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iris diseases

18 years ago

For the last two years my iris have developed brown tips. Also the foliage is light green. I keep telling my husband that I think my iris are sick, he says that they all do that, get brown tips. Can anyone tell me if this is a disease or is it just normal for Iris to get these brown tips on their folage.

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Comments (5)

njiris
18 years ago
Mine get brown tips every year. They look awful this time of the season.
I don't think it is a 'sickness' per se. Probably more that the iris are not in their ideal environment.
However...I have heard that it could be due to:
1. mites or
2. nutrition problems (which could also cause pale coloration)
I also think it can be due to high humidity. (that is my own personal, but non scientific observation)
Laetitia
jain
18 years ago
mine turn a pale celery color this time of year, just a normal thing in my garden in the heat of summer, in a few weeks they begin to green up and grow huge.
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Ugh. It's unsightly, not fatal. Your beardeds will be fine and you may even have years ahead without a spot. Make sure the iris have full sun and air circulation. I pull out reseeded annuals whose foliage touches that of the iris. Do not use sprinklers on beardeds. We can't predict when it's going to be a bad year for fungal spot but some people spray with a fungicide when they spot it. A fungicide will innoculate uncontaminated portions of the leaves, but not kill what is there. It's preventative and must be repeated every few weeks according to label directions. You could start spraying. I would not rip away foliage now.
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raccoon
Original Author
18 years ago
Should I cut these brown tips off or just let them be. Also should I fertilize now, to help them green up? Last year I cleaned up the iris beds and I did not get as big of a showing.
thurston
18 years ago
I just looked at mine. Here in TN we've had two days of rain in the past two months. The old growth tips are brown down to about an inch and they are beginning to yellow. I don't cut mine, just clean up the dead leaves.

I'm beginning to get new growth now. Since like us you probably have almost no winter, I'd say fertilize now if you haven't for a while.

Neil
raccoon
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you Neil. I feel better knowing that others have the same problem. Since my winters are mild what kind of fertlizer do you suggest?

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