dyna99 Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Why are my iris' rotting near the bulb? I touched a leaf and it fell off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Does that area have water that stays there?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollycan Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Probably like the rest of us...need more sun, less water. Bon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Plus the ground didn't freeze this past winter. I had some years ago right by our house. All the plants in that flower bed rotted because the gutter was broke on the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Look for pink grubs in there. That looks like the work of the iris borer to me. Once they get started you get soft rot in the tuber and it is pretty much all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyna99 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 If it is the nasty little bug, how do I get rid of them? They are near my other iris'. I will look closer tomorrow. Didn't think of nasty little bugs as I have never had that problem. There is felt paper and lava rock around them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 I did a Power Point presentation on Iris for the Brookville Garden Club. If anyone wants a program then just let me know. Your iris has some sort of a rot problem and it needs immediate attention. Normally you would wait till after they bloom but in this case I would transplant them now, not later. Iris should be dug up and transplanted every three years. Certain insects and fungus can winter over and cause rot problems. Dig them up, clean away all leaves, soil and unhealthy spots. Allow to dry for overnight and get ready to replant. You may want to dust them with a fungicide also. Replant them in a different spot that has lots of sun with sufficient moisture that drains well. Amend the bedding soil deeply first with a fertilizer low in nitrogen such as 5-10-10 and bone meal mixed into the soil well. Replant in a trench-like hole with the small roots down deeper and the upper side (and neck) of the rhizome almost out of the soil. They do not like to be completely buried. Water once and then let them alone. This gives you a chance to improve the plant's performance, health and numbers. Plant three in a circle with the growing end pointing away from the center. There, you're good for three years. Always cut off the foliage in the fall so insects and diseases cannot overwinter in the leaves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 See those wet spots on the leaves? That plus the rot is what makes me think that you have iris borers. It is extremely hard to save irises when they are infested but maybe some of them can be rescued. Dig up anything that appears to be infected. Cut off all of the rot and leaves and inspect the tubers. You may be able to dig out any borers at this point. After you have cleaned up the tubers soak them for 10 minutes in a solution of 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water. This will get rid of any borers and disinfect the tubers. Let them dry thoroughly. Then you can replant elsewhere. The elsewhere is important as the larvae are also in the soil. Choose a sunny spot with good drainage and plant shallowly. If your other irises are close by you may want to move them all. You will forfeit blooms but may save the plant. It is more or less useless to spray for borers after the descend into the tuber but the newly hatched larvae do feed on the leaves so spraying the plants that appear to be unaffected might keep the larvae from getting into the tubers and keep the tubers from starting to rot.(Small holes in the leaves, ragged edges and those wet spots indicate feeding.) Getting rid of these nasties is mostly prevention and sanitation. You can read the link below from the Missouri Botanical Garden. It sums up the prevention measures and also tells you what insecticides are effective. About 5 years ago I had an infestation. i lost some of the plants and saved some. Curiously I dusted the tubers with Comet cleanser that contained bleach. It seemed to work but then I didn't have a bad infestation. I also uses a systemic insecticide once or twice around the non-infected irises. I've had borers wipe out a very large patch of iris plants that had been there for years. They are nasty critters and you have to be vigilant. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/caterpillars/iris-borer.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollycan Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 See those wet spots on the leaves? That plus the rot is what makes me think that you have iris borers. It is extremely hard to save irises when they are infested but maybe some of them can be rescued. Dig up anything that appears to be infected. Cut off all of the rot and leaves and inspect the tubers. You may be able to dig out any borers at this point. After you have cleaned up the tubers soak them for 10 minutes in a solution of 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water. This will get rid of any borers and disinfect the tubers. Let them dry thoroughly. Then you can replant elsewhere. The elsewhere is important as the larvae are also in the soil. Choose a sunny spot with good drainage and plant shallowly. If your other irises are close by you may want to move them all. You will forfeit blooms but may save the plant. It is more or less useless to spray for borers after the descend into the tuber but the newly hatched larvae do feed on the leaves so spraying the plants that appear to be unaffected might keep the larvae from getting into the tubers and keep the tubers from starting to rot.(Small holes in the leaves, ragged edges and those wet spots indicate feeding.) Getting rid of these nasties is mostly prevention and sanitation. You can read the link below from the Missouri Botanical Garden. It sums up the prevention measures and also tells you what insecticides are effective. About 5 years ago I had an infestation. i lost some of the plants and saved some. Curiously I dusted the tubers with Comet cleanser that contained bleach. It seemed to work but then I didn't have a bad infestation. I also uses a systemic insecticide once or twice around the non-infected irises. I've had borers wipe out a very large patch of iris plants that had been there for years. They are nasty critters and you have to be vigilant. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/caterpillars/iris-borer.aspx So nice to have you on here Lavender to help us with our planting problems! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 You are more than welcome to all I have learned by killing one of just about everything. WMJ77 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyna99 Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 I shoveled out the iris's but saw no sign of any creatures in or around the area. I am just wondering if its not more rot from too much water. I had felt pads down because of the lava rock. I took it all out and am hoping that's all it was. I took the bulbs out and checked thru them, am letting them dry and will work more on them tomorrow. I also found aphids on my butterfly bush, so we cut it all down and sprayed all around what was left and the ground around it...I'm so upset! I have never had that much problem with flower beds and such. I started clearing out all of the junk out of my other flower beds. Not sure if I'm uprooting flowers or not since I can't remember what all is planted there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Aphids aren't such a bad pest to have. Just shoot them off of the plant with a hard burst of water. Iris likes to be in well drained soil so if it feels damp then it is probably too wet. dyna99 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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