Icky-smelly-deadly!
By:
Bonnie J Nichols
Texas has
had 12+ inches of rain and counting……..the weather is cooler and the days are
shorter. What is that icky smell in the
garden??
The rain,
while refreshing our lakes and absolutely necessary for all living creatures –
can be a not-so-good thing for our bearded irises. The tall bearded irises seem to be more
impacted than the smaller irises such as Standard Dwarf (SDB), Intermediate (IB),
and border bearded (BB) – however, not exempt from rot.
Bacterial
rot can happen no matter the temperature.
Bearded irises do not like a prolonged period of time with their roots
and/or rhizomes soaked with water. Rot
can happen quickly and can be deadly for irises.
Be
observant! While our neighbors might
think we are “a bit” strange slowly and carefully looking at nothing but green
irises leaves and not a bloom in sight – the earlier we can attack rot, the better
our chances are of saving the rhizome.
The outer leaves may turn yellow or the entire fan may be laying on the
ground – these are definite signs of rot.
The smell of rot is very unpleasant – okay, it is downright icky! Push on the top of the rhizome. If rot is present, the rhizome will be
mushy. Sometimes maggots or small worms
are already present.
If you find
rot, you can dig the infected rhizome. Digging
this late in the season might be problematic to dig the rhizome and get it
re-established before winter. Irises
need about 6 weeks to establish new roots.
Whether you dig the rhizome or not, you must clean out all the infected
tissue. You can use a sharp knife to
scoop out the rot. THROW THE ROTTED tissue away! Do not leave it in your flowerbed. DO NOT reuse the knife until you have
thoroughly cleaned it with soap and water.
Once the rot has been removed, you can apply several types of products
that may work to stop the rot.
For the last
few years, we used DIAL (not the store branch) antibacterial soap. The irises have either built up a tolerance
to the soap and/or the manufacturer has changed the formula, because last year
I had limited success stopping the rot with the soap. Another product you may try is BARTENDERS
FRIEND, ZUD, or COMET applied directly to the area you removed the tissue
from. When the DIAL soap was not working
for me I researched for an older product than many of us used in the
1980s. We used AGRISTREP. You cannot find the product any longer. I researched the active ingredients of
AGRISTREP and found that Fertilome Fire Blight Spray has common
ingredients. Finding the product on
store shelves is difficult and only a handful of stores carry it. I found it online through Amazon – buying one
2 oz container at a time. NOTE: There may be generic products on the market.
To purchase
through Amazon is about $12-$14 per 2 oz.
You apply the product directly on the infected area. NO NOT dilute in water. You may have to apply multiple times (2 x per
day) for a few days. I know the product
is expensive; however, so was the $60 for my “favorite” new iris purchase. I found the Fertilome product at BWI through
our nursery license. Wholesale, the
product is appx. $10.
Happy gardening. Don’t give up on the irises. They just need our help getting through the
monsoon season to bloom for us in the spring.
