Magic Valley Iris Society

We as the owners of River Front Applicators, LLC, are excited about the knowledge we gained from last season. We want to apply our experiences into this season in the lawn and garden world. We have been distributing Organic Fertilizers now for a couple of years and are excited about the results they can provide. This last season we spent a lot of time in the gardens trying to provide a quality crop with an environmentally healthy outcome with some kind of quantity. We Succeeded!   The enhanced flavors from the fruits and vegetables were outstanding. We spent the summer with the Grahams in Twin Falls feeding a portion of there exquisite Iris Garden also and we had some phenomenal results. The Organic world offers all the nutrients needed to grow our plants in a natural more absorbent way. Let me share a couple of thoughts with you about this.
            We have learned that a numerous portion of the nutrients we apply to our soils, because of chemistry are tied up with elements that do not let the food we are applying get to the plant. Therefore our customers have been applying more pounds of products than necessary to gain the desired results. With this problem in place we have discovered that through our program using water fertigation, applying carbon based nutrients from the Organic world we can cut down on the pounds of product used and ensure optimal results. We take our fertilizer and place it in what we call a fertigation system. Then, run it through your water in your lawn or garden and spoon feed your plants every time you water. Through this process we provide the Macro nutrients, Micro nutrients and 50 trace minerals you normally don’t get through a store purchased fertilizer. All of our products are carbon laced so the nutrients are tied up in the carbon and not other elements that are not effective.
            We would love to spend more time with you and show you how we can save you time and money and save our ground water from becoming anymore polluted. We have programs for most situations. Give us a call and let us help.

What sold me is how nice our 35 year old grass looks which has many different grass seeds and sod implants. It is always the same height, the same green and not a whole bunch of growth. When we used the chemical fertilizer's, we had fast growth but slowly the growth went to nothing. I didn't understand why because we didn't have any sob web worms. I was so tired of fighting dead areas.

Now we are using the organic fertilizer's on one patch of Tall bearded irises. What amazes me is that you can see how well that they are growing compared to the other patch. This year, I am using the organic fertilizer on all the flower beds and lawn. Price wise, the organic fertilizer wasn't very expensive!

Jeanette Graham, Treasurer
1750 8th Ave. E, Twin Falls ID 83301
208-734-3613 - Annual Dues: $7.00
onthego4@cableone.net

To the Magic Valley Iris Society. We are located in the south central region of Idaho in the Twin Falls, Idaho area. We are affiliated with the American Iris Society in Region 11. Region 11 includes Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. We are bound together by the common, shared appreciation of the Iris. We invite you to learn more about irises and their wonderful beauty, color and form. Bring your comments and questions about irises to a meeting where you will find experienced iris growers to share with and also have lots of fun.

Each year we sponsor an Iris show, 4 issues of our newsletter, a potluck lunch in the Twin Falls City Park with our annual rhizome sale, a Christmas dinner, and 2 meetings. The meetings often feature informative and interesting guest speakers and/or iris hybridizers. Often we have color slides to illustrate their discussion. We've had a bus trip to 2 commercial Iris growers in the Caldwell, Idaho area.

We invite all newcomers to attend any of our events. Come and expand your knowledge of the Iris.

Irises are among the easiest of perennials to grow, and they give an abundance of beauty with minimum care. The iris has a thick fleshy root call a "rhizome" (pronounced rye-zome) about like a tough potato in texture. When you buy a new iris, you will probably receive a rhizome with clipped roots and leaves. It can remain out of the ground for a week or two without serious harm, but the sooner it is planted, the better. It helps if you soak the rhizome overnight in water just before you plant.

To plant your irises, choose a sunny spot in well drained soil. Prepare soil well, by spading or turning over the soil with a garden fork to a depth of at least 10 inches. Spread fertilizer and work it into the top of the soil. A well prepared bed will result in better growth and more bloom. The soil should be light. If it is a clay soil, add very course sand and humus. Bone meal and a good garden fertilizer, low in nitrogen, are good for irises, but manure should be used only after it has aged for about a year. Otherwise, it may cause rot. The roots must be buried firmly to hold the plant in place, but the rhizome should be near the surface.

