somewhere in the shade. Only in the sun. And don't bury them in a deep hole, they don't like to sit deep. That is, first plant it in a shallow hole so that it is convenient to water and the water does not spread out of it anywhere. Then they will slowly begin to climb out of there, higher to the surface, and grow. They can be left in one place until they are seven years old. And don’t dig it up unless absolutely necessary. But then they begin to grow and bloom worse, they need to be dug up, divided, and planted in another place.
Irises also do not like wind. And they really don’t like swampy or waterlogged soil. They cannot be planted in an area where they are located close groundwater. There they will sour, rot, flowering will be either weak or not at all. Forms on the leaves brown spots, indicating an excess of moisture. In the second half of summer, irises are watered as needed. If it is very hot and there is no precipitation at all.
How to feed irises
Irises love fertilizer. Early in the spring, as soon as the snow has melted, complete mineral fertilizers are sprinkled on the ground around the irises. About ten grams for the whole root. Water is poured on top.
The second time is fed at the beginning of flowering. Exactly the same.
The third feeding is done in August. It helps plants prepare for overwintering. Phosphorus or potash fertilizers are suitable for August fertilizing. But nitrogen ones are not desirable.
Irises - transplantation and propagation
Irises are divided and replanted every three to five years. As soon as they have bloomed, the flower stalks are removed, the rhizomes are dug up, chopped with a knife or spatula into full plots and planted. Preferably in a different place so that diseases do not accumulate. In this case, the flowers will have time to take root before the end of the warm autumn, and will bloom next season.
You can divide and plant irises in late August - early September. They will also take root well, but they are unlikely to bloom. Although if you make larger plots, they will bloom.
Best wishes and abundant flowering Irises can be expected to bloom within two to three years. The soil for irises is dug up, loosened, fertilized minerals. No manure needed.
A large bush of irises is dug up and the soil is carefully shaken off. The bush is divided so that there are several individual plants with their own root and leaf bunch. The leaves are cut in half, the roots are trimmed a little. Dry leaves are cut off. Rotten or diseased roots are cut out.
The resulting plots must be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for about twenty minutes. Then put it in the sun and dry it.
It is advisable to process the sections. Take sulfur and crushed coal, mix in equal proportions, sprinkle on the cuts.
We make a small hole in the ground. Sprinkle some soil in the middle of the hole to make a mound. We place the plant on it, straightening the roots down. We cover it with earth. We make the next hole no closer than half a meter.
Diseases and pests of irises
Irises rarely get sick and have good resistance to pests. Most often they suffer from rotting. This happens when planting irises in swampy soil or when too frequent watering in dense soil. The rhizomes and leaves rot at the base. In this case, the bush is dug up, rotten areas are cut off, disinfected in potassium permanganate and planted in another area.
Can be disinfected in Hom solution. We follow the instructions, dilute it in water, lower the rhizome into it for a few minutes. We take it out and leave it to dry in the sun so that the rhizome dries evenly on all sides. All this is done at the time recommended for planting irises, that is, immediately after flowering or at the end of summer.
Irises can suffer from heterospora. This disease is most noticeable in August. Small brown spots appear on the leaves. Irises are treated for heterosporosis with copper sulfate. Diseased leaves are cut out and the plant is treated with a solution copper sulfate based on 1 liter of water - 10 grams of vitriol.
Gladiolus thrips is a pest of irises. Iris leaves wither, weaken, and look unhealthy. We take the drug “Confidor”, make a solution of one ml of “Confidor” per 10 liters of water. One liter ready solution enough for ten square meters of iris planting.
Irises on the way and in a bouquet
Irises are very delicate flowers, their petals are thin and break off with every touch. In addition, the stems of irises are quite long, the flowers on them are massive and there are many of them. Therefore, difficulties often arise with transportation.
It is easiest to transport irises in a half-opened state. As soon as the topmost bud opens and the lower ones are still closed, it’s time to cut and transport.
After cutting, wrap the irises in loose, soft paper. It will allow air to pass through, and the flowers will retain their freshness and will not become moldy. It is better not to use film for irises. The petals stick to it and come off, and mold appears on them.
