When/how to separate irises. HELP! I have a few bearded irises that came with the house when we moved 2024. Each Iris “area” had 2-3 now there’s 3-4 plants and they’re pretty crowded. Now, they definitely need to be separated/thinned. I have never thinned these before but was told to wait until Fall. Is this correct? And, any tips on separating them? I’m pretty good at killing plants 🙈
You can separate and replant them now. Dig around the group and gently loosen the soil from the outside inwards to get to them without damaging them. If it's convenient, you can separate out any bulbs you'd like to move while leaving the others in place. If they don't split up easily, dig down a bit further, pry the soil up from below, take them all out together, and then separate with the soil out of the way. When you replant, remove the outer layer of dry papery skin around the bulbs. Bulbs have a little bit of direction in their shape, and will gradually migrate over time, so orient the bulbs to grow in the direction you want. Rough up the sides of the hole when planting; compacted dirt can act like a wall.
1 likeAlso if for some reason you need to store the bulbs temporarily before replanting, keep them in a bag with air holes. They don't like to dry out, but they can also mold if they stay too moist
1 likeThank you so much!
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