How to Grow & Propagate Bearded Iris Plants
The Bearded Iris, also known by the scientific name of Iris Germanica, grows as a hardy perennial plant and produces large violet, pink, yellow, white and bi-colored blooms in the spring. Most bearded iris plants only bloom once a year, but a few varieties will bloom twice a year. The most common way to propagate the bearded iris plant is to divide an existing bearded iris. The divided section is then planted and cared for while it develops a strong root system. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Garden spade
- Utility knife
- Pruning shears
- Plant pot
- Gravel
- Potting soil
- Fertilizer
- Mulch
Instructions
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Wait until July or August to propagate the bearded iris, as this is when most plants have stopped blooming for the year. Locate an existing bearded iris that has multiple stalks and is approximately 3 to 4 years old.
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Insert a garden spade into the soil approximately 4 inches away from the base of the plant to loosen the soil. Remove the spade and continue inserting it into the soil and loosening it until you have worked your way around the entire iris.
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Lift the bearded iris gently out of the ground and rinse off the roots with a garden hose to remove as much of the soil as possible.
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Lay the iris on a flat surface and use a utility knife to cut through the center of the root in between two stalks. If the iris has more than two stalks, use the knife to cut through the roots to separate each stalk into single plants.
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Cut off 1/3 of the stalks of each plant using sharp pruning shears.
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Select a spot to plant the iris or prepare a pot. If planting outdoors, select a location that receives full sun and has well-drained soil. If preparing a pot, pour 2 inches of gravel into the pot and fill the remainder of the pot with an all-purpose potting soil mix.
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Dig a 5 to 6-inch-deep hole in the ground or the pot using the garden spade. Fill in the bottom center of the hole with a small amount of dirt and form a small mound. Insert one iris plant into the hole and arrange the thin roots so that they point downward over the cone, while the root ball itself sits on top of the cone. Cover the plant's small roots completely with soil, but leave the top half of the root ball, called the rhizome, exposed to the air.
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Water the bearded iris until the ground is saturated.
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Apply a nitrogen-based fertilizer at the base of the iris to supplement the soil. According to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, a 5-10-10 fertilizer is the best option for irises. Apply the fertilizer in the dosage recommended by the manufacturer.
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Place a 1-inch-thick layer of mulch around the base of the newly planted iris to conserve moisture during the summer and protect the roots from cold temperatures in the winter.
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Tips & Warnings
Most bearded irises must be divided every three to four years to prevent plant crowding and to encourage blooming.
References
- Photo Credit IRIS image by JP65 from Fotolia.com
