How to Divide Iris AND How to get Grass out of your Irises

It's Flower Friday! Every Friday we will post a new video about gardening, flowers, pest control, etc, just in time for you to dig into your own garden this weekend!
Thanks for watching! Remember to subscribe so you don't miss future gardening videos. We are located in the Inland Northwest so you'll learn a lot about our climate, zone and the unique growing conditions of this place we call home.

[@graylagran7443]

i heard a gardener say they cut the fans because when transplanting and trying to reestablish the roots, the long fans act as sails and can catch the wind.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

That's a really good point! The leaves would be top heavy too, even if there is no wind.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Thanks for watching! Subscribe for more gardening tips, tricks and hacks! As well as a whole series of Gardening with KIDS! See you in the garden!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

:)

[@DonaldHaag-ef2pe]

Excellent video on the Irisis..thank you.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

You are most welcome!

[@jolieseering8480]

Thanks for all the great advice ! ✌

[@GardenUPLandscape]

You are so welcome! I'm glad you are enjoying my videos! :)

[@donsexton1533]

Thank you I learned so much I appreciate your efforts.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

You are so welcome! I'm glad it was helpful!

[@hazelthepainter]

Can’t wait to plant the iris you gave me!! Glad I watched this first

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Let me know how it goes ❤😊

[@francinebirdie]

Yes, you're correct--cut leaves off above 6" to encourage roots to grow instead of leaves in the fall when dividing/replanting them.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Thank you :)

[@jewellcrawford5136]

I recently moved here in the bootheel of Mo. and guess what there is rock and landscaping material in the flower beds that I absolutely hate so that is why I saved this video before even finishing it. Removing the those two things will have to come later as there are so many things to fix first. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Oh man, removing rock is the worst! We have done our fair share of that and it's awful. I can't believe I haven't done a video on that yet... Thanks for reminding me!

[@irasolomon3424]

Thanks for the thorough, helpful instructions! I’ll tackle my old overgrown iris bed in late summer, so they will be thinned and replanted by fall. The cardboard is a great suggestion to keep the grass from returning. 👍

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Glad it was helpful! Make sure to weed as much of the grass root out as you can before putting down the cardboard! That will make your efforts last much longer. The two beds in this video are still holding with almost no grass coming up nearly 3 years later, so it seemed to have worked really well!

[@celiadonnelly255]

Didn't know about using cardboard. Thank you. I will get some bone meal also,

[@johannamarsh8464]

Thank you for the helpful video. I planted Iris several years ago but apparently had no clue on how to grow them. All of a sudden there are no blooms and I think they get enough sun. After watching this video, I will dig them up and do what I need to do.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Glad it was helpful! I hope you have great success with them now!

[@jschultz88888]

Thanks

[@GardenUPLandscape]

You're welcome!

[@MaureenJonesSmithArts]

I live in Spokane. This was great! Can you publicize some videos about partial xrescaping? Where we keep some grass areas and increasing drout tolerant plants in shaped areas?

[@GardenUPLandscape]

I'm glad you enjoyed this video! Thanks for watching! I already have actually :) I installed my xeriscape bed in the fall of 2020 and posted a video on that. I'm working on an experiment with lawn alternatives like clover and wildflowers and a planning on several videos this summer showcasing some native plants.

[@starchilde9560]

thank you for answering a LOT of questions for me! I have a bad history with plants but with your advice I feel confident to turn that around with my Mom's irises. they've been here forever and I don't know when the last time they were split or replanted. she's been gone since 1999. I haven't done well with plants before. but I'm willing to try again.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Glad I could help! If you have struggled with plants before then Irises are the perfect thing to practice on because they are tough as nails! I wish you the best of luck as you learn to nurture your Mom's plants!

[@dorisenderle5857]

@@GardenUPLandscape you are so right about iris. I dug some up, didn’t know where to plant them,put them in a pail where they stayed for a few weeks. Finally planted them and they grew as if they had just been dug up.

[@patriciasantacroce8792]

Loved the video. You might want to talk a little bit about Iris borers and checking over your rhizomes for them before replanting .

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Great suggestion! I'll put that into the next iris video!

[@pcodignoni9344]

My irises are planted in rocks! Bloomed beautifully this season but looking awful now and it’s only July! I live in TX

[@GardenUPLandscape]

They are quite xeric and can handle drought, but handling drought and continuing to thrive and look beautiful are very different things. I imagine the Texas heat, multiplied by radiating off of the rocks, probably dries out your plants very fast!

[@billcathyhallman6140]

On the east coast it is best to thin every 3 years. If I accidentally break one or chop off a piece, I plant it anyway. I have tons of Iris and love them! Because the soil is soft, I plant about two inches deep. The first good rain or good watering the soil will settle around the roots and rhizome.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Great tips! Thanks for sharing!

[@michelebarnes4059]

You are tough💪💪💪💪😁😁😁😁

[@GardenUPLandscape]

LOL Thanks!!

