May and June Iris Garden Care
Bearded Iris bloom season is here at last, and all your year-round gardening efforts have paid off! Enjoy the glorious colors this month. Here are a few cultural tips recommended to keep your Iris beds in top form throughout the bloom season.
- Pull weeds out of Iris beds. Get them while they’re small!
- Bait for slugs using the pet and nature friendly method or product of your choice.
- Remove any diseased or brown leaves, but leave the healthy green foliage undisturbed. You can trim any leaves affected by "leaf spot" at the point just below the affected area (leaving as much of the healthy leaf intact).
- Dead-head spent blooms throughout bloom season. Remove the bloom stalk by cutting it at the base when all blooms are finished on that stalk.
- Stake taller stems to prevent them from tipping over in the wind and rain.
- About one month after all blooms are done, apply a light application of fertilizer and water in. Bone meal, superphosphate and 6-10-10 are all effective. Use fertilizer LOW in Nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can lead to rot problems.
- Keep Iris beds free of weeds.