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Irises - incredible beautiful flowers. Irises belong to the genus of rhizomatous perennials of the Iris family. There are about 700 species of irises, in many shapes and shades. The most popular are bearded and Siberian irises. These flowers can grow anywhere, but for me personally, irises are associated with my grandmother's dacha.

It’s not for nothing that many amateur flower growers choose to plant on their personal plot exactly this flower. Iris is considered an unpretentious “resident” of the garden. This flower does not need any special care. The main thing in caring for iris is to choose the right place for planting, feed the iris correctly and cover the iris for the winter.

If we talk about a place to land, then best place for planting iris it will be slightly shaded or sunny place. Irises do not like winds, therefore, the site must be carefully protected from them.

As for the soil, then irises prefer light loamy soil with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. The area for planting irises is prepared in advance (we dig up the soil to a bayonet depth and remove all weed roots; sow thistle and wheatgrass are considered especially dangerous weeds for irises).

The soil can be fertilized with crushed charcoal or ash. If we talk about planting times, then best month turns out to be July. Caring for iris consists of feeding, watering, weeding, loosening, pruning after flowering and preventive measures preventing diseases.

What to do with fertilizing? Many gardeners claim that iris grows well without fertilizing. However, mature plant Still, it’s better to feed. So, starting from the age of three, iris is fertilized 3-4 times. First time - in early spring, the second time - during the budding period and the third time - a month after flowering. Feed iris with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Let's start, perhaps, with the fact that different varieties irises react differently to frost. So, for example, if you are growing domestic varieties irises, then it is not necessary to cover them for the winter, but if you are the owner of an “overseas flower,” then you should learn to protect it from the cold. Monitor the weather forecast in order to take care of covering the plant in advance.

Irises that have had a hard time with the winter will have difficulty producing flower stalks. The plant may die not because of low air temperature, but because of its fluctuations (spring thaw is especially dangerous). So that your pets do not cease to please you, it is better to take care of their “rescue” in advance, starting somewhere in August.

At the end of summer, you should get rid of all the peduncles that are on the stems (just lightly press on the base of the peduncle; after a few days, the break point will dry out). During this same period, watering the irises should be reduced or stopped altogether. It is better not to disturb the soil at this time (stop loosening and weeding).

Trimming iris leaves is a highly controversial topic. Some gardeners are categorically against pruning irises, while others are in favor with both hands. Pruning iris leaves is done in order to destroy all kinds of diseases and pests, and is more of a preventive nature. It's up to you to decide how to cut irises or not. If you still decide to cut them, it is better to do it as follows: cut the leaves in the form of a cone at a height of about 10 cm from the ground, and burn the cut leaves. You can also examine the back of the rhizomes and the base of the fans; treatment with pesticides will not be superfluous.

When the first frost sets in the soil, the plant will need shelter. Iris will not need shelter if the winter is snowy enough and the snow cover reaches 20 cm.

Shelter for irises

Winter shelter for irises must be dry. If the shelter for the iris is not dry enough, the flower may simply dry out from lack of oxygen or become wet due to excess moisture in the soil. The best material oak leaves are used to cover the iris. Oak leaves not only do not cake, but also do not absorb moisture. In addition to oak leaves, you can use spruce branches and pine branches.

Iris rhizomes are sprinkled with dry peat, and the so-called a “cap” made of waterproof material that should not fit closely to the roots. You can also add about 10-15 cm of garden soil and make a tubercle (hut), which will not only soften temperature changes, but also prevent melt water from lingering on the rhizomes. The hut can also be covered with spruce branches.

In the spring, do not rush to remove the cover from the irises because... there is a threat of return frosts. For better oxygen supply, you can simply gently stir the hut. It is better to finally remove the shelter in early April.

Many iris growers and flower growers write to me. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions.

When is the best time to prune iris leaves, summer or fall?
You don’t pick leaves from trees in the summer, do you? Why? That's right, chlorophyll. All plants receive through their foliage solar energy. We prune the iris fan in the summer when we propagate and replant the flower. Because root system is disturbed and reduced - for balance we reduce the fan of leaves, anyway, if you don’t trim, the tips will dry out. If the plant has not been replanted, the leaves are not cut off. You can trim the leaves of the iris only before the frost, and even then it is not necessary, but in early spring, collect the already dry leaves.

