Iris not flowering after transplanting. Why?

[Beth_B]

Two years ago a friend gave me a clump of iris. She had dozens of gorgeous irises, all colors. This was a lavender one and flowered greatvin her yard. I planted it, and now for the second year in a row it's come up bigger and badder with lots of leaves...but no flowers! By this time of year it should be starting to flower.

Not a single bud. I have generally very rich and fertile soil. I did dig in some compost around it in early spring.

Anyone know why it's not producing any flowers? I've googled but I'm stumped.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

what I would try, since there is no loss at this time. Is to bring them up again (keep the green on) and split them and re-plant them on the shallow side. like 2 inches deep.

 

[zigs]

Soil might be too rich for them, too much nitrogen produces foliage at the expense of flowers, go with Esthers suggestion and try starving a few clumps of them, see if that makes a difference, scare em into flowering

 

[marlingardener]

Check with your friend and see how deeply her rhizomes are planted. We've always planted iris very shallowly--with the top of the rhizome even with the soil level.

 

[Beth_B]

Thank you all so much! I will dig up, separate and replant, nothing to lose at this point. Never thought the soil could be *too* rich. Would adding some sand or something to the planting area help?

I honestly cannot recall how deep l planted them but l can replant them shallow, right under the soil line. I'll check with my friend and see how she did it...they are all gorgeous in her garden.

As soon as it quits snowing. Yes, it's been snowing here today.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

the thing with an Iris, they are so hardy with a low zone number like 4, so shallowness with a pack of snow on top of them is not going to faze them.

 

[Beth_B]

Well, that little clump my friend gave me two years ago turned into quite the monster rhizome mass! I cut away enough for eight separate plants and still have a dense mass by the mailbox.

So the transplants are doing fine although some of the larger leaves got droopy so after a couple of days l cut them back. And l did find some flower buds after all! They were little and flat so l missed them.

Not sure if they'll flower this year with the transplanting. In fall l will further divide the original clump. If not this year, hopefully next l will have spring irises!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

If they were quite a dense mass as you say. then that was the issue. good luck.

 

[Beth_B]

Thanks Esther! I hope so...l just didnt take proper care of them l guess. Bad plant-mom!

 

[Beth_B]

Ding ding, we have a winner!
I missed that there were quite a few very tiny immature buds in that mass of leaves - everyone else's irises here had long flowered. Now the plants were rather stressed about being chopped up and moved...but I'm now getting a bunch of flowers.