Gladiolus is a highlight in any garden, thanks to bright and large flowers of an unusual form. On the other hand, gladioli are simple flowers for growing, as they easily adapt to different types of soil. However, in order to enjoy summer flowering, you need to know whether you need to dig up different types of gladioli for the winter, when and how to do it.
Gladiolus is a perennial plant of the Iridaceae (Iris) family. It is a very common genus that grows in Asia, Europe and Africa.
Specifications
Types of gladioli differ from each other in the shape, size, color and appearance of the flowers. This is a bulbous plant that is not grown from seeds, except for the production of new varieties. Its name comes from the Latin word "gladius", which means a sword.
Gladioli in the garden
Bulbs of gladioli in botanical terminology are called "corm", or corm. Corm - a shortened and thickened section of the stem, surrounded by several layers of brownish fibrous membranes. A young corm is formed annually, drawing nutrients from the old, then dying.
The stems of the plant are erect, up to 1 m high, densely surrounded by leaves, long, leathery, with a slightly pointed end, bright green in color.
Inflorescences of gladiolus
The fragrant ear of gladiolus inflorescence consists of large, in most species - unilateral flowers, which are bisexual. Each flower has two leathery green bracts. Sepals and petals are combined into a tubular structure. Stamens are attached to the base of the perianth funnel-shaped. The color of the flowers is diverse: from white, yellow, pale pink to ruby red and purple, sometimes multicolor, as in the case of hybrid varieties.
Growing gladioli
Caring for gladioli is quite simple. When creating comfortable conditions for plants, they will generously give gardeners luxurious flowers.
What to look for:
- Landing place. Gladioli love places under the full sun and sheltered from the winds;
- The soil. They prefer moist, loose, well-drained, rich in organic substances soils;
- Watering. It is carried out regularly during the flowering period and throughout the summer season (approximately twice a week). However, moisture should be avoided on flowers that have not yet blossomed. The optimal method of watering is in grooves dug near the plant to a depth of 5 cm;
- Top dressing. We need periodic top dressing with complex fertilizers for flowering plants, diluted in water for irrigation. It is preferable to feed before flowering.
Important! During the first phases of growth, watering should be more plentiful, after the appearance of the first shoots, the amount of water for irrigation decreases.
Another feature when taking care of gladioli is to remove weeds on time, as they pick up some of the nutrients intended for flowers.
Bouquet of gladioli
If gladioli are cut to make bouquets, then it is better to do this when 2-3 blossoming flowers appear. Cutting time is early in the morning or evening. The cut is best done diagonal, leaving 4-6 leaves on the stem remaining in the ground. Leaves are important for the proper formation of corms.
Ideal time for picking bulbs
What to do next with plants when the gladiolus has faded? Unfortunately, most species are unstable to frost, they need to be dug up. The climatic conditions of cultivation is determined when digging gladiolus. In general, one should be guided by the air temperature and time limits of the flowering period of the plant.
The optimal time for excavation in the temperate zone is mid-September, even if the leaves are still green. In this case, it should take about 6 weeks after flowering, the ambient temperature drops to about 10 ° C.
Too long onions in the ground can lead to their infection with various diseases and possible attacks by pests.
Important! If the leaves become covered with yellow and brown spots and dry early, this may indicate that the fungus attacked the plant. Then urgent digging is necessary, while there is still a chance to save him.
Weather for cleaning
It should be dug on a dry sunny day, so that the earth is dry. Then the bulbs are easily cleaned, and their likelihood of damage is reduced.
Digging process step by step
Digging is the main procedure that should be done with gladioli after flowering. When the time comes, you need to take a shovel or pitchfork and perform sequential actions:
- The blade of the working tool must be immersed in the ground carefully, trying not to tilt, so as not to cut the bulbs;
- Dig a plant and gently remove it from the soil by pulling the stem. Shake off excess soil. If the earth has stuck, it is recommended to rinse with warm water;
- Prepare an oilcloth or polyethylene film to lay out the dug gladioli on it. So you can find all the bulbs, including children;
Excavated Gladioli
Important! When the stems have not yet turned yellow, the plants are left for 3-5 days on the oilcloth, so the residual nutrients from the aerial parts of the gladiolus migrate to the corms.
- Remove the old bottom of the corm. If it is ripe, then this is easy to do. Otherwise, let it lie down for ripening and drying;
- Trim the roots;
- Rinse and treat the bulbs with a strong solution of potassium permanganate (2-5 g per 10 l of water). Keep in solution for at least half an hour.
- Then, with a sharp secateurs, the stem is cut. You can leave no more than 1-2 cm so that the thrips, possibly present on the yellow stem, do not go under the scales of the bulbs, where they can safely survive the winter.
What gladioli do not dig in the fall
Sometimes on sale you can find gladioli, digging which according to rumors circulated among gardeners, is not mandatory. If you buy such gladioli, how to store it and when to dig it out, it will not be a problem. However, this is not always true.
Miniature varieties with small flowers are often considered winter-hardy. This is an erroneous opinion. All hybrid varieties of gladioli do not tolerate Russian winters in the land.
Only some types of gladioli can be frost-resistant. There are practically none on sale.
