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What causes brown spots on Iris leaves?

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by TheGardenerGuy on June 23, 2006 12:06 PM
Our large bed of iris have quite a few that have brown spots and streaks on them. [Razz]
Is this always an indication of the iris borer?
The bed had good drainage, plenty of sun....
We have iris elsewhere that have no spots on the leaves.... [dunno]
Please help!
[angel]
Greg [gabby]

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by joclyn on June 23, 2006 01:28 PM
could you post a pic?
by Tamara from Minnesota on June 24, 2006 01:39 PM
I wonder about that too. I don't think it is always iris borer. I think it looks more like fungus. I have been spraying mine with fungus spray. I know they like really shallow planting and I have heard they get spots from being planted too deeply. My Siberian iris have never had them and maybe the bearded will not develop them either this year. I know it is extremely common. Another thing I am trying is being on the spot with cutting them in fall and deadheading in summer (which I mean to do in the next few days!). And I did divide and plant them more shallowly last year. I will post later if anything changes through fall.

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by TheGardenerGuy on June 26, 2006 02:04 AM
I don't have a pic to post....
I trimmed the leaves that had it and keep the bed cleaned..
I put bone meal on the bed twice now.
Only certain iris get it...i wonder if i should dig those up and dip them in a bleach solution??
Does anyone know of a natural spray i could use to keep away the fungus and borer?
we use the murphys oil mix that someone told us about but it doesn't seem to be working..
We hate using chemicals...the $$ and the odor..especially with Cygon... [Frown] [dunno]
Greg [wavey] [flower] [angel]

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by Tamara from Minnesota on June 26, 2006 01:12 PM
I use Soap shield from Gardens Alive.

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by TheGardenerGuy on July 07, 2006 10:58 AM
I just bought some soap shield... [Smile] Should be here this weekend...I think it is from all the moisture and humidity...The rhizomes aren't mushy...just the leaves look bad and some are rotting to the base of the rhizome.... [Razz]

Greg

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by TheGardenerGuy on July 10, 2006 02:33 AM
Weezie is posting a pic of the iris for me soon...
Thanks Weezie! [thumb]

Greg [clappy]

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by afgreyparrot on July 16, 2006 01:13 PM
Here's your picture, Greg.
Sorry it took so long.

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!
by weezie13 on July 17, 2006 07:37 AM
Bringing this one back up to the top...

Anyone with any guess's?????? [dunno]

Greg, my question to you would be....
What does the soil look like where the iris's
that are effected look like?
And is the soil starting to get on top of the
iris's rhizomes'???
Or are you putting like a compost around them?

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Tamara from Minnesota on July 17, 2006 02:42 PM
That is what mine look like too at their worst. They are better now after being raised up and using the soap shield (this year they look better I mean). But I do wonder if it is the iris borer. [dunno]
Anyway, like you said, not all have it. And they flower very nicely in spring despite the spots afterward. So I am keeping them trimmed and neat and removing brown stuff and spraying every other week for fungus. Later, I need to thin them out too. I tend to plant very closely together in general and thinning out will help with air circulation. I also have not fertilized my perennials this year except for compost and need to do that.

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by neko nomad on July 17, 2006 03:56 PM
Here's my guess--

They look kind of stressed out, you know, like being transplanted during hot weather, during which time those cuts on their leaves provide entry for insect borne blight or fungus/mildew spores.
It's been my experience that the modern hybrid
cultivars are less disease resistant than the historic types.
They should perk up as summer cools down.

What are their names?
by TheGardenerGuy on July 19, 2006 03:34 PM
They seem to be doing better...With the absence of rain and water splashing on them it seems to help.
I try to keep the dead and brwon leaves trimmed.
Thanks for posting my pic...
One is Stairway to Heaven and Jesses Song...
I just won an auction of 25 rhizomes and more i won earlier are on the way so i hope to have the bed in better shape soon.
It seems this time of year all iris look kind of pooped!
Greg

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by TheGardenerGuy on July 19, 2006 03:36 PM
We put 30 lbs of sand in the bed and removed any weeds or grass around them...

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by TheGardenerGuy on July 19, 2006 03:37 PM
I put Bones Meal all round them about a month or so ago...Could that have caused this?
Greg

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by weezie13 on July 19, 2006 03:45 PM
I do know that they do NOT like anything on them
or around their rhyzome thingies...
They resent anything on them..
Even leaves or compost..

If the soil has it in the soil,
it seems to be okay,
it's just when you side dress or sprinkle...
*it seems with mine anyways...*

Others' may do a different regime with
theirs, but for mine they don't like much!

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by TheGardenerGuy on July 23, 2006 02:55 PM
Thanks Weezie and everyone for the help...
Greg

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In the midst of the storm..I find the greatest Peace. I don't know what tomorrow holds..but i know Who holds tomorrow. [angel]
by tashmoo on July 24, 2006 08:16 AM
i had a client on nantucket (mass) with some bearded iris that always ended up looking like the above pic. i would just trim the ugly parts off. i divided them one year and took a couple of divisions and brought them up here to maine with me where i am on my second year of beautiful plants with NO dieback of the leaves at all!!! what is different? - nantucket was definitely foggier (thus breeding a fungus problem), but we've had an incredibly wet summer here in maine and i definitely have a blight problem with my lilies, but they are in a different bed (couple hundred feet away) & the problem varies in severity in that bed where i have several stands of lilies. obviously, here in maine, it is also a shorter season and a longer colder winter...... (some winters on nantucket the ground would barely freeze, some it would freeze and thaw, etc.). But still, my guess would be fungus in the soil. maybe replacing the soil or moving the iris or if you are going to treat, be preventative about it and treat before you see anything. make sure you get the infected leaves out of the bed because if it is a fungus it will put the spores right back in the soil. i'm sure i'm telling you things you already know, but i figured i'd contribute anyway. good luck! -mara

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