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Divide iris, daylilies and spring bulbs now
August is usually hot and dry. Most of us prefer not to be gardening but instead enjoying the fruits of our labor. Yet, if we want to enjoy plants next spring, August is the time to move away from the air conditioner and amble outside. Typically the hottest and driest month of the year is the perfect time to divide perennials such as daylilies, iris and the spring flowering bulbs, like tulips and daffodils. By this time, most of the iris have already produced their new growth and can be lifted, separated and replanted. Iris and daylilies can be become crowded over the years and cease to produce new blooms. In fact, an iris fan tends to bloom only once, but may produce one or two new fans. These will bloom and produce new fans. However, if there is no room to produce new growth, the rhizomes won't. Thus, you end up with lots of great looking foliage, but few blooms. The same thing can occur with daylilies, and to some extent, with daffodils and tulips. Most iris should be dug and the old rhizomes and fans discarded. These include the bearded, Japanese, Louisiana-types, spuria and Siberia. Check the rhizomes or horizontal woody stems for any indication of rot or borers. Both of these problems will make the rhizomes soft and mushy. If present, throw the rhizomes away. Take the remaining rhizomes and separate them out so you have a fan, a piece of the rhizome and some good roots. Plant these an inch deep and firm the soil around the rhizomes. You can take a sharp pair of scissors and cut the tops back by half. They'll look funny, but it will help to limit wilting.
Now is the time to modify the soil. Add an ample amount of organic matter such as rotted manure or compost. Till it in deep then water thoroughly after planting. Time will push the rhizome to the surface where it belongs. An inch of soil covering it now helps the plant establish. Do not mulch as that can lead to rot. The same process can occur with the daylilies, though you don't need to be as careful with them. More than likely, you'll need to take a sharp knife to the rhizomes and separate the plants out. You want some roots with each piece, but you'll have to sacrifice some to the greater cause. Don't worry. Daylilies can practically be divided anytime the ground isn't frozen. Typically, I divide after they're done flowering. Plant the clumps a couple inches beneath the soil line. Spring bulbs are the hardest to dig, divide and replant, simply because they don't have any above-ground presence. The foliage has long since died and more than likely, something else is covering the plants. Ideally, you should mark the bulbs in the spring for August digging. Of course, few of us think that far ahead. My intentions are to do it each year, then I forget. So, I order new bulbs instead with the thought that it keeps the economy going. If you have a general idea of where the bulbs are, wet the area, wait a day and take a potato fork to the area. It's better to go out past the bulbs than to spade directly on top of them. Work the soil off the bulbs and dry them in the garage for a week or two. They can be planted immediately or in September. If you transplant iris, daylilies or the bulbs later in the day, there's less of a stress on the plants and you.
David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, University of Illinois Extension. You can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. 16 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING AUGUST 1999 |
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