If a large number of gladioli grows on your site, but you are not yet an experienced florist, this article will help you figure out how to deal with these flowers after flowering. It will also talk about the consequences of cutting plants for making bouquets during flowering and at a time when the buds have not yet opened. It is proposed to pay special attention to the proper care of gladioli in the autumn and their watering.

What to do with gladioli after flowering

These bright, multi-colored corms became especially popular in Europe thanks to W. Herbert, who received fenders of skewer (the second name is gladiolus) in 1807. From that time, the history of selection of this plant began. The gladioli blossoming in the summer appeared.

The cultivation of the skewer is as follows:

• perennial bulbs (also called heads) are left in the soil in the southern regions;
• in central Russia, it is customary to dig up corms of gladioli planted in the open ground and store in suitable conditions;
• after the flowering pore, it is necessary to observe the ripening period of the bulb;
• excavation is carried out, including for the purpose of prevention from pests;
• early varieties need to be planted separately from later varieties, and children should grow in a specially designated garden area.

The flower stalk depletes the underground part of the skewer quite enough, which is why it should be removed. Most gardeners believe that it is more beneficial both to the plant itself and the observer's eye to cut off these flowers as soon as possible. If you leave the plant to bloom in the garden, then the time for ripening of corms will require more - not a month or a half, but 50-60 days, which is fraught with frost damage and infection with parasites.

Did you know? In the Middle Ages, flour was made from fennel, which was added to the dough for baking bread.

So, gladioluses have already faded, which means that flower stalks need to be cut. It is customary to leave only a small part - no more than five centimeters. Further, plants need rare watering and subsequent digging of bulbs. Those bulbs of varieties that bloomed earlier than others are the first to be extracted from the earth. This is done very carefully - by the method of digging and gently pulling out. All damaged fragments of the underground part of the plant are destroyed.

Do not forget that those skewers that you have identified as suitable for cutting into bouquets, it is important to plant separately from the rest. With further autumn care and harvesting corms, this approach will ensure the absence of unnecessary trouble.

Important! The ideal time to cut the peduncle is the opening time of the first lower bud.

Care after flowering gladioli

Now pay attention to the necessary manipulations to care for faded gladioli:

1. Cutting flower stalk. It is carried out by secateurs or a knife in the evening.
2. Trimming the length of leaves (up to 20 cm).
3. Reduced watering. The recommended amount is once a decade (more often in dry weather in autumn).
4. Plant nutrition. It is carried out two times. Take 7 liters of water, 1 tbsp. l superphosphate and 150 g of wood ash per 1 m² of flowerbed. The second top dressing is done the same way, but with the addition of 2 g of potassium permanganate. Time - at least two weeks after the first.
5. Processing before digging bulbs. You can use special prophylactic agents against diseases and pests.

These simple events will help gardeners to achieve not only normal ripening of corms, but also subsequent abundant flowering.

Do I need to prune gladioli after flowering

Trimming stalks of fennel is the most important stage of cultivation. As mentioned above, this is done in order to provide potential seed with nutrients that, if ignored, will go to the stem and leaves. But to make your fenders strong, healthy and ready for wintering is simply necessary in the middle zone and the northern regions of the country. Therefore, it is recommended to remove peduncles.

There are two ways:

• either leaves up to 5 cm of the stem;
• or - up to 20-30 cm, while the size of the peduncle is compared with the length of the leaves (they can also be trimmed).

In the second case, further cutting of the stem occurs when digging the corm. Only a small part is left - from 0.5 cm to 0.7 cm.

How and when to cut gladioli properly

First you need to familiarize yourself with the rules and the time period of the cut of the fennel for bouquets:

1. If the flowers began to bloom a little - you can already put the peduncle in a vase.
2. Cut into bouquets in the morning.
3. Hold the event only with a well-pointed knife so as not to damage the plant.
4. Immerse the stems immediately in a container of water.
5. Remember that the flowers are massive - place them in vases with a wide bottom.
6. Cut flowers should be stored in water in a cool place.
7. Change the water after 2-3 days.
8. Remove wilted flowers gradually.

The time will come when the skewer fades - first early, then late. While flowering lasts, watering should be carried out. It can be everyday (in dry weather), and rare - from once a week or even two weeks. The bulb is at a depth of 30–35 cm, and the soil should be moistened at such a depth inland.

Important! If you add half an aspirin tablet to the water, the flowers will receive additional nutrients and the bouquet will remain attractive for longer.

The ground under the landing of the skewer needs to be loosened, it is useful to lightly spud the plants. Weeds to be removedb, and so that the soil moisture is constant and moderate, the weed grass does not grow abundantly, mulching is carried out.

When gladioluses fade, they urgently need to be cut. About the removal of peduncles described above. Do not forget about the rules for cutting. Pay attention not only to the state of the flowers on the plant to determine the time of removal of the stems, but also to the air temperature. The rule of thumb is to remove the flower stalks before the onset of steady colds. It is important to let the corms ripen.

Did you know? In ancient Greece, gladiolus was considered a weed that grows in wheat fields. They blurted it out and burned along with the bulbs.

Do I need to water gladioli after flowering

If the weather is dry and sunny, watering should continue. Faded gladioli are irrigated less frequently than during flowering, when moisture was required to form beautiful flowers. With an approximate frequency, about once a week or ten days, it is required to water the fender so as to maintain a rational level of moisture in the soil in which the corm is located.

Avoid pouring water onto the aerial parts of the skewer. In advance, in the spring when planting, make holes or grooves for irrigation along the plantings or between them - this method of irrigation prevents gladiolus rot.

Is it possible to cut gladioli during flowering

Usually for bouquets flower stalks are cut, on which one or two lower flowers have blossomed. Gardeners, as a rule, have a separate skewer, designed for bouquets, and one that will decorate the garden space directly. If flowering has already continued, and it occurs from the bottom up, then cutting will not harm the plant.

Negative effects can occur in flowers in a vase. After all, now you have to pick off daily inflorescences fading one after another.To help preserve the appearance of the bouquet, you can pinch the upper buds (1-2 pcs.). Then more flowering forces will go to the rest, lower and middle flowers. Cutting gladioli planted specifically to decorate the site is worth it only after the flowering is complete.

Is it possible to cut unblown gladioli

If you observe that the buds will be ready to bloom soon, you can safely cut the stems. The main thing is to keep as many leaves as possible on the plant. Do not cut flowers in the heat, so as not to harm the skewer.As a rule, if one bud has opened on each plant, therefore, it is time to gather bouquets. And this contributes to the proper development of gladiolus, especially its corm.

Do not rush to cut only those varieties for which the time for flowering will not come soon. Too early pruning does not make any sense - the buds have not yet had time to form and prepare for blooming.

Gardeners are so fond of gladiolus that the skewer can be called one of the most common flowers on personal plots. Closer to autumn, people from summer cottages are transporting huge, colorful bouquets. Large flowers are diverse in color and shape, varieties and hybrids there are a great many. It is useful for each owner of a flowerbed with gladioli to know how to care for plants, when it is customary to cut flowers, and how to save corms in winter for subsequent planting.