I can certainly feel for you. I came home yesterday to find that the naughty CROWS had pulled up and thrown around over 100 of my newly planted baby seedlings! Fortunately they leave them where they dig them and I can put them back in. They have thrown labels around before but never plants.

If they're bearded irises:

I would use at least a gallon pot with pebbles in the bottom for drainage & use normal garden soil, not rich potting soil.
If the soil is too rich, your rhizomes will rot.

Bearded irises like it on the dry side, & too much water will make them rot, so don't put a tray under the pot.

Best luck!

(& put them where that kid can't get them!)

I don't know what kind of irises they are. I wasn't able to get back to this right away (and it turns out there was no advice yet anyway), so in the meantime:

I soaked them in water for about an hour, as one website advised when they're uprooted.

Apparently it was fortunate that I didn't have enough potting soil. I used about half Hyponex and half sandy dirt from the yard. In gallon ice cream buckets. I didn't know about the stones in the bottom, but I cut three 1/2 in square holes in the bottom edge, and four slots toward the middle of each bucket.

I watered them really well (yesterday noon) because they were getting brown after being uprooted for two days. Then I was unable to water them in the evening or this morning because of a personal crisis. I got home at 5PM to find them much browner than before, and the bud on one of them bent at a right angle away from the sun. I watered them plenty to make the bottoms leak.

Is it possible for them to come back? How often & how much should I water them? It might be more hurtful than helpful to repot following your recommendations, but I could cut more drainage holes if you think I should.

Also, every time I water them, the water erodes the top dirt a whole lot. Should I just keep adding more as necessary?

If all else fails, I'd really like to get them to bloom again next year...

To be blooming in zone 4 now, they are probably bearded irises. The rhizomes like to be dry, and can do well when the top is exposed, so you don't need more dirt. Water every 2 or 3 days is probably enough. For now, some shade may be better than a sunny spot. The leaves will be limp for awhile. The current buds will probably open, but may be at an odd angle so cut them off (make a bouquet!) if it bothers you & let the plants take it easy for a year. Later in the summer, if you see baby sprouts from new rhizomes, you should get them into the ground or into a bigger pot.

I thought irises like full sun? I'll give them shade tomorrow. How many days?

A bigger pot than a gallon? Actually, I think it's a gallon and a pint. For each rhizome. And I'm loath to put them in the ground because I want to take them with me when I move in the spring.

The main reason to give them some shade is to prevent dehydration. At this point, your main goal is to save the plant, not get massive growth or lots of blooms next year. Since too much water makes iris rhizomes rot, it's better to reduce the watering and keep them in a cool, shady spot until the shock of being pulled up (and losing part of their root system) is over.

Okay. How do I know when the shock is over? The leaves are very brown & dry. Should I give them limited sun or complete shade? How much should I water every 2-3 days? Thanks!

You do have the rhizomes even with or slightly above the soil line, right? Don't cover them with soil or they'll rot.

I grow new rhizomes in pots for a year to get them to make roots so they can survive their first summer in our hot climate. (Sometimes I need to do this when a gopher starts in on a new bed or Irises... similar to your situation.) They are in shallow containers about 1' across and maybe 6-8" deep. They are all planted in MiracleGro potting soil. I leave the very top surface of the rhizome above the soil line. I put them in "the nursery" area, which is mostly shaded. The pots all have good drainage and get watered everyday by the automatic system..... whether they want it or not. If any leaves get dry/yellow I gently pull them off to keep the plants clean.

I hope this helps.

Do the rhizomes look like skinny potatoes with roots coming from the bottom side and a grey-green fan of leaves at one end? Can you take a pot to a nursery for id?

Without knowing which type of iris they are, it is impossible to know how much water.

Yet another kid in today's world that needs a belt taken to his behind.

I'll take away some of the soil; hopefully the rhizomes haven't been covered too long. All the leaves are half brown; should I pull them all off? Thanks.

Yes, that's what the rhizomes look like. Except I think the roots were kinda coming out all around the sides too. IIRC.

I talked to the naughty kid, and when he denied it in spite of two witnesses (other kids), I talked to his father. We both knew he was lying, and his father said if he found out for sure the kid would get a whooping. I told the boy I like kids, I like to play with them and teach them, but I don't like when people mess with other people's belongings. I told him if he sees somebody messing with my plants, please tell me so I can talk to them. Then I shook his hand. I think he was sufficiently impressed with the respect I showed him that he won't do it again. And he hasn't, in almost two weeks.