You have such a large amount of planting material for irises and peonies, nymphs, miscanthus and other plants. And they are all sold; some varieties have a waiting list of several years. Do you have any sales secrets?
Of course have. And the main one is that we must fight to sell only the quality of the product. The plant market is now very oversaturated. I myself am not lazy and travel all over the country to the best iris gardens during their flowering time and choose the most impressive and charismatic varieties straight from the garden, which make the most vivid impression on people. Plus I get the best new products modern varieties from the USA and Australia. By quality I mean not only healthy and high-quality planting material, but also the varieties of flowers themselves - pure, juicy and bright colors, which are not currently on the market. And further little secret: I haven’t traded at the market for a long time, but flower growers from different cities come to my site, including those who sell at markets and wholesalers. This is what I tell them from my personal experience. If you bring two or three varieties to the market, even the best specimens, for example, dwarf irises, then it will still be difficult to sell. And if you have 20-30 varieties on sale at the same time, then most likely all of them will be sold. Buyers need a variety of assortments, especially if all the varieties are unusual - bright and charismatic. When I traded at the market, I always sold everything I brought. And now they buy a lot from me - the entire collection, 2-3 varieties of each. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to give gifts, don’t be greedy, treat all customers with respect and sincerity.

Before flowering, some iris buds rot and do not bloom. What is the reason?
The larvae are to blame for everything - maggots of a small fly that lays eggs directly in the buds. Now there are a lot of insecticide preparations directed against insects, but the main thing is to spray on time. It is very difficult to track the mass emergence of flies, and then they hover directly over the buds of the irises. Be careful, but you need to spray before the mass emergence. Last year I began spraying irises when the buds had just begun to set and several times before flowering. And if you missed it, the infected buds and stems must be broken off and the larvae destroyed.

Please tell us about the agricultural technology of irises.
Iris is a largely self-sufficient plant. Special care and does not require watering. Often only young plantings are watered. Grows on all soils. You don't have to feed him. But it’s still better to feed a little nitrogen fertilizer at the beginning of spring, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer during flowering. There is no need to feed in summer and autumn. To prevent leaf spot, at the beginning of the growing season, spraying with Strobi gives good results. Iris does not like waterlogging and cannot tolerate stagnation of water in the roots, after which they can rot, often this happens in early spring. Prophylactic spraying of the roots with the antibacterial drug metronidazole or a dark solution of potassium permanganate gives good results. But if the root has already rotted, you must boldly cut out the lesion with a knife, until solid. Or dig up the bush, cut out the rot, dry it in the sun, treat the lesions with antibacterial agents and plant again. For the winter, irises do not need to be covered much. I cover the roots with 1-2 cm of soil and fallen tree leaves. And in early spring, the iris must be freed from its shelter and dry leaves removed.
O. Kitsenko
Newspaper "GARDENER" No. 3, 2012.

Experienced flower growers know that it is very important for irises to surprise you with lush, long and unforgettable flowering next summer. autumn care, as well as timely and proper preparation To winter period.

zelenaya Elena / Myproplants.com

Plant protection. Particular attention should be paid to protecting plants from pests and diseases. Damaged and diseased plants will not be able to withstand even mild frosts.

If you do not practice the use of chemicals in flower beds to control pests, tobacco will help, which at the same time good remedy for pest control, and fertilizing. Can be applied different ways: spraying, fumigation or pollination. Wood ash and onion peel. And the pests will be expelled and the flower will be treated.

Elena Sukhanova / Personal archive

Trimming. Leaf pruning is mandatory. What does it give you ask? Firstly, it gets rid of pathogens and harmful insects, which find refuge in dried and rotten foliage. Secondly, it improves ventilation and evaporation of moisture from the soil. Thirdly, in pruned plantings, water does not stagnate in the roots and the iris does not rot. It's autumn, when rain is not uncommon.

The leaves are cut into a fan shape or a house shape. This pruning helps to avoid or minimize the penetration of rain moisture into the stem, which prevents rotting. After pruning, the height of the leaves should be about 10-15 cm

Alan Levine / Flickr.com

In irises that have been growing for several years, the leaves are cut off after complete flowering. The only thing to take into account is the fact that certain types of irises, including bearded ones, often bloom a second time.

In such cases, irises are pruned before frost. Since the timing of the onset of frosts does not coincide across the territory, the timing of pruning is different for each region: northern regions begin earlier, southern regions later.