You can transport irises within a day or a little longer. Then the flowers must certainly be placed in a container with water, for example in a tall vase, after first cutting off the lower part of the stems at an angle. If wilted petals appear, they must be removed. Keep in mind that iris buds may stain items they are placed on, such as tablecloths.
To prevent irises from wilting too quickly, you can put copper wire wound into a small ball into the water. Then the stems of the flowers will not rot and they will last longer.
Irises are called “table” flowers. Because they often decorate the feast. Irises go well with other flowers that bloom at the same time, such as tulips, lilies, white gerberas, lilacs or peonies. You can simply add more greenery or decorative onion feathers. And here's to Siberian irises You can add daisies to the composition; hostas also look good with them. Irises look elegant and unusual in combination with small rose buds.
You can watch the video “Irises”, which shows beautiful varieties, here:
In the Pavlovsk fruit nursery you can purchase the varieties of irises shown in the video, as well as other flowers, more details here =>
Nutrients are necessary for any crop, especially those from which we want lush, long-lasting flowering. Large iris flowers in summer and their powerful leaf mass that grows in spring require systematic nutrition. This article contains recommendations, following which will make feeding irises useful and timely.
Timing for feeding irises
When caring for most varieties of iris, three most appropriate fertilizing periods have been established. The first is carried out after the snow cover has completely melted and the soil has partially dried out. Depending on the region, this occurs from late February to mid-April.
The second feeding of irises is appropriate during the period of bud formation, when fists of future flowers begin to form among the tall foliage. The third - in the summer, during the preparation of the plant for wintering; it is usually carried out on highly depleted soils.
Early spring: add nitrogen and microelements
To actively grow foliage, irises require nitrogen supplements in the spring, and magnesium and other microelements to form chlorophyll in the cells. On still damp soil you can apply:
- ammonium or potassium nitrate;
- well decomposed compost;
- complex mineral fertilizer.
Nitrogen fertilizers are used at the rate of 1 tablespoon per plant. For better digestibility, they need to be diluted in lukewarm water and carefully pour the solution into the soil around the bushes. If the flowers were not covered for the winter, the granules can be scattered directly on the snow before it begins to melt. But it is strictly forbidden to apply fertilizing on dry soil: the roots of the irises will be burned.
The compost is spread in a thin layer under the leaves. Manure is not recommended for irises: this fertilizer stimulates only the vegetative part of the plant to develop.
We are waiting for flowering: phosphorus and potassium are needed
In May, irises require a lot of energy to form buds and subsequently bloom. For accelerated metabolism, flowers need phosphorus-potassium supplements. There is a fertilizer that contains both of these elements - agrofoska. You can also mix a “phosphorus-potassium cocktail” yourself from substances available on the farm.
Simple and double superphosphates, products of industrial processing of bone meal, are suitable as a source of phosphorus. They dissolve much worse than nitrogen fertilizers, so it is better to apply them not from the surface, but into shallow grooves around the clumps.
Attention! Superphosphate can increase soil acidity, so its use is more justified on slightly acidic sandy loams. Phosphate rock is suitable for acidic soils.
Fertilizers such as:
- potassium sulfate, half consisting of the necessary element;
- sylvinite;
- ordinary stove ash.
Granulated salts (potassium sulfate and sylvinite) are applied at the rate of 1.5 tablespoons per square meter and do not forget to water the soil after applying the fertilizer. Ash is scattered around the plant in the amount of 2-3 spoons and also covered. When applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers simultaneously, it is advisable to place the entire mixture in the grooves.
Preparing plants for winter
Approximately 3 weeks after the last flowers wither, the last feeding of irises is done. Its basic rule: no nitrogen. Firstly, it will force the plants to resume leaf growth, as a result of which the bushes will not go to rest in time and may die from frost. Secondly, autumn rains will dissolve most of the nitrogen and carry it into the deep layers of the soil, and this is unprofitable.
Early autumn is the best time to enrich the soil under irises with phosphorus and potassium, which will serve to lay full-fledged flower buds for the next season and ensure the plant's immunity to cold. The application rates are the same as in the spring.
If you plan to replant irises, then place a medium-sized handful of ash and 15-20 g of superphosphate in each hole.
