Onco Iris fertilizer

[Erika]

Hello fellow SRGC members. What is the best fertilizer to use on Onco Iris when growing to assist in producing blooms? I am looking for the numbers  i.e. NPK. 20-20-20.  Thanks Erika. 

[Maggi Young]

We need one of the forumists who grow plenty Oncos successfully to help you with this one, Erika - that lets me out I'm afraid.

[arilnut]

Hello Erika.  If I were to fertilize I would use something like tomato
fertilizer. Low or no N, moderate P and K.  I do not fertilize mine here
in Kansas.  I do use a trace element product called  "Planters II".

John B

[BULBISSIME]

Hello Erika,

as Arilnut said, you can use tomato fertilizer or only potash ; take care not to give them N as it's very good... for rot 

[Erika]

From one Arilnut to another thanks John, and Fred. Don't think we sell Planter II fert. in Canada, but I can get tomato fertilizer, or use non at all.

[arilnut]

Erika, I get my P. II from High Country Gardens in Sante Fe, NM.
highcountrygardens.com

Is your Avatar paradoxa X iberica ?  How many oncos do you have?

John B

[arilnut]

AWWWW Maggi, you just haven't tried hard.

JB

We need one of the forumists who grow plenty Oncos successfully to help you with this one, Erika - that lets me out I'm afraid.

[Maggi Young]

AWWWW Maggi, you just haven't tried hard.

JB

Oh, I have tried, Jon : we used to have quite a large Iris collection but when it became infected with virus we destroyed them all rather than risk the infection passing to our other bulbs. Iris seemed to be very prone to infection so the sad decision was taken "for the greater good" - it was awful!

[Erika]

Hi John,

My avatar is I. paradoxa Choshab. I think however it is simply I. paradoxa. The Onco's I grow are few such as  kirkwoodii, iberica ssp. elegantissima, iberica ssp. lycotis, some easy Arilbred Irises in the garden, and more difficult ones in my cold greenhouse. I just joined the Aril International Society, but have been growing Onco's for a few years. I am always looking to increase my Onco collection. They are such stunning Irises. I'm so smitten!

[arilnut]

Hi Erika.  Re. avatar, from what I see in such a small thumbnail the falls
are to wide to be paradoxa species. More like a paradoxa hybrid.

John B

[Lesley Cox]

As a fertilizer, I don't think Ian's bulb fertilizer can be bettered, not only for small bulbs, oncos and other bearded irises, but for just about everything. I've also learned recently, last summer, that many herbaceous plants can be induced to flower in time for a show for example, out of season, by an application of this same fertilizer. I had a great flowering of pulsatillas for summer markets, the fertilizer applied two months before the market dates.

[Erika]

Hi Lesley,

Are you referring to Ian Young's fertilizer, and if so what does he use?

[Maggi Young]

Hi Lesley,

Are you referring to Ian Young's fertilizer, and if so what does he use?

 Ian's fertilizer is often referred to by forumists as  "Ian Young's magic powder" - a nickname given to Sulphate of "Potash" -  a  Potassium powder ( Kali powder  on the continent)  that Ian swears by to feed his bulbs to promote flowering.   Useful for encouraging flower production from bulbs and many other plants too. He writes about it often in his Bulb Log.

See a discussion about it here : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4749.0

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Maggi, yes, that's what I meant.  For the life of me I suddenly couldn't remember what the chemicals were, except that potassium was involved. Sulphate of potash, potassium sulphate. Works a treat.

[BULBISSIME]

Hi Erika,
as John said, you avatar is definitely not Iris paradoxa ( type or ssp. coshab which is whitish )
I'm pretty sure it's a hybrid of I. paradoxa.
fred