A woman in my Village was giving away dozens of iris Bc she was moving and didn't want to just leave them for someone who may not appreciate them. I grabbed several!! I'm not sure if they're in shock bc they've just been moved or if there's something else going on? Any ideas why the leaves are dying off? I'm hoping if I keep them super watered they will establish and be ok! I've never planted iris before, so I'm not sure though. I can't even tell you what varieties these are. She just had a pile out in her yard with probably 100 iris to give away so she wasn't sure what was what either. Thanks for any help of iris suggestion.

First - don't overwater them. The leaves will turn yellow from too much water, and it may cause the rhizome to rot. Our humidity in NC causes rot unfortunately. Also, move the wood chips off the rhizomes. Let them be exposed to the sun so, again, they don't rot. Otherwise, your spacing is good for them. Good luck with your new iris!

Irises need a little time to settle in when transplanted. I don't know how long yours were out of the ground. I wouldn't be concerned.

The rhizome mustn't be covered indeed, but exposed to as much sunshine as possible. Overwatering and underwatering have the same symptoms, but different causes so care needs to be taken which of the two it is:

* Overwatering displaces air and causes roots to rot which in turn make it unable for the plant to take up water: it wilts and goes yellow/brown beginning at the tips.
* Underwatering also causes wilting and yellowing/browning at the tips, but here the plant can't take up enough water because there is none; the rate of transpiration is greater than the available soil moisture. Ways of easily decreasing transpiration: right amount of soil moisture, shading and protection from wind

welcome to the iris forum, lisalisa.

it's better to underwater than over. the weather has to warm a little for them to really start perking up. usually transplanting and thinning happens after bloom season, which usually isn't 'til june or july. or it may happen a little later for some, but it depends on the garden zone they're grown.

lestv/leslie has experience and is an avid grower of many kinds of iris. altho' i'm not sure as to proximity of your garden to hers. but, i believe she would have some sage advice for you.

here in california, what northern california irises thrive on, doesn't always hold true for southern cal. there are micro climates within the state, county and city. for that matter, within our own gardens . so there are many exceptions.

happy irising, hooray on your adventure, and good luck.

Thanks everyone ! I may have been putting too much water, as i figured new plants generally like water to help root. Ill cut back a little and see. I am excited to see what happens!!

Good luck with your new prospects, Lisa, and welcome to the iris forums!

One thing I notice in your photos is that you have covered the rhizomes. Iris tend to like the top of the rhizome exposed to the sunlight, so when you plant them you should leave a little of it uncovered. Also you might consider cutting the fans back to no more than 6 inches in height.

Other than that, I wish I was there to help remove that ugly pile of iris from her lawn. :>)

Bob

Lisa and Bob ~ to the Iris Forum!

So Bob, you want to "help her out?"