WOW! I am grateful as well as astounded. I wasn't sure if anyone would even answer my questions until next spring. Here I have 5 very kind people offering helpful information. Thank you all so very much.
An update is in order since a few hours have passed since I started this thread. I had purchased a soil test meter that came in the mail today of all things. It's a 4 in 1 tester that tests: moisture, Light, PH, and Fertility. I had no idea there was an instrument that could be used to test fertility until I read about and bought this. Wouldn't you know, I got it on eBay for $11.40 with free shipping. No batteries are required and it seems to work. lol
The sad part is the soil fertility is in the too low range. It's amazing anything has been growing there. While doing my little experiments I added about 1/2 cup of the bone meal I have to 1 quart of the soil mix I was testing to get the meter to read on the very low side of normal. At least I don't have to worry that I over did it.
On another note I thought I was doing a really good thing when I bought this ORGANIC CHOICE BONE MEAL by: Miracle Grow. Oh well, live and learn. It is 6-9-7. Even though I did use this on the rhizomes I got planted last night I don't think there is enough nitrogen in it to damage the rhizomes based on today's testing. I don't know if I should keep using it or wait until I can get a bone meal with zero nitrogen?
This whole situation is posing some challenges I had no way of anticipating. I don't suppose I can just spray the irises with Miracle Grow next year? That will probably just grow leaves. I just want to be able to enjoy beautiful flowers. I looks like this isn't going to be that easy. When I was a youngster there was a HUGE patch of Irises growing across the road from our place. It was growing on an old homestead site where the concrete footings from the original house and the irises were the only thing left. They grew and bloomed every year, year after year with no help from anyone but nature. I used to go pick armful loads of irises for my mother.My guess is that those irises are still there with no help from anyone. Why couldn't this be that easy?
Again, I want to thank each and every one of you for the warm welcome. I hope you're each having a wonderful weekend!