Frost-resistant types of gladioli:
- Tiled (Gladíolus im-bricatus). In the temperate climate of Russia it is able to be grown without digging;
- Sowing (Gladíolus segetum);
- Common (Gladíolus communis);
- Byzantine (Gladíolus byzantinus).
Gladíolus im-bricatus
As for the last three, although they belong to hardy species, in Russian conditions there is no guarantee of their successful wintering without digging.
Storage preparation
After harvesting gladioli in the fall and processing the tubers, proper storage will ensure their successful spring germination. Preparatory activities are carried out in advance.
Drying and sorting tubers
Drying is carried out in two stages:
- Tubers are placed for 7-12 days in a well-ventilated place at a temperature of 23-28 ° C. Every day 2 times they are turned over for uniform drying. This is a very important process on which plant health and bulb sprouting depend. Sick and damaged specimens are discarded, which are immediately burned;
- At the next stage, the storage temperature drops to 18-20 ° C, so the tubers are aged for a month.
Important! When drying is carried out in an apartment and the temperature cannot be adjusted, the minimum aging time is a couple of months.
Different bulbs of gladioli
In conclusion, the corms are peeled, but the outer, tight-fitting flakes are not removed, especially from the children.
Then the corms are sorted. Children are placed in paper bags. Large onions are placed in containers of cardboard, preferably without contact with each other. You can also sort by placing large and medium corms in separate boxes. If a second layer is placed, then after laying newsprint. Pouring with ash and putting in a box of peeled garlic cloves are allowed.
Ways to store bulbs at home
When the corms are prepared, then you need to decide how to store gladioli in the winter. There are several ways to preserve the onions before planting in the spring.
Important! The necessary storage conditions are periodic inspections of the bulbs and the removal of spoiled ones. If they are in an accessible place - monthly, otherwise - at least 2 times during the winter.
Optimal storage conditions for gladioli:
- temperature - 3-6 ° C;
- air humidity - within 65-80%;
- lack of light.
When humidity is low, corms can dry excessively by spring. In this case, they are soaked before landing.
How long is the bulb stored?
Providing ideal parameters, the tubers are calmly stored until spring planting and may even lie for another year. But the most healthy plants will grow from them when stored only for one winter season.
In the ground
The method is not suitable for cold climatic zones, it is more acceptable for the southern regions.
Before storing bulbs of gladioli in the ground, you should choose a site that should not be flooded, and where the soil has a loose structure.
In the soil, a hole of 0.7x0.8 m is dug, tanks with prepared bulbs, sprinkled with wood sawdust or sand that should not be wet are installed there. Fill containers with dry leaves or grass, cover with a film of polyethylene and fill with soil.
In bags or stockings
If the house has a cool dark room, it is convenient to store the bulbs in synthetic stockings. So they will be provided with open air access. Stockings filled with tubers are tied and secured to the wall.
Corms in stocking
On the balcony
A closed loggia or balcony is a suitable place to store tubers. Meanwhile, in frosty weather, warming is indispensable. For this, containers with gladioli are wrapped in blankets.
In the basement or cellar
In the basement or cellar, there are good conditions for keeping corms, but it is important to observe a number of rules:
- do not place bulbs near vegetables and fruits, because the humidity there may become excessive;
- drawers are installed on shelves or grilles to ensure maximum ventilation;
- basement or cellar should not be too damp, it is better if ventilation is installed there.
Gladiolus bulbs in storage
In fridge
This method, how to store gladiolus at home in winter, is suitable in the absence of space with optimal characteristics. If there are a small amount of bulbs, each one is wrapped in a paper sheet and placed in a fabric bag. The best storage location is away from the freezer.
Storage of bulbs in the refrigerator
Treatment of tubers from diseases and pests
In gladioli, diseases are possible, and they are often attacked by harmful insects. Bacteria and fungi can be found in the soil, and, for example, thrips live on a plant in the summer, moving in bulbs in the winter. This makes it necessary to process the tubers before storing them.
Autumn decontamination of gladioli bulbs
Autumn disinfection consists in immersing the bulbs in a strong solution of potassium permanganate, which can be replaced by treatment with a fungicide.
Soaking gladioli in potassium permanganate
To carry out prophylaxis against harmful insects, after bulbs of potassium permanganate or fungicide, you can dip the bulbs in a solution of malathion or another insecticide.
Pest damage during storage
The main diseases that develop during storage of gladioli are associated with rotting corms. Almost all pathogens are resistant to low temperatures, but they feel especially good in high humidity.
Important! For successful storage of bulbs, it is necessary to protect them from high humidity, sharp fluctuations in temperature and contact with diseased planting material.
Therefore, periodic inspections are required, during which rotten and damaged specimens are removed. If they are not rejected on time, neighboring corms will quickly become infected. The presence of peeled garlic cloves in a container with gladioli will also help fight harmful microorganisms due to bactericidal properties. They need to be replaced once every 2-3 weeks with fresh ones.
Timely excavation and observance of simple storage rules will allow in spring to plant healthy and strong bulbs. Magnificent gladioli will grow out of them, which with their bright flowering will decorate the garden and, cut off, will add charm to the room interior.
