Irises, like many other perennials, need special care in the autumn and after flowering. And although the content of these plants is not unnecessarily laborious, but iris requires a special approach. If you follow some simple rules of leaving after the end of the flowering period, many troubles can be avoided and you can provide your flower bed with blossoming iris in the next spring-summer season. Consider these rules in our article.
Should I care for irises after flowering?
Irises belong to perennial plants, and their flowering next year is directly related to how you care for them after they bloom.
The main manipulations with flowers include:
- pruning, which, however, is carried out during the entire period of flowering, and in particular at the end of this period;
- fertilizing plants and caring for the soil in which they grow;
- maintaining the required degree of soil moisture;
- mandatory treatment of various pests and diseases;
- preparation for winter in the form of mulching and insulation.
Get acquainted with the secrets of planting and caring for irises, as well as ways to combat the diseases of these flowers.
An important place is occupied by pruning of killer whales, which consists in trimming off flowering buds during the flowering period, which is often stretched from May to early August due to the fact that flowers do not bloom at the same time.
Important! After the bud fades, a receptacle begins to form in it. If at this moment it is not cut off, the ripening of seeds will significantly slow down the flowering of all other flowers, since all nutrients are spent on the maturation of the ovule, and this in turn may be fraught with undesirable distribution of seeds in the garden.There are several reasons for which it is necessary to prune irises at the end of the flowering period:
- iris breed by self-sowing. If you do not cut the bud with a flowerbed in time, the seeds of the irises will soon scatter throughout the garden and may germinate in the most unexpected and undesirable places;
- the flowering period is shortened, new buds are opened not so intensively that it does not help to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the flower bed;
- wilted buds can rot and cause plant disease;
- At the end of August, faded iris becomes withered; therefore, if you do not remove faded peduncles and yellowed parts of the leaves, pathogenic microorganisms can multiply in these parts.
Basic rules of care
The main care for irises after flowering is to provide their roots with moisture and essential nutrients, to protect against pests and to take care of the ground part, which must be removed on time and properly.
Pruning
Pruning the buds of the plant should be carried out during the entire flowering period as individual flowers wither. It is advisable at least once a couple of weeks to check their beds and timely remove wilted flowers. Such manipulations prevent kasatiks from self-seeding and prolong their flowering period. 
Pruning of flowering buds is as follows:
- use sharp scissors or pruners, which must be kept clean;
- completely cut the bud. It is important that you remove not only the faded, sluggish petals, but also the green receptacle under them. The essence of the procedure lies precisely in the removal of the ovule, in which the seeds ripen;
- in extreme cases, in the absence of shears or scissors, you can simply pinch off the flowers gently with your fingers. Track the purity of your hands.
The final pruning of irises is carried out at the end of summer, when the blooming of new flowers is no longer expected. In this case, the stems on which there were flowers are completely cut off. And cut the stems need to be quite low - about 2-3 centimeters above the rhizome. It is best to carry out the procedure with a rather sharp shears or scissors, since the stems of irises are rather fleshy and durable. Complete removal of the stems is necessary for the reason that they are very susceptible to rotting. To avoid waste, stalks of irises can be used in the form of compost. 
After the buds and stems have been completely removed, the leaves of the killer whales can be left to stand until they begin to turn yellow. Most often this happens by the first half of October, when they are pruned. Do this, too, with scissors or pruners. Some leaves are cut at a distance of about 13-14 centimeters from the ground, giving them the shape of a cone.
We advise you to find out why a gardener needs a secateur and how to choose it correctly.
This method of trimming the foliage allows not only to remove wilted and yellowed parts, avoiding rotting and spreading pests, but also to ensure the accumulation and transfer of energy to the roots of the plant for a successful wintering, which becomes impossible if you completely remove the entire ground part. 
Cut off the parts of the leaves is recommended to burn, and preferably away from their site. The fact is that many insects lay eggs on the leaves. If they are not burned, it is possible for pests to spread throughout your dacha, and the leaves left whole will cause plant diseases.
Video: How to properly trim the leaves of irises
Did you know? Pruning of flowering buds can cause re-flowering of certain types of killer whales. The first time they bloom in spring, and the second - in the fall. Such plants include, for example, such species as "Immortality" (Immortality), "Jennifer Rebecca" (Jennifer Rebecca), "Buckwit" (Buckwheat) and some others.
