too late to divide DB Iris?

[mark smyth]

I had planned to divide my dwarf bearded Iris this year but never did it. They are not performing as well as they should be.

Can I do it now?

[PeterT]

Yes, so long as they are rooted down before it gets too cold for them to grow. If you do it now try to be quick so that the new roots dont dry but keep growing.
The alternative is to pot them and keep them coverd, replant in the spring without disturbing the new rootball, garden soil is as good as anything for potting them but avoid organic (eg peat based) compost.

[bulborum]

I advice always the same soil where you plant them later in
be sure the rhizome is just half buried , half above the ground

If you plant them now first in small pots in the poly-tunnel
most of the time they re-root in 4-6 weeks
and you replant them than in the garden

Roland

[Lesley Cox]

Ideally they are divided very soon after flowering but as Peter say, so long as they have time to establish new roots before winter you should be OK with them. There's never enough time to do everything when it SHOULD be done.