A gladiolus flower can decorate a flower bed in the most refined garden. But it is important to remember that this capricious representative of bulb plants will require the gardener to have certain knowledge and skills in planting, growing, digging and storing bulbs.
When to cut gladioli for the winter
Preparation for cleaning gladioli begins long before the arrival of winter. At the initial stage, it is necessary to cut the peduncles.
Important! If you let the gladioli bloom to the very frosts and dig it up, not letting it stand without flower stalks, it is likely that next year they will not have enough strength to bloom.
It is important to cut technically correctly:
- Work is carried out in the early morning or after sunset.
- A sharp knife is used as a tool.
- It is necessary to keep at least 4 leaf blades on the bush for further growth and development of the bulb.
- The rest of the peduncle should be located deep between the leaves.
Gladioli without inflorescences should be left in the garden for 40–45 days - give the cornea the opportunity to accumulate a sufficient supply of nutrients, increase vitality and immunity. Often during this time, the aboveground part of the plant has time to turn yellow and gradually dies. When determining the correct cut-off period, local climatic conditions must be taken into account.For example, in the Leningrad Region (the central zone of Russia), stably cold weather occurs in mid or late October. So, after the first decade of October, you can dig out the bulbs so that they do not freeze and die. Subtracting 40 days from the date of the proposed excavation, we obtain the date of universal cut of inflorescences - the end of summer or the beginning of autumn.
Is it possible to leave bulbs of gladioli in the ground for the winter
Without consequences, bulbs of species gladioluses remain wintering in the land. But these ancestors of the gladiolus vulgaris are difficult to meet on a garden flower bed. You can leave for wintering in the open ground and a smooth-headed gladiolus, which is not afraid of low temperatures. Bulbs of all other varieties can not be disturbed only in the southern regions, where the plant is almost always at a comfortable temperature - not lower than 0 ° С.
Did you know? Gladius in Latin means "sword." Gladiators wore a gladiolus bulb on their chest like an amulet that brings good luck in battles.
In case of frost, it is recommended to protect the landing with agrospan or other covering material. You can put a box that is covered with a film, and foliage or sawdust is sprayed on top. For active growth and future lush flowering, the bulbs should winter at a temperature of + 3 ° ... + 9 ° C. In central Russia, and even more so in the northern regions, it is impossible to achieve such conditions in the soil, so the bulbs must be dug up.
Leaving bulbs in the ground is not worth it for a number of reasons:
- high risk of freezing and dying;
- can rot during the thaw;
- they are readily eaten by rodents;
- become weak, unarmed before disease and decay.
When to dig out gladioli after flowering
For experienced gardeners, it does not matter if the inflorescences have bloomed or not, they have time to bloom or are in the active phase. All flower arrows need to be removed in advance, leaving the bulbs "rest" in the soil for about a month and a half. If the flower is left on the plant, its additional vital energy is spent, and it will take additional weeks to replenish the spent nutrients, which may not be due to worsening weather conditions.
Important! The minimum vital maturity of a flower bulb is 40 days.
If there is a need to check the variety, waiting for the first flowering, the peduncle is cut only to the first bud. Soon it will blossom, and then it will also be removed.
Digging out gladioli, you must follow these recommendations:
- First, you need to remove the dark-colored varieties, since, according to observations, they are the ones who lose their natural immunity first and are especially susceptible to fungal diseases.
- It’s worth starting with the early varieties. Following them in line are middle grades. Bulbs of later varieties should preferably be left on the ground for up to 50 days.
- Later, young corms that did not bloom leave the beds.
- It is necessary to take into account the climatic conditions of a particular year - light frosts will not hurt, but the temperature should not drop to –5 ° ...– 7 ° C.
- If black or brown spotting has been noticed on the corms, then it is time to collect them in order to avoid infection with concomitant diseases.
How to dig out gladioli for the winter
It is recommended to dig out gladioli in good weather, when it is dry and sunny, but even rain will not be an obstacle, if temperature indicators do not allow you to interfere with cleaning. A large collection will require a few days for this time-consuming work. For the procedure, it is better to use a shovel.
You can use the pitchfork, but this increases the number of lost children. In addition, it is a pity to lose planting material, this can lead to re-grading and "depletion" of the flowerbed, since not all of these specimens die, thereby clogging the site. We must try to collect them completely: carefully dig the soil around the flower and carefully remove the corms from the ground by the leaves.
Video: how to dig and store gladioli
How to prepare gladioli for storage
Plant harvesting should start with preparing containers for storage in advance. It is best if they are special boxes with a mesh or fine-mesh bottom. First, you should brush the dug bulbs from the ground: do it better over the film. Then you need to cut the stems, leaving a small stump (1-2 cm). To do this, you need a pruner or knife.
Did you know? If you prepare an infusion from the leaves of gladioli, you will get a healing vitamin drink containing a large amount of vitamin C. It helps relieve headaches, relieves fatigue and irritability.
It is advisable to take these first steps to process gladioli immediately after digging for several reasons:
- moisture evaporates through the remaining foliage, which leads to severe drying of the bulbs or excessive softening;
- pests and pathogens move from leaves to bulbs.
