Cheap Over Winter Method

8 years ago

Greetings All. Purchased 2 Black Game Cock Iris plants in May to put in a dampish boarder spot. Put 2 $1.00 day lilies in the spot and they did well there, so the plan was to put iris plants somewhere else. Have liriope edging, so realized don't need any more trouble with plants needing division and left the iris plants in the pots. Now winter is coming and still don't know where they are going. How to keep them safe over winter until spring when some location ideas come to mind the cheapest easiest way? Thanks.

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littlebit_gw

8 years ago

I am in 7a.. West TN and I have overwintered Louisiana iris in pots. The first time I did it, the pots were in water..and they were fine.. This past yr I just left them out where they could get rain..

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Comments (7)

User
8 years ago
What is your zone?
holmaneva
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi, my zone is 7b.
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holmaneva
Original Author
8 years ago
@littlebit_gw. That is exactly what I ended up doing! LOL. It has been about a month and they seem to doing fine. The problem now is what to do with them for spring. I really don't want anymore plants requiring division that don't stay in their assigned area.
littlebit_gw
8 years ago
You have all winter to find that perfect spot for them.
diane_nny
8 years ago
It's going to get cold here in Zone 4, the ground is already frozen 2" deep. We had to dig up some irises when we built a chicken coop this week. I was wondering if I could just put them in the cellar over the winter with the glads and dahlias?
emerogork
8 years ago
It is late November and I was just given about 50 Iris rhizomes. They all look great and were recently extracted from a garden. I clipped the leaves to fans, knocked off the dirt, and will either replant today and maybe they will bloom next year or can store them for next spring planting.

I read that I should dip them in dilute bleach to disinfect them.

I have had very good success with other Irises in the past but this is the first time that I have received them this late in the year. My usual method to plant them is to dig a deep hole place the plant in and fill the hole with dirt. I shake, life them as I fill and end up with the rhizome very near the top of the soil and partially exposed at the surface. This way the roots are nicely point down and the soil gets tamped in place to keep them in position.

I read that another way is to dig the hole, make a cone to the height that the plant will live. Then distribute the roots over the cone and cover them with soil: no shaking to lifting.

Still, I read to place them on the top of the soil and sprinkle a goodly amount of soil around them leaving the rhizome partially exposed. Then lightly tamp the soil to keep them in place. This effectively creates a mound.

Is there really a difference in these methods?

I figure I will plant about half of them now and save half over the winter. One source claims I should pot them in loose soil, water occasionally, and keep them in a dark/cool cellar. Another says to store them loosely in saw dust/ peat moss/ vermiculite. Dry storage is a lot less work than potting them and certainly takes up far less space in storage.

Maybe someone here can tell me where to stick these plants for the winter...

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