But keep in mind that if you cut off the foliage ahead of time, the roots will not be able to ripen completely, and the plant will not overwinter well. It is also important to trim the flowering stem in time. Pruning done at the wrong time can cause rotting or, even worse, cause the seeds to ripen, and this will significantly weaken the irises in winter and may cause death.

anneheathen/Flickr.com

Fertilizers. In the autumn, as a rule, there is no need to use fertilizers, especially if the plants are well developed and powerful. But if you still find it necessary to feed your green pets, remember, in order not to provoke the growth of leaf and stem mass, you should not use nitrogen-containing fertilizers, as well as manure, chicken droppings, fresh compost. Excess nutrition can cause rotting of the rhizome. During this period, it is better to underfeed irises than to overfeed.

Preparing for winter. As cold weather approaches, plantings should be mulched. Sand or peat chips are suitable; you can cover the plants with foliage or spruce branches. But in mandatory Before mulching, check to see if the iris' roots are exposed. In case of exposure, be sure to cover the roots with soil.

If everything is done correctly, on time and with high quality, these beautiful and majestic plants will thank you next summer with long-lasting, and most importantly, beautiful flowering.

People affectionately call irises iris. Their big bright flowers can various shades, they decorate flower beds from May to July, depending on the characteristics of the planted varieties. In order for irises to grow in one place for a long time and maintain their decorative appearance during flowering, you need to provide them proper care after flowering is completed.

After flowering, you should cut out the flower stalks or break them out at the base of the bush. After the foliage begins to turn yellow, you also need to cut it by ½ length. This must be done in order to nutrients accumulated in the rhizomes. Proper feeding stimulates the formation of flower buds for the next year.

A month after flowering, you need to feed the irises with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, dissolving 15 g in 5 liters of water per bush. You cannot fertilize a bed with irises with manure, as this provokes the development of root rot. If you overfeed plants with nitrogen fertilizer, this will stimulate foliage growth and fattening of plants, but there will be no flowering. If the irises are not blooming, it is also possible that they are planted in the shade. Sometimes the reason may be excessive acidity of the soil. These plants prefer neutral and slightly acidic soils. If necessary, you can improve the soil composition by adding compost, humus, dolomite flour, fluff lime, chalk or wood ash.

Preparing plants for winter

If the region where irises are grown has frequent cold, snowless winters, the rhizomes need to be insulated in the fall. To do this, you can use straw, sawdust, humus or peat. However, in this case in the spring, after the onset of stable above-zero temperatures, you need to remove the shelter in time, otherwise the roots may get wet and the plant will die.

Iris rhizomes can also be damped off in the summer if long time The weather is wet and rainy. In this case, plants are also more often affected by fungal infections. To avoid the death of bushes, you need to remove roots affected by rot as quickly as possible, and also select the soil around them. To do this, you can completely dig up the rhizome, carefully examine it, cut out damaged areas and treat it with 20% formaldehyde. After this, dry the roots and plant the plant in another place. To prevent fungal diseases, you can treat irises with fungicides in the spring. Fundazol, Ditan M-45, etc. are effective.

It is recommended to replant the bushes once every 3-4 years, while simultaneously dividing the bushes. For this procedure you need to use sharp knife, sprinkle the cuttings with crushed coal or ash and dry them before planting. It is necessary that the soil in the iris bed is free of weeds. Only by observing these conditions can you achieve long-lasting and abundant flowering.

Many gardeners love garden iris, which is easy to care for and easily tolerates wintering. Difficulties can only bring hybrid varieties. Today we will talk about the features of caring for these.

About winter hardiness of irises

The most winter-hardy varieties are those of domestic selection, as well as foreign ones that have stood the test of time. The most vulnerable are tall plants. Most species have good protection from frost with a 30-centimeter snow cover. In the Moscow region, dwarf and medium-sized irises can overwinter completely without shelter. It is not winter frosts that cause more harm, but spring frosts, since young buds may die.

Timely preparation for winter affects the quality of wintering.

Watering mode

It is recommended to keep bulbous varieties in dry conditions after flowering., watering sparingly if necessary. Since the root system of the plant is located on the surface of the soil, a large amount of moisture threatens the appearance of dark spots on the foliage and their complete decay. In addition, the death of the flower is not excluded.

Purpose and rules for autumn pruning of irises

After the bud has bloomed and dried out, it is removed. This process prevents the formation of seeds, the ripening of which takes a lot of energy from the plant. As a result, the number of flowers on one plant will increase, and repeated flowering will form on some types of irises.

A bush without faded buds looks much more beautiful, even if flowering has already stopped. After all, wilted flowers from irises acquire Brown color which spoils appearance plants. Some varieties of iris can spread throughout the site by self-seeding, thereby creating additional difficulties in removing them in unnecessary places.