Advice. When feeding in autumn, add 2-3 g of powdered sulfur to the fertilizer mixture - this is an effective prevention against bacterial and fungal infections of the rhizome.
Irises are one of the plants that are better to under-feed than to over-fertilize. Apply nutrients taking into account the existing soil fertility and time of year - irises will respond to care with beautiful flowering.
Iris care: video
Iris (oregano) is a perennial plant that is widespread among gardeners. This plant is attractive because after the flowering period they have an attractive appearance because of the beautiful foliage. They will decorate anyone garden plot throughout the season!
Soil for planting irises
Irises are light-loving plants and bloom poorly in the shade, so the place for planting them should be sunny. The soil for planting flowers must be prepared. It is best to fertilize it in advance with organic and mineral fertilizers. Then the soil needs to be loosened and dug up. Immediately before planting, there is no need to add manure to the ground; it is better to do this a year before planting.
In one place without transplantation, iris can grow for as long as 10 years, with the exception of a few varieties. During this time they grow greatly and require a large area, otherwise nutrients there won't be enough for all the bushes.
It is best to plant flowers in summer. The roots of the seedlings are in their infancy, their growth is activated 2 weeks after planting. It is recommended to plant irises so that the roots are at soil level, and the fan of foliage remains in an upright position. The hole should be dug in accordance with the length of the root system, and at the bottom of the resulting hole you need to pour a mound of soil onto which the roots are laid. The seedling needs to be pressed a little and covered with a layer of soil on top. After these manipulations, the plant is watered; this must be done again 5 days after planting. If the weather is especially hot on planting days, then young plants need to be artificially shaded, but if, on the contrary, the weather is cool, then they need additional heating.
How to properly feed irises?
After the top layer of soil has dried, you need to carry out the first fertilizing of the soil. After fertilizers (preferably mineral) have been added to it, it needs to be loosened by about 5 cm. At the same time, try not to damage the roots, because they are located almost on the very surface. If the soil was fertilized before planting, then it will not need additional fertilizing all summer. But with the plants themselves, the situation is different - if they do not have enough nutrients, this will negatively affect their development and growth. Most often this occurs during the second vegetative formation of new shoots and during the formation of flower buds. If you feed irises during this period, they will bloom profusely. The most important thing in the fertilization process is moderate application of nitrogen. It can activate fattening of plants, as a result of which the bushes and leaves of irises will become thick and powerful, but there will be no flowering.
When to replant irises?
When transplanting these flowers, it is also necessary to follow certain technologies. First you need to take a pitchfork, not a shovel, and dig up the bush itself. Root system it is very fragile and breaks easily, and the roots are quite long, so you need to be extremely careful when digging them out. Then the rhizomes need to be cleared of the ground and the rotten ones removed. After this, they should be divided into parts, each of which should be approximately 10 cm in length. In the area that has been allocated for replanting, there must be 2 blades of leaves. The leaves on the separated parts of the plant should be cut to 20 cm. Then the bush should be watered.
If you have chosen the autumn period for planting irises, then you need to dig up those plants that have already formed flower buds, no more than 6 cm long and 3 cm in diameter, with a well-developed root system. If weather conditions are good, the plant will soon take root and bloom next year!
Irises after flowering: care features
Caring for irises after flowering is almost no different from caring for others perennial plants. Weeds need to be pulled out by hand, since the roots of iris are located close to the soil surface.
At the end of autumn, when the period of flowering and development has finally stopped, the plant bushes need to be covered with foliage, some varieties of this plant especially need this. It is also recommended to cover the plantings with a 10 cm thick layer of peat; this must be cleaned off in the spring. Leaves with brown spots must be cut off. In exotic species of irises, half of all leaves need to be cut off.
After flowering has stopped, the peduncle should be broken off at the base.
A person who once saw blooming irises is unlikely to remain indifferent to them! And it will be especially pleasant to see this beauty in your garden or summer cottage! Although they are not as picky as some plants, they still require some care. Another advantage of irises is that they are perennials, therefore, there is no need for annual sowing of seeds. The gardener is only required to comply with a few rules complex rules How to grow these beautiful flowers!
