Question
Hi i live in cushing'oklahoma.I have some Iris's that my aunt give me out of her garden this last summer,and she said to plant them in ground before september.Well i forgot to plant them and i ran across them the other day.They seem to be ok,cause the old leaves have died and new green leaves are starting to grow.I have planted them in a big container in doors,only a inch deep in the soil.My question is how much water do they need and do i need to give them any sun or should i keep thm in a cool dry spot.

               Any tips will help,
                 Thanks ,
               Charles Gambill

Answer
Note: This response was originally sent by this expert on Tuesday, January 31st.  The delay was due to problems with the allexperts.com website and was not the fault of the expert. Thank you for your patience.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Charles, you want to plant the bulbs as deep as they are wide.  Therefore, if the diameter of the bulb is 2", they should be planted at that same depth.

In regard to watering, always water container-grown plants very deeply, to the point the water seeps through the soil and into the bottom tray.  Then allow the soil to dry thoroughly before watering again.  The worse thing for plants is numerous shallow waterings.  The roots reach for the surface of the soil instead of growing down where they benefit most from the soil's nutrients.

I would also fertilize the bulbs once every 10 days once the foliage reaches 6".  Use a water-soluble fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium.  A good rule of thumb is one with a NPK ratio of 1-2-2.  N stands for percentage of nitrogen; P for phosphorus; and K for potassium.  The nitrogen promotes lush foliage; the phosphorus strong stems and large flowers; and the potassium aids root growth.  In this case, you want the latter two in higher concentration than the nitrogen.

Once the flowers fade and the foliage dies off in late summer, transplant the bulbs into your garden.  The winter provides the dormant period needed for root development, which in turn results in larger flowers next spring.

I hope this helps.  Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike