Wait until Spring to apply a low nitrogen type fertilizer, or even just bone meal. I use seven dust on my irises to take care of aphids, borers, etc. I will begin using a fungicide for preventative treatment in February since here in zone 7 we get leaf spot so bad if I don't.

Thank you rootedinreadyville. What fungicide do you use? Do you mix anything else in with it?

When?

Any warm sunny day. We had two weeks of Indian summer after Thanksgiving and I got a head start on the sprouting henbit, rye, and other weeds that emerge after a little cold. I had earlier put down a little pre-emergent, but added a little more plus a little more lime. I also pulled off dead leaves.

Has anybody used Epsom salt or powdered milk on their irises? These contain trace elements. In the Aril newsletter, it said arils needed calcium, but it gave no medium for that element or how much to use. I have heard of people using powdered milk on beardeds.

I spray with manzate or zeneb sometime in February and during the season if it is a rainy one.

Moss has become a persistent problem and has just showed up in the last two or three years in beds that are in full sun and are uncrowded. Lime does nothing and Roundup with clorox will top kill it, but after a rain, it looks like nothing poisonous hit it. Any suggestions?

So, any sunny, warm day when the wind is not blowing is a good day to get out in the patch. Welcome those days, so you don't get backlogged in March or April.

Walter Moores

I got out today and started cleaning up the beds. There are new blades starting to come through the dirt. I will put down fertilizer in early February. Last year I used one called "Garden Special", 5-10-15 with Micronutrients. It is made especially for vegetable gardens, produced by GROSouth in Montgomery, Ala. That's all I used and for the first time I had NO leaf spot. The iris outdid themselves and on December 1st I had 15 in bloom. Happy New Year everyone.

Where did you get your Garden Special fertilizer marvine? Thanks for your help.