The flowering period of irises is quite long. These charming plants, popularly called males, delight the eye with their color for several months - from mid-May to the end of July. Caring for irises may extend this period. An important role is played by autumn care work, which lays the foundation for the favorable development of culture next year.
Care for irises in August - September
In the last month of summer, the flowering of irises is nearing completion. Now the real florist should take care to create good wintering conditions for the plants. The main works are reduced to pruning, fertilizing, processing from insect pests and diseases. You also need to pay attention to the bushes that require transplanting, because irises do not like to "stay" in one flower bed.
Did you know? The name "iris", translated from Greek as "rainbow", speaks for itself - in nature there are about 3,500 varieties of culture, abundant in a variety of colors of flowers.
Pruning
The irises are drawn twice. Once the plants have bloomed, you need to eliminate the peduncles. It is important to accurately determine the period when this can be done. Try to tear off a wilted stem with buds - if it easily breaks off with a bang, then the time has come. If it does not give in, you need to wait a while, the peduncle has not dried out enough. The need for this procedure is explained by the fact that seed stalks and plants will begin to ripen in the flower stalks remaining on the irises, which, instead of gaining strength by winter, will spend them on reproduction, thereby weakening.
In addition, trimmed bushes will receive more air, heat and, as a result, strengthen. But the foliage is not pruned - it will still be needed to nourish the roots and grow the divisions. Exceptions are dried and infected foliage, which must be eliminated. Second pruning held immediately before wintering. Dry foliage is removed under the root, and green is shortened to a height of 15 cm.
Pay attention to the fact that slices on the leaves should be made so that they take a conical shape - so it will be better to drain water from them. Gardeners often send cut leaves to a compost pile, although this is not advisable. It is better to remove from the flowerbed and burn all the biological debris left after pruning, as spores of fungi or eggs of insect pests can remain in it.
Top dressing
Males are very responsive to fertilizers. Top dressing contributes to the growth of foliage, beautiful flowering, the development of immunity to diseases and pests. Fertilizers are applied in several stages. First feeding carried out in early spring using nitrogen compounds, which provoke the growth of "green mass". Second - during budding. Now plants are more in need of phosphorus-potassium compounds, which provide further splendor of flowering.
And finally, autumn is held third feeding. After a long growing season and flowering, many nutrients leave the soil, the balance of which must be immediately replenished. Autumn feeding is also important because it falls on the period of growth of new root links and the formation of flowering buds of the next generation. In early September, the soil should be loosened, moistened, and then fertilized with a composition of superphosphate (50 g per 1 m²) and potassium sulfate (30 g per 1 m²).
You can use the complex fertilizers available on the market. For example, feeding “Kemira”, containing the optimal composition of macro- and microelements, which allow plants to gain strength and excellent wintering, will be a good option. Pay attention to the fact that in many varieties of iris, the roots lie very high to the surface of the earth, so digging with fertilizers must be done very carefully.
Important! Do not fertilize the soil with fresh manure, which can cause damage to the roots of the fungal infection. It is only necessary to use humus.
A damaged root system may not cope with winter frosts. It is also useful to feed irises in autumn with a solution of wood ash. To make the product, you need to dilute 250-300 g of ash in a bucket of water and insist for several days. The solution watered the recesses previously formed around the bushes (500 ml each). Top dressing will perfectly strengthen the root system and serve as soil for microorganisms that improve soil quality.
Video: essential feeding for lush flowering
Transplant and division of irises
Irises need a periodic transplant. Most hybrid varieties are preferably transplanted every four years to a new place in order to be able to constantly contemplate the beauty of their flowering. This is due to the fact that in a few years the soil under irises is greatly depleted, the plant is practically in decline. Flowers are very small, and their number is reduced. In addition, over this period, shoots grow strongly, squeeze each other, as a result of which plants become more vulnerable to various kinds of diseases.
Only single, especially undemanding varieties, such as, for example, Siberian, can bloom on one flowerbed for about 10 years. A good period for transplanting is September. So the plants will have time to take root well, get stronger before the severe frosts hit. Carrying out the procedure in a later period threatens the death of culture. A place for the iris garden should be prepared in advance - usually this is done in a month, in August.
Important! It is better to raise a flower bed with irises to a height of 15 cm to avoid the possibility of stagnation of moisture if groundwater lies high to the surface of the earth.
It is better that it be a sunny, windless area, the soil on which does not suffer from waterlogging. If the soil is highly clayey, it must be mixed with sand to avoid root decay. From the place where the future flower bed will be located, weeds and all biological debris in which harmful microorganisms can progress should be removed. Now the soil should be fertilized.
For this, the following components should be taken on 1 m²:
- a bucket of humus (rotted compost);
- 300 g of wood ash;
- 60 g of superphosphate;
- a bucket of sand.
All these components must be mixed and dug into the ground. The place of future landing should be covered with a film in order to exclude contact with air. Pits are dug up immediately before the transplant. It is necessary to observe a distance between them of about 30–40 cm. The moons themselves should be quite spacious, approximately 40 × 40 × 40 cm. There are two ways to transplant irises - transshipment and division of the bush. The first method is applicable to young bushes, not older than 4-5 years old, which have not yet managed to grow very much.
