These beautiful flowers are an adornment of any suburban area. However, when growing them, special recommendations from plant care specialists must be taken into account. Let's consider them in more detail.
general information
In nature, irises are represented by a huge variety of species, which number more than 800. From the Greek language, the name of this amazing flower translates as "rainbow". This is due to the fact that this culture has inflorescences of any color scheme. Iris is a perennial flower that is distinguished by thick branching rhizomes and bulbous roots. It is easy to recognize by upright leaves and large flowers, which are distinguished by their unusual shape and bright color. Today, iris grows almost all over the world.
Basic rules for plant care
First of all, it is worth saying that the rhizome of this flower requires minimal care. After landing of the iris, it is enough to manually remove the weeds and gently loosen the soil. It should be borne in mind that the rhizome of the plant is quite close to the surface of the soil. When the flowers grow quite strongly, weeding and loosening is recommended and completely excluded.
There are several recommendations that should be followed when growing killer whales. Firstly, you need to carry out daily watering of the plant, subject to dry weather. If the summer turned out to be normal, then it is enough to moisten the soil 3 times a week. Watering plants is recommended in the evening. At the same time, you need to make sure that moisture drops do not fall on the leaves of the flower.
Too weak plant stems are recommended to be tied to supports. If the onion-like appearance of the iris grows on the site, then it is necessary to remove wilted or old leaves in a timely manner.
Fertilizers are applied 3 times per season: in spring, at the time of budding, and within 30 days after flowering. Spring dressing is carried out using fertilizers, which include a high content of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. In the process of budding, the same top dressing is used, but in larger quantities. When the iris has faded, it is recommended to apply phosphate and potash fertilizers. It is very important not to feed the plants during the flowering period. Trimming irises is also required. It is worth considering that these events are carried out more than once. Let's consider in more detail.
Pruning irises during propagation and transplantation
In order for the plants to quickly take root in a new place, it is necessary to significantly reduce the area of evaporation of flowers. To do this, prune the leaves 2/3 of their total length. If the bush is transplanted in the summer, then the iris fan must also be cut. This procedure is very important, because otherwise the plant will cease to bloom profusely next year.
The thing is that the old root system of the iris after transplantation is significantly reduced, respectively, and its activity is not enough for the nutrition of foliage and peduncles. If you do not cut the fan in a timely manner, then the tips of the leaves in any case will begin to turn yellow and dry.
During flowering
Before considering pruning iris leaves in the fall, it is worth saying a few words about leaving in the process of the appearance of flowers. During this period, it is enough to periodically get rid of faded peduncles. In addition, at the end of the summer season, it is necessary to cut off all the old and damaged foliage. Healthy leaflets are cut 2/3 of their length.
Pruning and caring for irises after flowering
A month after the plant has flowered, it is necessary to feed it with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. To do this, 15 grams of the product must be dissolved in half a bucket of water. This volume is enough for 1 bush. In no case should you fertilize these delicate flowers with manure, as this can lead to the development of root rot. It is also not recommended to overfeed killer whales with fertilizers, which contain a lot of nitrogen. There is no need for this at this stage. The fact is that nitrogen provokes the rapid growth of leaves. Because of this, all trace elements will only go to the tops, and at some point, the plants will simply stop blooming. It is also worth considering that these flowers grow better on neutral and slightly acidic soils.
In addition, it is worth considering when to cut irises after flowering for the winter. Like any other plant, killer whales need proper preparation for frost. This is necessary so that the flowers do not die and continue to delight the eye.
How and when to cut irises for the winter
This procedure is considered the most important of all. Kasatikov must be properly prepared for the winter cooling. The timing of pruning irises in autumn depends on the region where the plant is grown. On the territory of central Russia, this procedure is usually performed in October.
Experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the leaves in the form of a cone. This is necessary so that the water slides better. If it stagnates on a plant, then it can freeze.
In addition, when pruning irises for the winter, it is worth considering other recommendations. After treatment, the height of the bush above the soil should be no more than 15 cm. Also, the foliage is trimmed during this period for other reasons. For example, in the fan there is a huge number of microorganisms that can become pathogens of an infection or virus.
In addition, various pests often lay eggs and larvae on foliage. Accordingly, autumn pruning of irises is also a kind of preventive measures. All cut foliage must be burned to prevent the spread of harmful microorganisms and parasites. After trimming the rhizomes, the plants are sprinkled with earth. In this case, the layer height should be about 5 cm.
How to prepare a plant for the cold
Knowing when to cut irises after flowering for the winter, you can save a flower bed with beautiful plants for a long time.
If severe frosts prevail in the suburban area, then in the autumn period it is necessary to think about warming the root system of killer whales. Typically, straw, sawdust, humus or peat is used for this. However, when using these natural materials, they must be removed in a timely manner with the onset of spring. If you remove the shelter too late, then the rhizomes of the flowers can get soaked so that the irises will die. And then it will not matter how and when to cut irises for the winter.
It will also be useful to consider the underlying diseases that affect killer whales.
Mosaic
Despite the innocuous name, this viral disease is very dangerous for the flowers. Mosaic can be identified by stripes and spots on the foliage of plants. In order to cure the viral mosaic, active preparations have not yet been developed, therefore the only remedy that will help protect against the disease is timely prevention.
First of all, it is necessary to remove seedlings that are already affected by the disease as soon as possible. After that, they must be burned so that the infection does not spread throughout the suburban area. In addition, it is necessary to adhere to a strict irrigation regime, as well as to make the necessary fertilizers in a timely manner.
It will not be superfluous to treat the plant from pests and diseases. For this purpose, you can use any drugs that are designed for flowers.
Bacterial rot
This ailment can be determined by small spots that have a brown color. As a rule, they appear immediately after wintering. To get rid of the disease, it is necessary to remove the affected areas of foliage. After this, it is necessary to treat the damaged areas with a solution consisting of potassium permanganate. If the lesion is too strong, then it is better to completely destroy the plant. After that, it is necessary to cultivate the soil with antibacterial compounds. However, it is much simpler to adhere to preventive measures to prevent the appearance of bacterial rot. For this, it is impossible to prevent freezing of the root system of the plant. It is also worth checking that the soil is not too wet. In addition, it is necessary to timely bring calcium and phosphorus into the ground.
Knowing when to cut irises for the winter and how to properly prepare them for the cold, you can achieve an excellent result.