Is it Actually Better to Mulch Irises in this Climate? 4.7.19

Bearded Irises, No Mulch.  4.7.19

Bearded Irises, No Mulch.  4.7.19

 I have decided that the recommendations to never mulch irises are so much garden legend, unfounded and contrary to fact.  It could be, in most climates, and with most mulches, irises will get sick and die, like they suggest.  Rhizomes rotting due to too much moisture.

A few years ago, I basically gave up on my irises.  They repeatedly got fungal and/or bacterial leaf diseases.  Not only misshapen and ugly, but the leaves would die at their bases.

I finally gave up, planted them at the edge of the woodlot, and mostly forgot about them.  I mulched that area with arborist chips, to keep the weeds down. Interestingly, all of those irises flourished.  And no leaf diseases.  My enthusiasm returned, and I decided to move many of the clumps into a dedicated garden bed.  I kept the soil surface clean, and free of weeds.  I also added many new varieties.  However, the space was limited, so probably half of my bearded irises are still in the mulched border.

Meanwhile, I added a finely chopped fir bark mulch to those in the border.  This was the cheapest mulch I could find.  I used it to keep down weeds.

Bearded Irises, Bark Mulch.  4.7.19

Bearded Irises, Bark Mulch.  4.7.19

 Both groups of irises were doing great until this week.  We had a chill, a big rain storm, and several rainy days.

Result:  Now many of the irises that I am growing "correctly" have the leaf spot diseases again.  None of the mulched ones do.

I'm disappointed.  I really followed the instructions.  But the ones that I had "written off" and mulched regardless of the MANY reports stating not to,  look great.  MANY of the ones that I treated right, with no mulch - have leaf spot diseases.

Here is my theory.  Maybe the fir bark has antibacterial and antifungal properties.  And maybe the rain splashes spores of bacteria and fungi onto the leaves, where they grow.  Mulched soil does not allow the spread of the diseases.

As an aside, I had decomissioned some of the old raised iris beds and constructed a raised bud on top of them.  I dug out most of the irises and moved the clumps to the woodlot border, but some were too much trouble.  So I buried them, at least 6 inches deep.  DUring the next year, several bearded iris plants grew up through the soil, and did fine.

Mearded Irises, Bark Mulch.  3.7.19

Bearded Irises, Bark Mulch.  3.7.19

I dug those out and moved them.  They had constructed new, sort of vertical rhizomes, up to the soil surface.  They are growing fine.  So I'm really not convinved that the rule, never bury iris rhizomes, is universally true.  Maybe mostly true, in most places.  Garden wisdom happens for a reason.  But I have to face the facts and experience in my garden:  Not only does mulching, at least with shredded or small nougat fir bark, not damage iris rhizomes, it may well protect them from disease.

I'll continue to watch them, of course.  Maybe the ones in the mulched borders are just waiting then will burst out with devastating leaf diseases.  We'll see.

Grafting Update. 4.2.19

Quince Graft.  4.2.19

Pristine Apple Graft.  4.2.19

 Most of the grafts still appear to be viable and many are breaking dormancy.  It still amazes me that grafting works, but it seems it's just taking advantage of the natural healing capacity of trees, so when a graft is cut and assembled reasonably well, nature really does the work.

All of the quince grafts have broken dormancy, as have many of the apples, the Raja Asian pear, and some of the Kiwis.  I haven't checked the plums for a while.

The Pristine apple grafts were really tiny.  They were from a branch with graft failure, that was barely hanging on.  I'm surprised and pleased to see some growth.

Raja Asian Pear Graft.  4.2.19

Flowers. 4.2.19

Daffodils.  4.2.19

 Some nice flowers blooming now.  I love this season.

Last fall I planted most of the daffodils in rows.  Rows are easier to manage, and I can't be Martha Stewart or some kind of HGTV gardener.  These are just for me to enjoy, anyway.  I like this double one a lot.

I was about to give up on the helleborus, but now it's a blooming machine.

I've been trying to naturalize violets from my old yard, in the Battleground yard.  Despite a reputation for being invasive, they've been slow to settle in.

This is one of the larger patches of violets here, now.  These are in full sun.  Nothing seems to bother them, not rabbits, or deer, or slugs.

Ornamental Quince.  4.2.19

Local Violets.  4.2.19

Figs. 4.2.19

My Main Row Of Fig Trees.  4.2.19

Carini Fig Breaking Dormancy.  4.2.19

 Today I finished removing the last of the terracing that I put in a few years ago for the fig trees.  I think the idea had potential, but in the end it did not work so well.

These fig trees are on a hill, so I thought the terracing would help the ground hold water.  However, with the grass and fig trees, that isn't needed.  Meanwhile, mowing was difficult because the grass hid the the stones and blocks I used to terrace the soil, and I could not just walk up the row of trees with the lawn mower.

So I have been removing the terrace stones and bricks over the past year  I had some fill soil removed from decommissioned raised beds, so I spread that on the uneven areas, and broadcast grass seed there.  Now, the last of the re-contouring is done.  It will be easier to mow in the future, easier maintenance, less likely to trip on the terrace stones and uneven grade.

Meanwhile, the fig trees are coming out of dormancy.  Celeste seems to be earliest.  That tree is still young, and I have not yet tasted a Celeste fig.  The others are not far behind.

I have yellow jacket traps out now, too, to catch the queens before they build nests and start colonies.  So far, none are in the traps.

 

 

 

Petite negri Fig Breaking Dormancy.  4.2.19

Celeste Fig Breaking Dormancy.  4.2.19

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Garlic. 4.2.19

Garlic Bed.  4.2.19

Today I cleaned up the garlic bed.  The main problem with perennial or overwinter vegetables is that weeds grow among them and it's not always easy to get out in the weather to clean them up

Still, this bed is the best looking garlic I've had in years.  Must be the varieties (Music looks the best, but Spanish Roja is looking good too), and the fact that I have them fenced in.  Made a big difference, so far.