If the rose is the recognized queen of flowers, then the gladiolus is the king! Its splendour and grace will not leave indifferent any lovers of garden plants. No flower can compete with it in the variety of shapes, sizes of the inflorescence, and especially in its colour range, which includes different shades from white to almost black.
How to Prepare Bulbs for Planting
Preparation of the bulbs begins 15-20 days before the scheduled planting date. Therefore, you should take care of the availability of gladiolus bulbs in advance at https://dutch-bulbs.com/gladiolus/ where you can select them at any time.
Here is the sequence of actions.
- Bulbs must be cleaned from scales and carefully examined for the presence of diseases or pests. A healthy bulb has a shiny, dense surface, thick buds that have already grown and root buds in the form of thick tubercles.
- Dried, softened, heavily mildewed or sick bulbs should be removed.
- Bulbs are placed for germination upside down in a warm place, protected from direct sunlight.
- It is not necessary to moisten the bulbs, otherwise, it will cause increased growth of roots, which will be damaged during the planting.
- In any case, regardless of whether sick bulbs were found or not, apply some fungicide mixture on them for about 30 minutes before planting.
How to Plant Gladiolus Bulbs Right
A place for growing flowers should be sunny, protected from northern winds, avoiding low-lying areas where water stagnates. The soil should be loose, water-absorbing, but not too heavy. Gladioli are quite cold-resistant, but it is still recommended to plant them in warm soil (up to + 10 °C at a depth of 10 cm).
The garden bed is carefully dug up in advance and fertilized with rotted compost. For large bulbs, it is recommended to make trenches of about 15 cm deep, while for medium ones, 7-9 cm will be enough. At the bottom of the trench, it is advisable to put a layer of sand of about 2 cm and place the bulbs on it. Spread some wood ash on top, cover it with sand, add some fungicide mixture and cover with soil by levelling the surface. The use of sand is not a must but thanks to this technique, it is possible to optimize the composition of too heavy soils and protect the corms from diseases.
The distance between the bulbs in a row is made depending on their size: 10 to 15 cm between large ones, and no more than 10 cm between medium-sized bulbs. The average distance between rows should be about 30-35 cm wide.
Finally, if you are a novice gardener, it’s still better to figure out how to care for gladioli correctly. These tips will help you grow these gorgeous flowers next to your house. Good luck!
Thanks to Ann for sending this piece
