What needs to be done with irises before winter, so that in spring they bloom magnificently and be large

Every flower in the garden needs care and attention and iris is no exception. In the fall, you need to have time to do several procedures to prepare these flowers for winter. Then, in the spring, the irises will bloom magnificently, with large, bright flowers.

Be sure to shower in need of pruning. The optimal time is October. It is better to do this two to three weeks before the expected frost. In this case, a height of 10-15 cm is left. And the shape of the iris after trimming should become conical, in other words, like a fan.

This is necessary to prevent moisture retention on the leaves, respectively, this prevents the appearance of rot, the development of diseases. Some housewives make the mistake of leaving cut leaves at the base of the irises, or even covering the tubers with them.

This cannot be done, since such leaves will act as an excellent habitat for pathogens and insects. Plant residues are best taken away and burned.

And the second very important procedure is mulching. Irises have such a feature as exposing rhizomes. That is, the tubers are practically naked. And there is a high probability that they can freeze out in winter.

You can lay mulch with the onset of the first frost. Suitable materials for this are humus, compost and peat, hay, bark. The recommended mulch thickness is 10 cm. Moreover, it should not be laid tightly, but loosely.

If the region where irises are grown in very cold winters, it is better to put additional spruce branches on top of the mulch.

However, it is still not worth "wrapping" the irises too much, in order to avoid damping out.

Two or three weeks before frost, you need to have time to apply fertilizer. Autumn is a period when plants require potassium and phosphorus, but nitrogen must be abandoned. You can use ready-made fertilizers: superphosphate and potassium salt. Mineral fertilizers, mostly.

They are granules. They need to be dug into the soil and the base of the irises to a depth of 2-3 cm. The introduction of organic fertilizers during this period is undesirable. Since it can provoke the growth of leaves, while the plant prepares for bed. Excessive fertilizing will lead to decay of the rhizomes.

That is, the autumn care for irises is very simple, does not require effort. But following such procedures, you can ensure a successful wintering of the plant and promote lush flowering in spring.

And vice versa, I don’t care for irises in the fall; in the spring I will have to enjoy small and not so bright flowers instead of large ones.