Can you store Iris 'bulbs' out of the ground?

I live in th southeast corner of Washington. In the fall I divided several large clumps of Iris. (the large type - not sure of name). Before I could finish replanting them all we had an unexpected early cold snap. It hasn't warmed up past freezing much. Currently they are loosely grouped in between several layers of newspaper, in a cardboard box and in the house. Will they survive until the spring? Should I store them in the unheated basement? What can you tell me? Thanks for your time.

Can you store Iris 'bulbs' out of the ground?
dig a hole about a foot deep, put the tubers in the hole ,cover them with an upside-down flower pot. then fill in the hole. dont pack the dirt down--let it settle naturally.


the flower pot will hamper rodents from getting at the tubers, and will make it easy to locate them without cutting them with the shovel.


in the early spring dig up the tubers and replant at the appropriate depth.


dont try to save the tubers indoors over the winter--this is rarely successful unless you can provide the exact balance of humidity and air circulation(not easy to do in houses with modern heating) they will likely either rot with fungus or shrivel and dry up.
Reply:Every winter I have several types of bulbs that I have to dig up and bring in (I live in Canada). I dig them up, let them dry, then I put them in a cardboard box with a bit of peat moss, and store them in a cool, dark place. This has worked for me for many, many years.





Hope this helps.
Reply:you need to take the iris tubers and get some bedding material like the kind you put in horse trailers and losely put them in a bag like you wash delicate materials in the washer it has holes in it so the air can circulate around them or they will rot and store them in a dark warm place like near the water heater if your water heater is in a closet type area it is good if you can hang the bag up off the floor an unheated basement they could freeze
Reply:Yes, keep in a cool, dark, and very dry place like a basement or outdoor shed in paper bags--but somewhere they won't actually freeze and somewhere clever little rodents won't feast on the bonanza. Trick the bulbs into thinking there's been a frost by sticking them in the fridge for a few days right before you plant them in the spring--then they'll flower more. Make sure there isn't any ripening fruit in the fridge when you do this. Good luck.