Irises are plants that tend to grow over time. Five years after planting, a small bush can turn into a real tree. And, it would seem, there is nothing bad in this phenomenon, if not for one "but" - the large irises do not practically bloom.
There is an opinion that transplanting irises is a thankless task, as in most cases the plant dies. But the long experience of gardeners proves the opposite. If all the rules and terms of transplanting irises are met, then the flower will continue to please the eye after division of the bush.
Irises reproduce well enough in a vegetative way, and on a new place after a division get accustomed quickly. It is necessary to divide the plants, as the rhizomes live about five years, growing very much. Over time, young plants, grown in almost the same place, begin to oppress each other. Tightness leads to deterioration or disappearance of flowering, decorativeness noticeably decreases, and in the center of the bush a "dead zone" is formed. For this reason, susceptibility to diseases is increased, and winter hardiness, on the contrary, decreases.
Transplant rules
The end of summer-beginning of autumn is the best time when you can transplant irises in our latitudes. Already two weeks after flowering, the plant is ready for division and transplantation. However, the transfer of irises is allowed in the autumn. The answer to the question of whether it is possible to transplant irises in spring, when the plant is at the initial stage of the vegetative period, will also be positive. If necessary, the iris, dug neatly with a lump of "native" land, is transplanted to a suitable place. It should be noted that the rhizomes of the plant are fragile enough, so damage should be avoided. This is especially true if the iris is transplanted in the spring, when the roots actively absorb moisture.
The segments-the links of the rhizomes, that is, the annual growths, can be up to ten centimeters in length, and their diameter is 3 centimeters. Digging out the old bush of iris is done with the help of forks, and the rhizomes are then divided into planting strips consisting of one to two year old fused links with fan leaves. These dips should be soaked in a 0.2% solution of potassium permanganate for two hours to effect disinfection. Then they are dried in the sun.
After the pieces have dried up, they should prune the leaves so that with no water drains easily. Roots at the same time shorten to ten centimeters in length. The large links of the rhizomes of the plant without the living leaves and root shoots that were left after digging out the overgrown bushes of iris can be planted again on the bed so that a year later the sleeping buds grow on them.
Helpful Tips
If you are the owner of plants of especially valuable rare varieties, and do not know how to properly transplant irises, then it is necessary to take care of a large amount of planting material. The fact is that when using the kidney mode of reproduction, you can get up to five dozen saplings from one overgrown rhizome. For this, the rhizomes excavated with a lump of earth are gently laundered, well dried, and then cut transversely into small pieces. In this case, each delenka must have one kidney and one or two rootlets. The slices are dried, then powdered with charcoal powder. The iris cultivated in this way is planted on beds, laying them in furrows with a depth of not more than five centimeters. The interval between the lines should be at least ten centimeters. Above them they sprinkle the earth and water abundantly. A year later young shoots can already be transplanted to a permanent place.