Bearded Irises are commercially shipped at this time of year, usually late June through August. Several folks are asking questions over in the iris forum about packing iris for trading. Thought it might be useful for newbies to hear about what my irises look like when they are received from growers - very easy for us gardeners to immitate.
(NOTE - Beardless irises are treated very differently.)
Packing for iris trading
If you are smart you've dug up and marked one named variety at a time - irises almost all look alike at this stage. and if you don't know the name, at least mark the color if known
after marking, wash as much soil off as you can with a powerful garden hose.
- trim the foliage back. Some say 1/3 to 1/2 the length off. Some say down to 5-6 inches.
- most folks advocate a bleach bath. for me 1 cup bleach mixed with 10 cups water and soak the entire rhizome, leaves and all, for 10 minutes seems enough. have tried the 20 -30 minutes others advocate, and the 2 cups bleach to 10 cups water others advocate, and ended up with fried roots.
-rinse well. I rinse an equal amount of time.
- set out to dry in an airy, shady spot - pros use sheds. I use under a tall deck.
Too much rain ? - I set them inside with a fan nearby, not on, them.
- set them on screens of some sort so air can get all around. Pros use work tables with screen tops. I use an old window screen propped up at an angle on stools. "Roots up!" so water drains down and away from crowns. Cold oven racks work!
-Dry overnight to 24 hours if you have humidity like I do.
- use any clean, sturdy box. Cut air holes a bit small than dimes. LOTS of AIR HOLES. I stab the box with scissors and twist to make holes.
-Packing medium:
many pros use a shredded wood excelsior like they sell at Michaels in the floral section.
smaller growers use scredded newspaper, though this still can gather moisture from the air
One used packing styrofoam peanuts. this shipment did not have far to go, but the irises did not arrive in the best shape.
And one shipper sent her shipment here with the box completely filled, every inch, with rhizomes! She shipped cross country, and priority, and the irises were in great shape.
- Put in a layer of packing material and a single layer of irises. Keep alternating layers, ending with a layer of packing materials.
- did I mention cut the AIR HOLES BEFORE the irises went in the box?
Bearded irises can take heat if they have air.
They can handle humidity to some extent if they have air.
They don't handle trapped air or trapped moisture - they mold. Every moldy iris I've ever planted has had poorer growth, and many surcomb to other disease.
If arrival time is within 10 days OF DIGGING, the irises should look great and they will take right off when planted!
If arrival time is within 20 days, expect a little harmless browning of foliage.
If arrival time is longer than 20 days, foliage will brown and growth will be slowed somewhat.
As long as there is at least 50/50 green to brown, they still have a good chance of growing, possibly even blooming. As long as any green is left, they have a great chance of surviving. Once all brown, it's still possible they are alive, but they will be much delayed for most cultivars.