Soil care and dressing
After completion of flowering in irises begins a period when they accumulate nutrients on the eve of winter. Naturally, the need for additional feed is important at this time.
The soil around the plants must be well loosened at least a couple of centimeters deep and cleaned of weeds. It is important that you do these procedures manually without the need for tools: the root irregular system is very close to the ground surface and can be easily damaged by any garden tools.
Loosening and cleaning the soil can be carried out before fertilizing. Make sure that at this time the top layer of soil is already well dried out. 
For feeding killer whales, it is best to use potassium-phosphate fertilizers, whereby both elements should be in the ratio of 1 to 1. Fertilizers are applied to each bush in a volume equal to one tablespoon (15 grams).
Important! Please note that the use of organic fertilizers (for example, manure) for fertilizing irises is unacceptable, as it can cause their destruction by rot and pests.Top feeding kasatiki should be done earlier than two weeks after the end of the flowering period. Best of all, if the gap is about a month. But the most important thing is that fertilizers should be applied no later than two weeks before the first frost.
Pest and disease treatment
Irises are often susceptible to various kinds of diseases, which are provoked by plants, fungi, infections, viruses, parasites. Therefore, after the end of the flowering period, the prevention and treatment of killer whales should be carried out, since during it all these activities are impossible.
In many cases, the prevention and treatment of diseases such as bacterial and soft rot is simply the timely introduction of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers and soil loosening. These diseases often develop with excessive soil moisture or with a high nitrogen content in its composition. Therefore, the introduction of top dressing after pruning of faded irises is both a cure and a prevention.
Any pest control procedures are carried out during this period. 
There are the following methods of dealing with the main diseases of irises:
- when affected by aphids, the plant is sprayed with insecticides;
- in case of diseases, Alternaria and Ascochitis (fungal infections) are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or its analogues;
- with soft bacterial and gray rot in the fall, they carefully clean all the damaged areas, cut and collect all the affected plants, which are then burned outside the garden area in order to avoid the spread of diseases.
Watering and maintaining humidity
In the autumn period irises do not need high humidity. On the contrary, the stagnation of moisture provokes root rot and the development of many diseases. Therefore, after the end of flowering, watering is significantly reduced. If the autumn turns out to be quite rainy, then watering the plants may not be carried out at all.
It is believed that after the end of the blooming period, the iris will even benefit from a temporary drying of the soil.
Shelter for the winter
There are frost-resistant varieties of irises (for example, Siberian or Japanese varieties). It is not at all necessary to completely cover these killer irons for the winter, because they tolerate low temperatures well and can only manage with rhizome weatherization. The only time you need to insulate them completely is if they are planted or replanted this year. Throughout the rest of the life of flowers, full winter warming is not necessary for them, even if they grow in the northern regions.
Learn about the features of growing bearded and Siberian irises.
All other varieties of irises should be completely covered for the winter. The procedure is carried out at the end of autumn before the first frost. A layer of mulch can be around 20 centimeters. For mulching suitable materials such as:
- peat;
- lapnik;
- sawdust;
- dry foliage.
Important! In early spring, mulch must be raked around the rhizome, otherwise stagnant moisture can lead to rotting of the root system.It is important that the iris be covered on time. If you hurry in the fall and cover them before the onset of the first frost, then the roots can subside. Similarly, the rush is not appropriate in the springtime: if the weather has not yet stabilized, and there are still night frosts, then you can not rush to remove the mulch - it will be enough just to lift the layer with forks so that the plants can be ventilated.
Soil mulching contributes to the successful cultivation of plants.
Iris transplant
Iris need a transplant so that they are beautiful and densely bloomed. And this is exactly the procedure that is carried out after the completion of flowering of these plants. In addition, vegetative reproduction allows new plants to bloom in a year.
It is very important to adhere to exact dates when transplanting, otherwise you can not wait for flowering next year. The best moment for grabbing a roach is 14 days after flowering has ended.
Find out what to do if the irises do not bloom.VIDEO: CULTIVATION AND TRANSFER OF IRISES
This period is different in that plants have already begun to actively store nutrients for the coming winter, their rhizomes are most developed, new sprouts have already begun to appear on them, but the flowering buds have not yet been laid. Then it is best to transplant irises.
