According to legend, gladiolus grew from the swords of two friends who were executed when they refused to fight against each other in gladiatorial battles. Since the ancient world, this flower has been a symbol of pure friendship.
In our time, gardeners are not interested in what they symbolize, but how to plant gladiolus bulbs. These plants are quite delicate and demanding, so you should choose a place ahead of time.
Seat selection
Since these flowers can grow 3-4 years in one place, and some species up to 7 years, it is better to know in advance how to plant the gladioli bulbs correctly and what planting site will be optimal for them.
Gladioli love a lot of light, but they do not tolerate drafts, so the best option is the sunny side of the plot, protected from the wind. A strong wind can easily break the stems of flowers due to the high windage of their inflorescences.
It is also important that the flower bed is located in an unsinkable zone. Stagnant water adversely affects the bulbs of plants. You should also make high bulk beds if the groundwater is too close to the surface. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure regular watering, especially in dry summers.
In its composition, an acidic environment is considered ideal soil for gladiolus. On acidic soils it does not develop at all, and on alkaline soils it is often sick. Therefore, before wondering about how to plant gladiolus bulbs, it is better to check the soil PH.
Selection of planting material
An inexperienced grower can find it difficult to decide on the purchase and purchase of gladiolus bulbs, so it is better to deal with trusted and reliable suppliers and horticultural farms.
By its structure, the corm of this flower is the basis of tuber leaves, in the upper part of which the main kidney is located, and in the lower - lateral (sleeping) buds. It is the central kidney that gives the stem, and the lower ones form small tubers-children.
The bulb that brings beautiful inflorescences lives on average 3-4 years, after which it loses vitality, becomes large and flat. Buying large flat bulbs with a large bottom, you can not guess how to plant gladiolus bulbs in the spring, as they still will not give color.
Also, you should be suspicious of small bulbs, which are gently called "girls", as they appear when the plant is poorly thinned or if the technology for growing it is incorrect. They are cheap, but will not bloom.
A good planting material is tall bulbs with well-developed lateral buds that bloomed at least once.
Preparing bulbs for planting
Truly preparing bulbs for planting begins in late autumn, when it is recommended to decontaminate them before drying.
If there is a threat of infection with thrips, then corms should be kept in a solution of 0.2-0.3% karbofos for 30 minutes. If there is no such threat, then to increase the resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases, it is enough to dip the bulbs in a solution of potassium permanganate for a couple of hours (2 g per 1 liter of water) or an infusion of garlic (100 g per 3 l).
Before you think about how to plant bulbs of gladioli, you need to carefully prepare them. For 2-3 weeks before planting, the bulbs are peeled and checked for damage or decay.
If there are any, then carefully cut them, and grease the incised place with brilliant green or sprinkle with crushed activated carbon. Soft and rotten bulbs should be discarded.
In order for the flowers to grow quickly, experienced gardeners withstand their tubers for 13-15 hours in a solution of wood resin (800 g diluted in 10 l of water). After this, the corms are recommended to be placed on the windowsill from the sunny side so that they let the roots out.
Planting bulbs of gladioli
Before planting bulbs of gladioli in the spring, you should check how warm the soil is. The ideal option is when the ground at a depth of 10 cm has warmed up to +10 degrees, but if it was not possible to plant in the spring, it is recommended to do this before the first half of June, otherwise they will not be able to form a strong corm before the fall.
The landing hole is made with a depth equal to the triple height of the bulb. Most often it is from 7-15 cm. The distance between the holes is 30-35 cm, and experienced gardeners advise planting low varieties in the front row for better growth, and already more tall ones behind them.
This will protect large flowers from possible strong gusts of wind. To understand which side to plant the gladiolus bulb, it is necessary to determine where it has the root base. Directly into the hole it is recommended to pour a little sand and 1/3 of mineral fertilizers, then pour warm water, stick a tuber and sprinkle with earth.
At first, until the leaves hatch, you can cover the flowers with a film at night.
Little secrets of planting gladioli
Gladiolus is a care-free and short-flowering plant. Many gardeners refuse to grow it in their flowerbeds because of the big "fuss" with him. There are small secrets on how to prolong flowering throughout the summer and limit care to only watering.
- In order for the plant to quickly grow, seasoned flower growers give advice on how to plant gladiolus bulbs in sawdust. It is recommended to do this in early April so that the tubers are sprouted enough for transplanting into the open ground.
- A week before planting, the bulbs should be put down in a box or box and sprinkled with well-moistened sawdust. This will provoke the rapid growth of roots. After they hatch, holes are prepared, although many lovers of these flowers make deep furrows for planting.
- Mineral fertilizers and sand laid in a small amount of holes will help to avoid additional feeding in the summer and will relieve you from watering once again. And in the event that it makes a landing with an interval of 10 days (until the end of May), you can admire the flowering of gladiolus until the end of summer.
These additional measures will free the gardener from unnecessary trouble. There are also secrets on how to protect these plants from pests.
Diseases and Pests
The most dangerous pests for gladiolus are slugs. They eat its leaves and gnaw the tubers, which can completely destroy a beautiful and healthy flower. In order to protect the flowers from their invasion, it is recommended to sprinkle the earth around with large salt or mustard.
Any burning spices do not allow slugs to get close to the flowers - they corrode their bodies. It is easy to get rid of a bear with the help of Medvetoks by dissolving it in water and spraying the affected ground.
If there are children or pets on the site, it is better not to use toxic substances, but to arrange traps. To do this, add water bowls near the flowers, where the pests crawl out to get drunk, but can no longer get out.
To protect flowers from Fusarium and rot, it is recommended to plant marigold or marigolds around the flower bed.
Digging Bulbs
To know how to plant bulbs of gladioli, you should understand how to dig them out. As soon as the plants bloom, the stems must be cut to form a bulb. Bulbs are dug in early October to plant them for the next year. Before this, 10 days should not be irrigated. At a dug bulb, leaves are cut off; it itself is wiped off the ground with its hands. All planting material is stored in the cellar until next spring.