small iris - how do I relocate?

[KatoKirk]

I have a 5 foot area of small iris's on the southeast corner of my house. I would like to move then to another area of my yard, when is a safe time to do this? Is there anything special in moving them? I basically want to thin out the area so more may bloom next year. They are all done blossoming now. I only got about 5 flowers out of all the plants. Thanks for any help. Kirsten in Ohio

[Jacquard_The_Ripper]

Hi there:

I'll tell you how I do it: If they are finished flowering, cut off everything (stems and leaves) and leave just a couple of inches of growth above ground.

Dig up the whole thing carefully, and then clean it off with your hands or some water. Try not to damage the roots too much. Don't leave the pieces to dry out too long in the sun. Cut them apart with a sharp knife so you have at least a chunk of rhizome with some leaf growth on each piece. Some people would put some root stimulator or anti-fungal stuff on the cut edges. Discard any clearly dead or rotten parts.

Prepare new bed. Replant just below the soil surface like they were before--not too deep. Sometimes it takes 2 seasons for them to come back strongly.

I hope this helps, Cynthia in Zone 3 who is dividing her irises this weekend.

P.S. My husband would do it >I have a 5 foot area of small iris's on the southeast corner of my house. I

[KatoKirk]

Thanks, I'll try moving them this weekend. I don't know for sure what type of Iris they are, we only moved into our house a year & a half ago and they were already there. Kirsten in Ohio