I have grass growing in between my Iris's, how can I eliminate the grass without harming the Iris?

Question

I have a flower bed with seveal iris plants.   I also have a terrible problem with grass growing inbetween and around the Iris.  So bad this year, they didn't even bloom.   I've tried mulch and that doesn't not control the grass.   Is there anything I can spary or apply around the Iris that will kill the grass without killing the Iris?

Answer 1

If you only have a few iris why not cut the grass back by hand and wait until August when the iris can be lifted, divided, and replanted after you carefully pull out the grass.  You could also apply a pre-emergent to the flower bed which will kill the grass seeds that remain.

The reason your iris failed to bloom may have been that they were not divided in the past three or four years.  The grass would not be the cause.

Answer 2

I had same problem.  Used round up on grass after it emerged  being careful not to get on iris foliage.  Iris seem to encourage grass. Anyways I too mulch heavily and have very little grass problem.  If there is some grass I use hay fork to loosen soil even if grass is in iris which allows me to pull out long grass roots and then I step on iris tubers to settle back into ground.It works!

Answer 3

I have an iris bed...........after a heavy rain in the early spring I get out there and pull the weeds out.....and I used black mulch from canada and put it around the iris.  I did sprinkle some bone meal around them and they came up very nice this year.

Answer 4

After a heavy rain, we decided to hand pull the weeds around the iris.  We finally had some beautiful blooms this year.  I was leary about using grass killer near those bulbs.