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iris not blooming well

13 days ago

last modified: 13 days ago

I divided my iris in October; now, in April, they are not blooming well. I'm in Dallas (8a). (1) Should I expect diminished blooming in the spring following division? (2) Is there a supplement I can give? Thx. mb

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Comments (8)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 days ago
Bearded iris? As long as they are planted in well draining soil in full sun and with the rhizomes exposed, they should bloom well. Iris rarely require any fertilization.

Mid April is very early for bearded iris to bloom. Here they don't bloom until around Mother's Day or mid May.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 days ago
could we have a picture.. to ID the plant...

iris are rarely houseplants... most large blooming plants require full sun to bloom properly.. and on time

ken
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mb smith
Original Author
13 days ago
Thank you; I will answer you both here since Garden Gal's response has no "comment box." Yes, bearded iris. Yes, lots of sun. I will ck that the rhizomes are exposed on the top for the plants that have not bloomed. How much should be exposed? Just a "slivver" - enough to see where they are planted? - or, say, 1/6th of the thickness of the rhizome? At this point, if I uncover the rhizome, will I get any blooms this year from those plants? b
mb smith
Original Author
13 days ago
I would send a pic but I'm having trouble now getting photos off it. I'm sorry.... b
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 days ago
The rhizome should actually just sit on the top of the soil with only the roots buried. A little less exposure won't hurt but do not cover with soil or mulch. And some gardeners align the plantings so that the rhizome receives the maximum amount of sunlight, which in most cases would be a southwesterly direction.

I would not hold out a lot of hope for later blooms from those that have not yet.....but plants always continue to surprise me so still a possibility. Maybe just not a very strong one :-) According to one of the leading iris growers, only about 50-60% of bearded iris bloom their first year after planting or dividing and replanting.
mb smith
Original Author
13 days ago
I had no idea they should be so shallowly planted! Wow! And here I've been worried about "exposure" and damage to the rhizome!!!

Alas, the house will effectively block SW sun. These get E or N.

Should I remove soil from atop the rhizomes now, do it after bloom (whatever I have!) this spring, or wait until fall? Dallas gets "mighty hot" in mid-June (temps 100+ for a wk at a time and sometimes 2 wks spates) and lasts until about mid-Oct.

I am cutting off the "bloomed stem." Gosh! Hope this is the right thing!!!

thx SO much! b
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 days ago
Planting too deeply could certainly affect the amount of flowering.

Also I have never gardened in TX and even though I am in a higher zone, it does not get very hot here in summer. Sone iris sources do say that in hot climates, a light protection over the rhizomes may be appropriate. And by light they meant a very slight covering of coarse sand or grit. Also the siting of your iris may be of benefit as well as the rhizomes will not be as exposed to midday heat. But they do get at least 6 hours of sun, yes?

Cutting back old flower stems is fine.
mb smith
Original Author
12 days ago
Yes, they easily get 6 hrs of sun! I'll plan to keep just a light layer of soil on them. Thx so much! mb

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