[@PrepperGeek]

Wish y’all were closer to west Tennessee! I have an iris bed on the property I just bought off my step-mother that is close to 100 years old, and I don’t think it’s been separated or replanted for at least the last 40 years! The rhizomes are starting to grow up out of the ground. I’ve got my work cut out for me this fall!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

We wish you luck! Maybe get a group of people together for an Iris digging party! Make a fun day of it and give everyone Irises as a thank you for their help. Are you in any gardening groups local to your area? That's where I would start. Also take lots of pics when they bloom so everyone knows what kind of flowers they might get :)

[@elizabethcooke6730]

Trimming the iris leaves makes the newly weeded area tidy and neat - In essence it shows off your hard work! A second benefit is you can correctly space the transplanted rhizomes so you don't have to redig overcrowded beds for another 3-5 years. Finally (and probably the most important) reason to trim the leaves back is STABILIZING the rhizome. The roots can't grip the dirt if the plant keeps falling over (with or without wind). I have to put a rock or two behind the fan (or on top of the rhizome) to keep it steady for the first month after transplanting.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Great points, thank you!

[@lindaahlgrim1331]

@@GardenUPLandscape I understand that the leaves should be cut in a fan shape & the reason for cutting them back is to help them withstand the wind. I always cut off the mother plant as it has no roots. I also divide the two or three plants that have grown from it. Landscape cover is awful. I have always heard that you should layer newspapers under the cardboard and soak them separately

[@carolparrish194]

Your video is exactly what I needed. My iris have never been replanted and every summer I am pulling grass and never getting it all. Can you give us a better look at the cultivator you are using? Thanks so much!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Glad it was helpful! Do you mean the garden fork? That's a pretty standard tool. oceanhero.today/images?q=garden+fork Just make sure to get one with thick tines as they tend to bend if they aren't a strong metal.

[@rodeyvarnell5961]

One reason to cut the iris leaves before planting is so the winds do not uproot them since they are shallow.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Definitely!

[@lucimorr]

The leaves are cut to reduce movement by wind, limiting root damage.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Thanks!

[@jennigthatonecrazydoglady8100]

Great video full of helpful info! Thanks. Do you think late October is too late for this? I’m near St Louis in zone 6a/b. I wasn’t planning to dig up my iris but had to address some nasty invasive mulberry roots near my house which took priority. I want to move them to a sunnier spot since they were on the north side of the house. We are due for the first freeze in about 3 (rainy)days, but it’s going to be pretty warm until then and for at least a week after that. It was 85 today! Should I replant now? Replant after the freeze? Save them in the garage overwinter and replant in spring? Thanks for any advice!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Iris are really tough. You could do pretty much whatever you want to them and they'll come through just fine. IMO if you have time this weekend to divide and move them to a better spot then go ahead and do it. You could also overwinter them in the garage. As long as the ground isn't too frozen to dig through then plants will almost always be better off in ground than in pots or bare root.

[@jennigthatonecrazydoglady8100]

@@GardenUPLandscape omg thank you for replying! I’m going to go for it this weekend. 💜

[@cardstockcollector]

Ty

[@GardenUPLandscape]

You're most welcome!

[@greggorylewis3241]

Would a broadfork be better to dig the iris's out?

[@GardenUPLandscape]

You could use a fork but that would be more likely to stab the rhizomes rather than giving them a clean cut. So it could do more damage if you are intending to replant.

[@judymaclaren]

Great video- helpful and entertaining! How did the cardboard work as you’ve maintained the Iris patch this year?

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Fantastic! So far we've hardly had any grass in that area and when we did it was along the edges where it's easy to pull up.

[@raisingaqueen901]

@@GardenUPLandscape Did you cut holes in the cardboard where the iris roots were planted or were they planted on top in the 6 inches of dirt? Thanks for the video. My irises are are surrounded by the long thick grassy weeds. Luckily no rocks.

[@raisingaqueen901]

I heard the leaves are cut down to save the roots from overworking.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

We just planted on top of the cardboard. 2 years later, there's still no grass in these beds!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

The leaves are cut down in the fall because we humans are obsessed with tidiness, since they tend to die and curl up in the winter. But that's the only reason that I'm aware of.

[@wordcarr8750]

When you cut back the fans before re-planting, is it also possible to cut back the longer (harder to cover with soil) rhizome roots? It seems to me that these longest roots may have been created because of the large fan/s (now no longer there) and they will grow again once the fan/s do.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Yes! You can beat up Iris pretty hard and they'll come back stronger. As long as each rhizome has a leaf node and some fibrous roots, it will grow.

[@barbworden8612]

If you cut the leaves, the wind is less likely to blow the plant over or out of wack!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Good point!

[@sharongauss9298]

Trimming the greens off keeps the wind from uprooting the new rhizomes

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Thanks for the tip!

[@sarac8335]

If I do my irises halfway through the winter (I live in a temperate zone, in Australia, so it's not that cold here) and replant them, will they survive and begin to grow by the spring?

[@GardenUPLandscape]

I don't know anything about your climate, like at all, but my guess is that they would be fine. Irises are one of the toughest plants I know of. Some might not bloom the following year, but I bet that would be the worst of it.