Iris is carefully scooped up together with a root and an earthen lump, trying not to damage fragments of the plant, and transferred to a new place. Adult bushes are dug up, shake the rhizome from the ground and divided into separate fragments. Each divide must have a segment of rhizome, about 10 cm long with flower buds and a small "fan" of leaves. It is advisable to disinfect the roots - put them in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate for a couple of hours, and then dry them in the sun.
Long leaves need to be cut in half. At the bottom of the landing moon, form a small soil hill on which to “plant” a seedling and spread the roots on the sides. Fill the hole with soil and moisten well. About 3-4 liters of settled water should be distributed to each bush. It is advisable to mulch the planting using sand, peat or other material. This is necessary in order to better retain moisture in the soil.
Video: propagation of irises by dividing the bush
Disease and Pest Treatment
Having noticed flowers fading for unknown reasons in the flowerbed, many flower growers decide to get rid of them faster, fearing infectious diseases that are quickly transferred to neighboring crops. Meanwhile, the cause of many diseases is improper care. Waterlogged soil, lack of regular top dressing, thickened bushes - all this makes the plant weaker, unable to withstand external negative factors.
Did you know? The iris flower is best suited for pollination: the bright upper petals attract insects, and the lower, having an open shape, serve as a "landing site" along which the path passes directly to the nectary.
Therefore, first of all, irises must be properly looked after. Most often, irises suffer from different types of rot, affecting plants in wet weather. It is also possible the occurrence of bacterial, viral diseases, from which, sometimes, it is very difficult to cure plants. During the growing season and flowering, irises often become a tidbit of insects, which not only affect the culture, but also lay their larvae here. The most dangerous thrips, scoops, bears.
Rot of iris: Do not mind eating irises and larvae of May beetles, which eat rhizomes with appetite, which is why the culture often dies. In the autumn period, it is very important to carry out the treatment in order to rid the flowers of ailments before wintering, and in the spring to see them healthy and strong again. First of all, have a good look at the plants. If you notice affected fragments, immediately cut them and burn them. Immediately after trimming, carry out preventative chemical treatment.
Fungicides such as Tsineb or Fundazol will help against diseases.which are previously diluted in the proportions indicated on the package (on average, 40 g of the product per 10 liters of water), and then sprayed. A 1% solution of Bordeaux fluid also helps. To get rid of insects and their larvae, settled in irises for wintering, the plants are treated with the insecticides Actellik (2 ml of the product per 2 liters of water), Karbofos (60 g per 10 l) or Aktara (10 g per 10 l of water).
Opponents of chemicals can take advantage of folk methods, for example, showering plants with wood ash powder. One of the effective insect repellents is an onion husk infusion. It is done simply: 200 g of husk pour 10 liters of hot water, cover and leave for 4-5 days. After that, the liquid should be filtered and you can start spraying.
Winter preparations
Most varieties of irises safely tolerate frosts. But you need to take into account that over the entire season a part of the soil is washed off and the roots of plants located close to the surface are simply exposed and can freeze in winter. Well inspect the flowerbed and sprinkle such areas with soil. In the southern regions, iris can not be harbored for the winter, but in the northern regions this must be done.
Young and only transplanted plants are also subject to mandatory warming. As a covering material, a mulching layer of sawdust, peat chips or well-rotted manure is used. You can also use a mixture of sand and soil, made in a ratio of 1: 1. The layer thickness should be between 15–20 cm.
If the winters in your region are cold and lightly snowy, you can additionally cover the flower bed with any non-woven materials. To do this, use burlap, spunbond or even ordinary cardboard packaging (boxes). For lack of such, use spruce branches or tops.
Video: preparing irises for winter
Gardener tips
Each gardener, already experienced in growing irises, knows his own special secrets on how to properly care for the crop.
Beginners should consider the following tips:
- Trimming flower stalks is best done manually without the use of secateurs - this reduces the risk of infection from infected plants to healthy ones.
- Cutting is preferably done in a dry season so that the slices are quickly tightened with a protective crust.
- Irises need a transplant every 4-5 years, so that the plants grow well, do not get sick and bloom magnificently.
- In autumn, the soil should not be fertilized with nitrogen-containing compounds - this will provoke a rapid growth of greenery, while the rhizome will rot.
- Do not use mowed grass or leaves fallen from garden trees as mulch. Such material in wet weather begins to rot quickly and can become a good springboard for the settlement of fungal infections.
- Spray with chemicals only on dry, calm weather. If you treat the plant in wet weather, some of the funds will be washed off the leaves without any benefit. Spraying will have to be repeated.
- Varieties of irises that freeze even with cover should be removed from the soil for the winter. Bulbs are dug up, cleaned of the ground, treated with insect repellent and left to dry for a month in a warm room. Then it is better to put the bulbs in the cellar or refrigerator.
- For high varieties of irises, you need to dig metal arcs over the bed and cover them over the film or roofing material, and press the edges to the ground with something heavy (bricks, stones, etc.).
Proper preparation of irises for the winter will help plants easily survive the frosts and spring back into growth. Do not forget to take care of the crop, replant on time, and soon the iris flowerbed at your site will delight you with powerful peduncles with large beautiful buds.
