What could be eating my iris?

Garden Forum » Irises in the Garden Forum » What could be eating my iris? « Previous    Next »

Author Message   Kweenie97  My Weather My Time Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 04:37 pm EST :    Hello all! I'm new to this site (as well as gardening!) and wondered if someone could answer a question for me. Yesterday I dug up a super compacted tangle of irises that I'm guessing have been there for a really long time (we just bought the house last year though). By the time I had everything untangled and divided there were 8 dozen transplantable rhizomes! I kept a dozen and found homes for the rest. I moved what I kept to the other side of the house though and when I went to check on them today, two had been pulled out of the soil (roots and all) and looked like they had been nibbled on a bit. I replanted them and hoped whatever didn't cause too much damage. Any idea what could have been munching on my transplants? What I might be able to do to deter it? Thanks for any help! Kweenie97 - Michigan, Zone "5"   Nina  Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 06:09 pm EST :    Hi! I'm new here too, but have grown irises for a while. In the spring I've had deer taste new growth on irises, sometimes preventing blooms that season. They don't seem to like them too well though. At this time of the year, squirrels have sometimes dug up newly planted rhizomes. Just plant them back in the ground (not too deeply). It helps to sprinkle cayenne pepper on the ground. Nina - NY, Zone "5B"   Tommyr  My Weather Posted on Friday, September 21, 2007 - 08:09 pm EST :    Grubs LOVED mine in the past so I quit them. Planted some new ones this year and will use grubX next year to help kill off the grubs. Tommyr - New York, Zone "6"   Nina  Posted on Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 09:17 am EST :    Tommy - Sounds like iris borers. This is the time of the year eggs are being laid on the leaves, so be sure to pull off & throw away dead leaves. In the next few weeks, for further grooming, you could cut green fans down to about 6 inches (since yours are new, they probably don't need trimming). When irises are too close together it is more likely for them all to be infested, rather than a random attack. In the summer, when the top rots off all of a sudden (from the damage the borers start) it helps to scrape dirt off the top of the rhizome, and sprinkle on lots of kitchen cleanser to dry them out & disinfect them. This is easier to do than digging up everything & soaking them in bleach. Also, not all grub products help. The Bayer one, with Merit (systemic insecticide) does, but not until the borer eats/starts its tunnel in the leaf. Then they die!!! Sprinkling some around each rhizome now might help, so it will be incorporated into the new growth taking place underground. Other approaches are to hook up a nozzle/hose to a propane tank & torch each clump, soon, to kill eggs, or, in the summer, spray plants with Cygon, which is potent & sometimes possible to find in agricultural product stores. The iris game would be much easier if we all lived in Oregon! Best of luck, Nina - NY, Zone "5B"   Mimi  Supporting Member My Weather Posted on Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 12:33 pm EST :    My friend Marion was always teaching me about Iris Borers. She dug up her iris each & every year looking for those creatures. Mimi - Wisconsin, Zone "4b"   Tommyr  My Weather Posted on Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 12:53 pm EST :    > > > > That is one BIG iPhone! I may get an iPod Touch. > > > Tommyr - New York, Zone "6"   Allieok  Supporting Member My Favorite Photo My Weather My Garden My Time Posted on Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 10:27 pm EST :    Iris borers do not pull iris rhizomes out of the soil. Some small animals do. Allieok - Oklahoma, Zone "7a"   Mimi  Supporting Member My Weather Posted on Sunday, September 23, 2007 - 11:14 pm EST :    think the iPhone is big, you should see the case I got for it. Mimi - Wisconsin, Zone "4b"

Add Your Message Here Post: -Color- Black Red Green Blue Yellow Purple Orange Cyan Gray White -Font- Arial Courier Symbol Times Verdana -Size- Smallest -2 Small -1 Normal Large +1 Largest +2 Username: Posting Info: Only registered GardenBuddies can post. If you do not see your post the way you intended it to look in the preview screen then you made a mistake. Please correct it before posting. Remember the only way to link to an image is the following: \imagelink{Http://www.yoururl/yourflower.jpg} Password: Options: Enable HTML code in message Automatically activate URLs in message Action: or

Topics

Legal

Pass Through These Garden Gates ---------------Administration---------------- F.A.Q's Report Bugs and Fixes Suggestions and Comments Test Post Area --------------Pastime Favorites-------------- Crafts and Hobbies Garden Recipes Home Repairs and Questions Lifestyles of Gardenbuddies My Favourite Book Photography and Software Subtopic of the Month Who Am I? ----------------In The Garden---------------- Advice and Makeovers in the Garden Annuals and Perennials in the Garden Forum Aquilegias in the Garden Forum Archives in the Garden Assignments in the Garden Birds and Their Environment in the Garden Forum Bonsai in the Garden Bulbs in the Garden Campanula in the Garden Clematis in the Garden Container Gardening in the Garden Dahlias in the Garden Daylilies in the Garden Decorating in the Garden Delphiniums in the Garden Forum Edibles in the Garden Euphorbias in the Garden Ferns in the Garden Fuchsias in the Garden Geraniums in the Garden Grasses in the Garden Greenhouses in the Garden Hellebores in the Garden Herbs in the Garden Heucheras in the Garden Hibiscus in the Garden Forum Hostas in the Garden Indoor Plants in the Garden Irises in the Garden My Journal in the Garden Forum Nature in the Garden Orchids in the Garden Penstemons in the Garden Peonies in the Garden Forum Pest and Diseases in the Garden Plant and Seed Resource in the Garden Ponds and Waterfeatures in the Garden Roses in the Garden Salvias in the Garden Shade in the Garden Shrubs in the Garden Soil Amendments in the Garden Starters in the Garden Forum Succulents in the Garden Trading Plants and Seeds in the Garden Trees in the Garden Tropicals in the Garden Vines and Climbers in the Garden Wishes in the Garden -----------Gardenbuddies Galleries----------- Déjà Vu Gallery Garden Gallery House and Town Gallery Identify This Plant Gallery Meeting Gardenbuddies Gallery Noah's Ark Gallery Social Gallery Vacation Gallery