Selection and preparation of sprouts
For planting suitable shoots of one year old. And they should be about 3 centimeters tall and about 1 or 2 centimeters in diameter.
To extract a new link for transplantation, the bush must be carefully completely digged out of the ground, gently shake and inspect the rhizome. It consists of individual links, which are connected by jumpers. Each individual link usually has its roots and its bunch of leaves. 
Bush and roots are separated, and each division must contain from 1 to 3 units. On each such share there must be a growth point or a bundle of leaves.
After dividing each plant, it is necessary to carefully inspect and remove any damage from it, if any. Remove spoiled or rotten roots, dry leaves. At the same time, the leaves should be cut into 2/3 parts, and the rhizomes should be reduced to 1/3 part. 
All cuttings are carried out with very sharp gardening equipment (scissors, pruner, knife). The tool must be clean, it can even be sterilized.
Places pruning decontaminated. To do this, sections for 15-30 minutes are dipped into a solution of potassium permanganate, and then dried in air. After that, the incisions can be processed with charcoal powder. 
Did you know? One of the little-known names of iris - "Perunika". This name was inherent in the language of the Western Slavs, as they believed that this flower grows only in those places where the lightning-arrow of the god of thunder Perun fell.
Growing conditions
The place for the growth of irises is best to choose in areas open to the sun. With sufficient sunshine, the irises grow well and bloom more abundantly.
It is also desirable that the flower bed is located on a certain hill. This is necessary so that the melt water does not flood the rhizomes in the spring, otherwise they will rot.
These plants are not very fond of wind and drafts, so try to choose a place that is protected from blowing.
But the soil irises are not too demanding, although they feel best on neutral and loamy soils.
Transplanting these flowers is necessary and should be done every 5-7 years. If the plants are not replanted, their root system is forced out of the ground, causing flowering. 
Landing pattern
Before transplanting kasatik need to prepare the ground for their relocation. For this, they dig it up, loosen the upper layer and enrich it with the help of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Also, the flower bed can be slightly raised approximately 15 centimeters.
Best of all irises grow near peonies and lilies.
Places for planting seedlings should be located at a distance of 30-50 centimeters from each other.
Further landing scheme is as follows:
- they dig a hole in the ground about 15 centimeters in diameter, and in the middle it should have a slight elevation, and a dimple along the perimeter;
- sprout positioned in the hole so that the rhizomes were flush with the ground, and the leaves were vertical;
- the seedling is immersed in an elevation well, and the roots are laid out around the groove;
- the plant should be pressed a little to the ground, covered with soil and lightly tamped down to keep it;
- planted plant immediately watered. Re-watering is carried out only after 3 or 5 days after planting.
Did you know? The Russian name “Iris” came to Russia only in the middle of the XIX century. Until then, these flowers were called only killer whales because of the scythe foliage. In Ukraine, at that time, this plant was known as the "cockerel".New irises will grow into growth not earlier than two weeks after planting, as their rudimentary roots only grow. The time remaining before the winter is quite enough for the young killers to take root well, strengthen themselves and gain strength before the winter.
Recommendations for the transfer of irises from network users
How to get iris seeds after flowering
The propagation of irises with seeds is often resorted to if they want to bring a certain variety. Plants bloom from seedlings only two or three years after planting, moreover, they may not be at all like the parent bush.
In order to collect the seeds, it is enough to leave at least one or two copies uncircumcised after flowering. After the petals fall, in 2-3 weeks a box is formed, full of large and smooth seeds, which need another 2-3 months to ripen.
When the ripening is complete, the box will simply crack, and the seeds will fall out. To avoid scattering seeds and indiscriminate self-seeding, a box can be prewrapped up with a small patch of synthetic tulle, carefully tied at the bottom. This material does not accumulate moisture, does not rot, and dries very quickly, so it will not harm the irises, and all the seeds will remain in this bag, and they can be easily collected. 
Iris Seeds After the seeds have ripened and harvested, the flower stalks are cut off at about leaf level.
Despite the fact that irises are considered to be quite unpretentious plants, they still require a certain punctuality in caring for them. It is very important to adhere to exact dates in pruning, fertilizing, transplanting and mulching these flowers. Not in time for measures taken to care for them can have disastrous consequences for killer whales.
