Iris is a reliable perennial that produces beautiful flowers year after year. It favors the sun but also tolerates a little shade and generally requires little attention. Iris grows in zones 3 to 10 according to the standard classification of the US Department of Agriculture, which means it can survive cold winters with temperatures as low as -37 degrees Celsius. 'Cutting off flower heads' means removing dull or wilted flower heads from a plant after the blooms have exploded. The elimination of withered flowers prevents the plant from producing seeds when the blooms have ceased.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Eliminate Iris Flower Heads
Step 1. Use your fingers or scissors to remove the Iris flower heads
Try to remove the flowers as soon as they begin to wilt or fade as this prevents the growth of seed pods. To remove an Iris bloom, use your fingers or use a sharp pair of clean scissors, and scissors or tear off the single flower just below the flower head.
It is important to remove not only the withered petals, but also the swollen green sheath that partially wraps them, because this is the part that will eventually develop into infructescence
Step 2. Avoid cutting off blooms that aren't open yet
Try to avoid accidentally deleting any remaining flowers that still have a chance to open.
Try to make it a habit to check the plant at least twice a week or so during the flowering season. Some varieties of Iris (such as African Irises) have blooms that only last for a day, but the plant will quickly have more
Step 3. Remove the stems after any chance of flowering is over
Some varieties of Iris (such as Bearded Iris) will often bloom twice, once in early summer and once in late summer. Once all the flowers on a stem have wilted and you don't expect any more, you can then remove the flower stem from the plant. Removing the flower stem helps prevent rot. To do this:
- Use a sharp blade like a pair of garden shears. The stem will be quite woody in many Iris varieties.
- Cut the stem at the base near the ground about 3 centimeters above the rhizome. This stalk can then be composted.
Step 4. Leave the foliage on your plant
It is very important to leave the foliage on the plant after flowering ends, so don't be tempted to remove the leaves again. The Iris, in fact, will use the foliage to channel energy into the roots, and this will help the plant survive the winter. Leave the foliage on the plant until it wilts on its own.
- It's okay to prune any brown traces but leave anything green and healthy.
- In the fall, once the foliage has wilted, you can cut it back to about 18 centimeters above the ground.
Method 2 of 3: Understanding the Cut of the Flower Heads
Step 1. Know that seed production prevents your plant from producing other flowers
Seed production diverts your plant's energies from producing flowers, so removing the flower heads at the bulge point at the base prevents seeds from forming there. The plant often then goes on to produce larger blooms than it would otherwise have.
In the case of some Iris varieties, it is possible to get a second flowering phase if you cut the flower heads from your plants
Step 2. Keep the image of the flower's appearance in your mind
Cutting the flower heads also improves the appearance of the plant, so the production of new flowers can be particularly pleasant. Removing the withered brown flowers also improves the appearance of the plant even if it does not produce new flowers.
This is especially true of Iris plants, because dead flowers turn brown very quickly and detract from the beauty of flowers in good condition
Step 3. Realize that seed production can bring more Irises into your garden
Some plants need to have the flower heads cut to prevent the start of a self-seeding process for the whole garden. Plants such as poppy and bull's-eye daisies tend to spread from the surroundings of the planting ground, and this can become a problem.
Some varieties of Iris such as African Iris (Dietes bicolor) are at risk of self-sowing in your garden. Cutting the flower heads of these and other plants will help prevent this from happening, and to contain the spread of the plants in your garden
Step 4. Consider keeping the seed heads attractive if you don't want to cut the flowers off the plants
Some Irises have attractive infructescences, so you may wish not to sever the flower heads so that you can enjoy the sight of the infructescences once the flowers are finished.
These varieties include Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima) and Blackberry lily (Belamcanda), which produce attractive infructescences after flowering
Method 3 of 3: Taking Care of Iris
Step 1. Feed your Iris
Irises will benefit from the fertilizer in early spring. Try using a fertilizer that has a relatively low nitrogen content compared to potash (potash) and phosphorus.
Nitrogen-rich fertilizers appear to promote Iris rhizome rot
Step 2. Avoid mulching directly on the rhizome of the plant
Avoid mulching over the rhizomes of your Irises to avoid rot. A rhizome is a horizontal stem that grows out of the center of the plant. You can put a shallow mulch about two inches tall around the plant, but you need to make sure the mulch doesn't cover the rhizomes and the center of the plant.
Avoid using manure, even when planting
Step 3. You can consider dividing the rhizome
It takes a long time for Iris seeds to germinate, so you can get better and faster results by dividing the rhizome. Dividing the rhizome from time to time also helps to maintain the efficiency of the plant.
This should be done about 6 weeks after flowering. It is good to cut the flower heads of the Iris plant carefully if you intend to divide it
Step 4. Give your Irises the water they need
Irises don't need a lot of watering, but you can water your plants from time to time during the dry season. Try to give the plant a good amount of water once a week rather than a small amount of water more frequently.
- Avoid overwatering as this facilitates rhizome rot.
- It is especially important to water during the summer if you have a variety that blooms in the same year. Varieties that only bloom in spring don't need more attention in summer.
Step 5. Collect seeds from your Iris if you don't cut off the plant heads
If you want to collect Iris seeds, limit the cutting of the flower heads and make sure that at least one remains after flowering, so that the inflorescence develops.
Remember that the resulting plants will vary in appearance and will not necessarily be similar to the plant they come from
Step 6. Help your seeds grow
Growing Iris from seeds usually requires soaking for at least 2 days before planting. Many gardeners cool the seeds first by storing them in the fridge.
