Moving hemerocallis (daylilies)

I am moving across country in a couple weeks. I would like to take a few fans of my favorite daylillies and bearded iris with me.
It will take us 2 days to drive from Indianapolis to Las Crucis.

When should I dig up the fans and trim them? I have mailed plants before bare but not in the heat of summer.
Should I leave them bare and dry, bare wrapped in damp newspaper or replant them in pots in sand potting soil or peat moss?

Same questions about the bearded iris.

Also, after I get there should I plant in pots where they are shaded, part shaded or just plant them in the ground where they will stay?

Can I keep them alive a day or 2 before planting or do I need to get them planted first, then move my furniture in?

Whatever you end up doing will probably be fine.

My husband once brought home some bearded iris roots that had been dug up on a construction site he was visiting.  He threw them in the back of his work truck and forgot about them over the long weekend...a very hot and sunny long weekend. They sat in the sun for four days before he brought them home and planted them. They grew fine.

Earlier this year I scored a huge amount of bearded irises and daylilies that had been brought to the local yard waste drop off centre. It seemed like they'd been lying in a big pile for quite a while. The bottom layers were stinky and slimy and wherever the leaves had space, they'd started to change the direction they were growing, adapting to their new location.

I brought them home, pulled off all the dead and rotten stuff, and put them in a single layer in a tote bins until I had time to deal with them. I kept the bins mostly in the shade and splashed water on them whenever they seemed dry. I got the last roots planted three weeks later. A month or so on, there's new growth on everything I put in the ground.

The part where they get slimey is what worries me.

I just want to take small fans. I know that dividing rejuvenates the plants but I don’t want the people that bought the house to see it as me taking something they bought so I was hoping to take so little that they couldn’t tell I took any.

I was hoping that I could dig them a week before the move as I would have more time.

Still not sure whether to keep them bare root or plant in buckets of soil, sand or peatmoss.

Don't worry too much about this. Here's my experience:

Daylilies don't care. They take so much abuse and still flower the same year you plant them. I've transplanted them in bloom and they still continued blooming.

Iris's are tough too, but probably should trim the fans back. They take longer to reestablish and bloom than daylily though. I got to dig up a ton of free overgrown iris and ended up literally throwing a bunch of "bad" ones in the woods last summer. This year the're out there thriving.  

Sure you can baby them along for a season in pots and that will help. But they are tough enough that you can just do a little soil amendment (if needed) and plant them in their new home.  

Julie Bernhardt wrote:The part where they get slimey is what worries me.

I just want to take small fans. I know that dividing rejuvenates the plants but I don’t want the people that bought the house to see it as me taking something they bought so I was hoping to take so little that they couldn’t tell I took any.

I was hoping that I could dig them a week before the move as I would have more time.

Still not sure whether to keep them bare root or plant in buckets of soil, sand or peatmoss.

I used to get leftover daylilies and irises from clients after thinning them out. I trimmed the leaves down to about half an inch and threw them in an extra empty plastic pot. I often forgot about them for a week or so and they were fine. If they get dry and shriveled, just soak them in water for a day before planting. I think they will be happier directly planted in their new home.

Bare root transport saves you the most space and gives the roots the most air. As long as they have air and aren't dripping wet, they shouldn't get slimy. A brown paper bag or a basket will let air in. Too many in the basket and the ones in the center might get slimy, just shuffle them around every couple days. Also I would be a little worried about unwittingly bringing pests in the soil.

If they look sad and you get worried about them, moist paper towels or moist cloth around them is plenty. Or stick them in water when you are stopped for the night. I've definitely left them in water for a few days before and they were fine.  And if left in the direct sun in the car, they could get cooked obviously.

Unless it's in your contract not to take plants, take as many as you want! You grew them! As long as you don't leave an obvious hole or odd shape, the new residents won't notice. Take evenly from around the outside leaving a nice circle, or take a clump from the middle leaving a nice looking ring. The plants will fill in in one or two seasons anyway. I doubt you will hear anything about it.

Thank you!

I will probably have them in the moving truck so they will be in a hot dry truck in the dark for a couple days.
I used to dip bearded iris in a bucket of water with a splash of bleach in it before mailing them. I hope that kills any borers that might be hiding. I’ve never had any pests on my daylilies. I got a daylily mail order that had a red worm on it once.