I got all my irises planted finally, 18 of them, and I was wondering if anyone uses anything like miracle grow on newly planted bulbs or rhizomes? I want to feed the other plants that are already established but I don't want to cause problems for the new plants. Plus is it a good idea to feed a hanging basket full or moss roses this close to cooler weather?
Shell
you don't have to put anything on the iris rhizomes, Shellie. As for bulbs, if they're spring bulbs, a little bit of granular food is fine, because the bulb has everything it needs for spring showing. Time release food like Osmacote is good because it gradually feeds a little at a time with watering or rains or snows. The irises will be fine as they slowly establish this fall and hunker down for winter. You should see results of good growth come spring time. Make sure if you mulch around the irises this fall you pull the mulch away next year to ensure they are exposed enough to eventually bloom for you. A little liquid fertilizer for the moss roses won't hurt them, I'd put them on the southwest side of the house so they can benefit from the most sunlight they can get. They're winding down now as it is. I'm seeing slower ripening of my figs now and they're just now starting to ripen a handful each day and I see above me on the branches lots and lots more. I just hope we stay warm enough to harvest what I have left on the tree before it cools off too much! (they're soooo sweet!)
I hope this helps. madgardener zone 7 in Eastern Tennessee
Thanks for he information. I've got the moss rose hanging by the garage, one of the sunniest spots I have. The way my house is situated I get lots of sun, the front is facing kind of northwest and the back is kind of southeast, so the sides get sun all day. The way my irises are planted the grass grows up around them and serves as mulch in the winter (all three days of it ) Mostly I just let things alone since they seem to like the spot they're in. I've gotten some very small succulents planted in potting soil in a terracotta azalea pot and my lacey leaf japanese red maple in another pot. They are the ones I'm most concerned with feeding. My japanese blood grass and purple fountain grass are in pots and are looking a bit ragged right now so I thouhgt I'd feed them a bit too. Hopefully I will be able to get everything fixed up in my two small garden areas and be able to post some nice pictures soon. The irises I planted before our last tropical storm nearly doubled thier size with all the rain and I found where my rust colored iris has sent out another plant :)
Shell
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