[@channelview8854]

I'm pretty sure that the two herbicides Fusilade or Poast are both labeled to kill grasses in Iris as an over-the-top application.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

That's beyond my knowledge or scope of interest. I prefer organic methods whenever possible. Something has to be really bad for me to recommend a chemical. Still, it's interesting. How do those target one monocot without harming the other?

[@channelview8854]

@@GardenUPLandscape I had the same question. Also, I totally agree regarding organic methods on food crops but I don't mind using chemicals on ornamentals if I don't have concern with a particular chemical to cause wider environmental damage. Anyway, thanks for the video.

[@channelview8854]

Purdue University states on a horticulture website they operate that Iris is not a true grass. True grasses are of the Family Poaceae and members of this family are the only targets of these and similar herbicides. So that's why.

[@eileen8638]

You commented that you do not like stone used as a dirt cover. I’m 76 and no longer have the strength in you arms and hands plus the energy to apply mulch each year. Would I be making a big mistake using a light cover of rocks on my hill. Oh yes I forgot to mention I’m working on an incline

[@GardenUPLandscape]

I would highly, highly recommend against adding rock to your hillside, unless it's large boulders for decorative purposes, or for a French drain along the bottom. Rock is more likely to increase erosion than reduce it and it will do nothing to suppress weeds. It only makes weeding a giant, tedious pain in the rear. The solution depends mostly on the problem you are looking to solve. If you are trying to reduce weeds then the options are chemicals (definitely not my personal favorite) or mulch, which will not hold up to erosion. If you are trying to prevent erosion then there are engineered/architectural solutions that can be installed but are costly, or you can plant deep rooted things that will thrive in that environment. Think native shrubs and groundcovers with creeping roots. A good solution in my area is Snowberry, which can spread aggressively by it's roots. IMO, the best solution for both of those problems is a living mulch groundcover of native plants. These will be well adapted to your area and your climate, so they wont need extra water and you wont need to worry about increasing erosion by watering the hillside all the time. I'm not sure where you are located so you'll need to research what's well suited to where you are, but I'd go with a mix of native grasses, Kinnickinnick, Thyme, Sedum, Sempervivum, maybe some wildflowers, and some shrubs to really hold it together. We actually just finished a project where we planted a hillside after it was graded for construction of houses below. I'm hoping to have that video out sometime this fall or winter! Stay tuned, it was a really cool project!

[@sharongauss9298]

When mine bloom I write the color on a leaf or just “R” for red, etc. so I know which is which.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

That's clever. I tried using paper twist ties once, but they faded and fell off before the end of the year.

[@highserenity49]

what happens if you don't sift? Doesn't it just disintegrate?

[@GardenUPLandscape]

We sifted the soil under these irises because of the thick grass weeds in that bed. If any grass root was left then it would sprout again and defeat the purpose of all of the work we did getting it out.

[@highserenity49]

@@GardenUPLandscape thank you

[@dirkhagar2399]

I can't use bone or blood meal in my gardens here. Every time I do, the next day I will find the whole area ripped apart by some kind of critter. I'm thinking skunks.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Could be any number of critters. But it's not a requirement to add bone or blood meal, it's totally ok to skip that step.

[@irisscott5173]

Awesome job. But I would have cut the leaves a little lower first.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Thanks!

[@joburrow9863]

What”s a monicot ?

[@GardenUPLandscape]

That's an excellent question! Mono = one, and cot = cotyledon or "seed leaf". There are two types of plants in this context: monocots and dicots. Monocots have a single seed leaf, which is the leaf that is in the seed, the first to emerge at germination. Grasses and bulbs make up most of these types of plants, but some rhizomous rooted things, like Irises, also have a single seed leaf and are monocots. Other distinguishing features typical to monocots are parallel veination (the veins in the leaves are all parallel to each other) and there typically isn't branching beyond the central crown or stem. All other plants (that I know of anyway) are dicots and have two seed leaves, netted veination and tend to branch out several times between the base of the plant and the leaves.

[@joburrow9863]

@@GardenUPLandscape THANK YOU…I HA NO IDEA. I enjoyed the how to video. Thanks for sharing.

[@dorisenderle5857]

Landscape fabric! Hate the stuff. I don’t know how much of the stuff I’ve pulled out of flower beds.

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Tell me about it! I have taken countless truckloads to the dump. Some of them had only been installed a couple years before and they had already failed.

[@dollyperry3020]

Oh we are kindred spirits with our stirrup hoes and hori hori :)

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Those are my FAVORITE tools!

[@dollyperry3020]

@@GardenUPLandscape Try this one too! www.amazon.com/Tomerry-Japanese-Weeding-Sickle-Leverage/dp/B07MBV4H5R/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=japanese+hoe&qid=1604447041&sr=8-3

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Those Japanese gardeners really know how to make good tools!

[@cherylsommardahl9831]

That music is REALLY annoying!

[@GardenUPLandscape]

Yeah, you're not wrong. This was made in my first year on KZbin and I was still figuring a lot out back then. Thanks for the feedback.