What to do with irises after flowering (video)

Some gardeners prefer to preserve the ovules of some varieties because of their attractive looking. For example, beautiful seeds found in stinking iris and leopard lily.

Autumn pruning requires several simple rules:

1. Removal of flowers must be done using fingers or scissors. It is important to ensure that the scissors are clean and sharp. You need to pinch off or cut off the flower immediately behind the bud. Both dry petals and the receptacle should be removed, since it is from this part that the ovule develops.
2. There may be buds that have not yet opened on the stem being treated, so you should carefully remove dried flowers. Some varieties are known for their rapid color change. Such irises require frequent inspection and removal of no longer needed buds.
3. After the plant has finished its flowering period, it is necessary to remove the flower stem, otherwise it may rot. Many species have a fleshy stem. It should be cut at the very base, leaving 2.5 cm above ground level.
4. When cutting stems, it is important to leave the green leaves intact, since with their help the plant transfers the energy needed for wintering to the root system. The foliage should wilt on its own. Withered brown leaves should be cut at a level of 15 cm from the ground.

The cut areas must be sprinkled with crushed charcoal.

Feeding irises in autumn

In the fall, especially after transplantation, when the plant forms a root, it needs to be fertilized with potassium and phosphorus agents (no more than 40 g per sq. m). It is also important to fertilize seedlings to ensure abundant flowering for the next season. Irises do not tolerate manure, therefore it is not recommended to use this type of fertilizer.

Usage large quantity drugs leads to abundant growth of greenery, which harms the quality of wintering. After all the leaves of the plant have been cut off, it must be covered with peat or dry oak leaves. Careful care and proper feeding V in moderation guarantees annual lush flowering.

Planting irises in autumn

Duration autumn planting is about one and a half months. It is important to time the planting so that the iris takes root before frost.

Benefits of autumn planting irises

The characteristics of the plant's growing season influence the choice of planting time. After the end of winter, plants with healthy and developed roots begin to fast growth leaves. In the summer months, new links grow with young and fragile buds, which are easily damaged during planting.

Many gardeners consider the autumn months to be the most suitable time for planting. At this time, the plant has a fairly developed root, and the buds have already become lignified and strengthened. After transplantation, the iris will take root and immediately begin to grow when the spring thaw arrives.

How do irises reproduce (video)

Timing and technology for planting irises in autumn

Before planting, plants must be selected suitable site, which should be open and sunny, because both the above-ground part and the starchy root need light. The bed should have a slight slope to the south. This way, excess moisture will drain away and the entire planting area will be evenly illuminated.

Irises love slightly acidic loams. During digging, the following must be added to the soil:

• at increased acidity soil - ash or dolomite flour;
• for heavy soil - sand;
• for light sandy conditions – clay;
• Rotted humus is needed to increase fertility.

Because the nitrogen fertilizers They activate the growth of greenery, preventing the plant from preparing for the winter; it is not recommended to use them during autumn planting.

A week before the planned autumn planting, the beds should be prepared so that the soil has time to settle and compact. As a result, the seedlings will not go too deep into the ground.

1. Planting material must be dried first.
2. When dividing the bush independently, on each division you should leave a rhizome up to 10 cm long, at least one fan of leaves and replacement buds.
3. The leaves need to be cut off a third of their length.
4. If desired, the seedling can be neutralized by placing it in a manganese solution for a quarter of an hour.

Planting pits should not be very deep so that the root collar is above the soil level. After a couple of weeks, you can check the quality of rooting of the plant. If you pull it slightly, the root system will hold the plant in the ground, preventing it from being pulled out.

Covering irises as the main way to prepare for winter

In southern regions with a mild climate, where there are no very coldy, irises do not require special preparation for winter. Otherwise, without appropriate shelter, the flower may die. If snow falls early and persists until spring, only young bushes can be covered, leaving winter-hardy varieties without shelter.

Very often during the summer the top layer of soil is washed away by rain, exposing the roots. To protect them from vulnerability, in the fall it is necessary to pour a layer of earth, peat or humus on top.

Paws can serve as a material for shelter coniferous trees or other dry material found in the garden. It is better not to use straw or fallen leaves that are prone to overheating, as the plant may develop various diseases and mold will appear.

How to prepare irises for winter (video)

You should not rush to remove the shelter with the arrival of the first thaw. If frost returns, the plant may be damaged. If you want to supply oxygen, the shelter can be carefully turned.

Irises look beautiful both alone and together with other flowers. Not all varieties bloom the first year after planting, so you should be patient and continue to care for the plants. At 3–4 years old, the iris will definitely delight you with its bright colors.