If you have several plants, plant them at least a foot and a half apart, "facing" the same way. The rhizomes will then increase in the same direction, without crowding each other too soon.

In about 2 or 3 years, the new rhizomes will begin to crowd each other and you will want to divide the plant.

You will have so many new rhizomes that you can share them with your friends and neighbors. Perhaps you received your first rhizomes from a friend. When digging, keep all plants carefully labeled with their names, for sure identification. It is wise to keep diagrams of your planting area to double check individual labels on the plants.

The digging and separating is best down between one and two months after bloom season, usually in July or August for this Idaho area. Soon after this the irises grow roots which help to hold the plant firmly during the winter in areas where freezing and thawing can result in heaving the rhizome out of the ground. Some members mulch in the winter but you will want to remove the mulch early in the spring to prevent rotting of the rhizomes.

AUGUST - 1st Saturday includes Iris Rhizome Sale & club picnic held at Twin Falls City Park

Below are membership rates for the American Iris Society. Benefits to the AIS include a subscription to 4 color AIS Bulletins per year and the rates are:

$25 - Single, annual
$30 - Dual, annual
$60 - Single, triennial
$75 - Dual, triennial

$450 - Single, lifetime
$545 - Dual, lifetime

Send AIS membership dues to the
AIS Membership Secretary:
Tom Gormley
AIS Membership Secretary
10606 Timber Ridge Street
Dubuque, IA 52001-8268
Email: aismemsec@earthlink.net
Phone 563-513-0504
Cell phone 314-606-9709

The above information supplied by
Barbara Aitken
Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden
www.flowerfantasy.net

There are several types of memberships relating to irises, but one of the best is to our Magic Valley club. Benefits include informative quarterly newsletters, great meetings and good old fashioned fun sharing with friends and neighbors the love of irises. Our annual dues are very reasonable at only $7 which also includes 1 free rhizome to each paid member. Send dues to the address below.

c/o Jeanette Graham, Treasurer
1750 8th Ave. E, Twin Falls ID 83301
208-734-3613 - Annual Dues: $7.00

Here Iris members may list items for sale:
Jeanette Graham has plant labels for sale and they are 85 cents each and made of of solid brass Rod and coroplast. She can email you a picture and the size is 4'' by 2 1/2". You can write on them or use a Brother Label's. The signs are "dog-proof." Her phone number is 734-3613.

Here Iris members may list items they are looking for:
Debbie Paul 2007E. 2000South Gooding, Id 83330 934-5003 is looking for historical irises.

Gary Clark 2275 Sunlite Lane Missoula MT406-728-7633 is looking to buy Spun Gold and New Moon for the Missoula Historical Iris bed.

(Members, if you'd like your garden listed, send the details to the webmaster for "Display Gardens".)
webmaster

Info - Patching up the irises . . . Patching up the irises . . .

Spring is here. Looking at my irises I see some lost to rot. The AIS bulletin of April 2007 mentioned a new product to cure this problem, Root Dip Gel. It works to prevent this disease in irises and daylilies.

Messenger is another product, that works on growth and helps to prevent disease in irises and daylilies. You can learn more on their web site - http://www.messenger.info. You can buy Messenger at 1-888-552-5976. You can buy the Dipping Gel at Wilbur-Ellis, 2380 Eldridge Ave., Twin Falls.

If you have any questions, please call Jeanette Graham at 734-3613.

(Site updated July 3, 2009)

For additions or changes send an email to:
webmaster

Randy and Jeanette Graham	208-734-3613	1750 8th Ave. East, Twin Falls
Dorothy Boreman	208-934-5098	2242E. 1700S, Gooding Idaho 83330
Jessie Clifford	837-4742	552 Valley Circle, Hagerman, Id. 83332

Office	Name	Phone Number	Email
President	Linda Fallon	324-8489	wanabfrn@msn.com
Vice President	Patti Hurley	537-6836	jhurley@magiclink.com
Secretary	Darlene Robinson	734-3333	none
Treasurer	Jeanette Graham	734-3613	onthego4@cableone.net
Newsletter Editor	Judy Erdman	934-9475	grins@dishmail.net