After the initial treatment, the corms are left to dry in air for a week (subject to a plus temperature). At the bottom of the dug up tubers are usually young shoots - children. Having dried out, this is the very bottom with roots, and sometimes with the dried mother’s bulb, detaches without problems if the rules of cutting and harvesting were observed, that is, if the corm is ripe.An immature baby is different in color - not dark brown, but light gray. Difficulties with its isolation are also possible. After separation and collection of the baby, the gladioli shake again. It is better to leave the scales - it protects against mechanical damage and drying out. Initially, the entire crop is washed under running water.
Then you need to treat the tubers with special preparations:
- insecticides, if infection by thrips is noted;
- fungicides, if the leaves looked sick;
- a solution of boric acid or potassium permanganate in the absence of signs of disease.
After the pickling procedure, the bulbs should be allowed to dry again. In the event that under-dried specimens fall into the repository, the risk of developing fungal diseases (rot) increases. Bulbs should be laid out in boxes, the bottom of which is covered with paper, and left for 2-3 weeks in a room with a temperature of + 25 ° ... + 30 ° C. It is periodically recommended to turn them over.Exceeding the temperature will negatively affect the preservation of the bulbs - they will become too soft. Then the drying continues for about a month, but when the degree in the room decreases (+ 18 ° ... + 22 ° C): it is better to dry the material than not to dry it. The root that appeared on the children is not completely removed, but only shortened, which positively affects the tuber.
How to store gladioli after digging at home
After the corms have dried out well, a thorough preliminary inspection is necessary. Only gladioli healthy by all external signs are sent for storage.
You can store:
- in the basement;
- in fridge;
- on the balcony (in areas with a mild climate);
- in a room with an open window.
It is mandatory to maintain temperature and humidity levels. The temperature can fluctuate within + 3 ° С ... + 9 ° С, and humidity - 60%. Another prerequisite is good ventilation (in special boxes, in bags made of special fabric, as well as in the rooms themselves). If the storage regime is not observed, root tubercles begin to actively develop, sprouts appear.
Important! You can try to save the infected corms - to do this, cut the diseased area to healthy tissue and disinfect the section. Keep such gladioli should be separate from healthy.
If the only storage option is an apartment, that is, a room with a room temperature, be sure to arrange the bulbs so that they do not touch each other. During the winter period, they will dry out very much, but will not die. In the spring it will be possible to plant them, but with some effort to rehabilitate them.
Video: how and where to store gladioli in winter
How to store gladioli in the cellar
A cellar or a cold basement is a good option for home storage. It fits the temperature criteria, but it is especially important here that the cellar should be sufficiently dry and ventilated. You can place boxes and bags (gauze or cotton) on the shelves of the basement. It is also worth taking care of protection against rodents.
How to store gladioli bulbs in the refrigerator
When a refrigerator is used to store onions, you should select the lower shelves (vegetable). Each gladiolus tuber needs to be wrapped with a sheet of paper and put them in a sealed container. This will avoid dehydration.
At the end of winter, when the corms begin to “breathe”, releasing additional moisture, it is necessary to remove them, dry them a bit, and replace the paper. The remaining time they should be located in a cooler place in the refrigerator.
Shelf life of gladioli tubers
The most valuable planting material is considered to be children, that is, tubers that have never bloomed (juvenile). The bottom of such bulbs of minimum diameter. Over 4-5 years, gladioli gradually degenerate - the tuber bud becomes old, gives a weakened plant, which has underdeveloped flowering, a small number of flowers and very few children. By this time, the bottom reaches a size of 1.5 cm. This sign should be paid attention to when choosing planting material.
Did you know? The juice of gladioli obtained from the bulbs helps get rid of the common cold. The tourniquet moistened with it must be inserted into the nostril.
How to protect bulbs from pests and diseases
During storage, you need to monthly take out the bulbs, inspect them, clean them in order to notice changes in appearance and prevent diseases on time. If the tubers are damp, and mold appears on the surface of the scales, you need to return the gladiolus to dry place in a warm place for a couple of days.To improve the situation, it is necessary, first of all, to strengthen the control of humidity in the room, to reduce it to the desired level. Slices of garlic will help prevent the growth of pathogens and the appearance of thrips. They should be shifted between the bulbs and replaced with fresh ones as they dry.
If small black dots (traces of thrips bites) appear on gladioli, you should help the plant in one of the following ways:
- In the tightly closed jar, place the affected bulb and an alcohol cotton swab. Insects get out from under the scales and die.
- It is necessary to leave the bulbs for 30–40 minutes in the Decis fluid.
- For 5 minutes, immerse the tubers in the "Actellik".
Before returning gladioli to the place of storage, you need to re-dry them at a temperature of + 20 ° ... + 25 ° C. Some gardeners use the paraffin pre-treatment method: it is an effective protection against mold and fungal diseases. Gladioli require attention and care all year round. If you do not forget about them in the winter, you will be able to save the bulbs without loss and enjoy the magnificent summer bloom.