Why do we cut the leaves into a fan on iris when we dig and divide them?
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iris, why cut leaves?
Jul 10, 2005
4 Replies
It's done to neaten them up, no other reason.
I also do it to control iris leaf spot. When I'm cutting back the leaves, I also clean up all the dead leaf debris and spent flower stems from and around the iris.
JPS
I cut Irises back to a fan when Transplanting. This reduces the leaf area so that the roots (disturbed) can feed the tops.
Derryl
The roots are damaged in the process of digging and dividing. I cut the leaves to reduce the demand on the roots for moisture. For the same reason, I reduce the number of leaves on a shoot when I take cuttings of other plants.
Also, my iris leaves sometimes grow quite long. I trim them when dividing to keep the replanted rhizomes from tipping over since the reduced roots cannot hold such a large plant upright.
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