Can anyone tell me the proper way to store iris rhizomes to survive a move from Illinois to AZ? Thanks for any ideas.

If they still have greens, clip those back. Dig up the rhizomes and shake off the excess dirt and pack them in a box with some kind of dry material, sawdust and newspaper shreds work well. Store in AZ in a cool dry place until ready to plant.

Triss

Would this method work if I dug up my irises this fall and didn't/couldn't plant them until next fall? I have bunches of flags and they need transplanted, but I don't have anywhere to put them back into the ground yet.

Dawn

I have no idea if they would last that long... sorry...

Triss

SG, The advice given was good but not necessary. You CAN pack them in a dry material such as sawdust, but as long as they are kept dry, they will be fine. If you have ever purchased Iris by rhizomes, they look completely dry and dead. The key is getting all the soil off the rhizome and dusting them with a fungicide to keep them from rotting in storage. I suggest digging them up, washing them off with plain water to remove ALL soil and letting them air dry. I would divide them into one , two or three rhizomes and then dust them with a dry fungicide (you can get this at some nurseries or ask them what they would recommend for your climate). Throw them in a brown paper bag and keep them someplace cold (simulating winter)and replant them in the spring. Yeah, you may lose a few but so do commercial growers. Hope this helps. Becki

Becki,

I have never used a fungicide on any of my bulbs when storing them. And I don't lose too many but have always done that living in CA, Is that more necessary where the winters are colder like here in NE?

Triss

Triss, Sorry, but I have no idea as I've never lived anywhere but here in Ohio:). As a landscaper, I have always thought it better to be safe than sorry when it comes to my little flower babies..lol. I don't know if the fungicide is necessary or not, I just know that if any bit of soil or disease that one can't see with the eye is left, it will cause rot to set in, so I've just always done it to be safe. Maybe someone living in your new location could better advise you. Good luck! Becki

Thanks to those that gave the suggestions.

So, I could do that too? Is it safe to have them all together in the paper bag, or should they be separated into layers? Also, how exactly to you divide them? To simulate winter, I have a barn and a garden shed, also a basement. Which one of these would you recommmend.

What part of Ohio? I'm in Enon/Springfield area.

Dawn