Spring care for irises: when and what to feed
This year, I purchased and planted several iris parcels at the dacha. The seller said that they would need to be fed next season. Tell me how you can fertilize irises in spring?
Perhaps, irises can be attributed to those plants that are most often found in flower beds. Firstly, they are not particularly whimsical to care for and are able to grow in almost any land, and secondly, how can you not like these large “cockerels” of very different colors? White, yellow, purple, blue – you can endlessly list their colors.
These amazing flowers will not cause trouble for summer residents, but so that they bloom as abundantly every year, a little attention will not hurt them. In particular, this applies to top dressing, because during the growing season, the reserves of nutrients in the rhizome are depleted. And it turns out that next year, instead of a lush bouquet, only a few inflorescences bloom on a large adult bush..
To avoid such a situation, irises must be fed in a timely manner. During the entire growing season, plants are fertilized three times, and two times of them fall on the most crucial time – spring. When exactly is this done and how to fertilize irises in spring?
See also the article: Ammonium nitrate use in gardening in the spring!
Terms of spring feeding of irises
Spring feeding of irises should be carried out in two stages:
- in early March, immediately after the snow melts in the flower bed and the ground dries up a little;
- approximately in May, when the buds are formed and flowering begins (the timing may differ depending on the region of cultivation).
What fertilizers do irises need in spring?
In early spring, irises, however, like other representatives of vegetation, need nitrogen in order to quickly build up a powerful aboveground part. In addition, they need potassium and phosphorus for future flowering. Thus, for the first feeding of irises, you can use:
- ammonium nitrate;
- potassium sulfate.
For each square meter of planting, you will need at least 20 g of each drug.
Fertilizers in dry form must be scattered around the bush and loosen the soil with a hoe. If the ground is too dry, water the irises. The second feeding at the beginning of flowering is carried out with the same fertilizer as the first time.
Can I use organic?
Since organic fertilizers contain a large amount of nitrogen, they are also used for fertilizing flowers. But in the case of irises, care must be taken. It is better to refuse to apply manure, because often after such treatment, their roots begin to rot, and the irises themselves become easy prey for various diseases and pests..
But compost for irises is very good, if you do not overdo it with the amount. It is enough to add a couple of handfuls under each bush and patch it up a little into the soil. It will provide irises with the necessary substances, as well as improve the structure of the soil..
