There can be different reasons for transplanting irises in the garden. If you follow a few rules when transplanting, you can count on good results during propagation and during the subsequent flowering period.

Water your iris sufficiently after transplanting

reasons for transplanting

Transplanting irises may be appropriate when:

  • incorrect site conditions are present
  • soil improvement is only possible by replanting the rhizomes
  • the plants are to be propagated by rhizome division

If the irises in your garden bloom little or not at all, you may have initially chosen a location that is not very sunny. With dense stands, it is also difficult to loosen loamy soil that tends to waterlogging without completely digging up the rhizomes.

Choosing the right time

Sometimes, after a few years, bare spots surrounded by flower rings form in the bed of the irises, which can be traced back to an overaging of the central root rhizome. Wait until flowering is complete before digging up all the irises and replanting only the outer rhizomes with leaves spaced appropriately. Choose a day that is as cloudy as possible outside of a dry period so that the fine roots on the rhizomes dry out as little as possible. But don't wait too long until autumn, otherwise the plants won't be able to grow well in the new location before winter.

The correct procedure for transplanting

If possible, use a digging fork to dig up the rhizomes so as not to damage the roots and leaf bases more than is absolutely necessary. If you only want to replant the irises for garden redesign reasons, then it can still make sense to divide the rhizomes a bit as well. You then have a few years of peace before the care measures that may be necessary at regular intervals for the reproductive irises. Do not leave the rhizomes unprotected for long, but use them as soon as possible in the new location.

tips and tricks

A soil preparation at the new location of the irises with deposited compost loosens the subsoil and saves you from any fertilization measures with these undemanding plants in the following years. After planting in the new location, you should water the irises extensively with a watering can, even in damp weather. This is how cavities in the ground are closed by the alluvial fine earth.

Category:

Vegetable garden