At negative temperatures, the bulbs of gladioli die, so they need to be dug up for the winter and stored until spring planting. In the technology of growing this culture, harvesting, processing, followed by drying and storage are the most critical stages. The quality of planting material and the storage of corms during the winter depends on the correct cleaning.
Gladiolus: storage and preparation for it
Corms are dug up forty to fifty days after the flowering of gladioli. If they are dug up not ripened, that is, not past the flowering stage, then next year they may not rise at all. Therefore, gladioli are required to be prepared in advance for the cleaning phase. Preparation consists in an absolute cut of all inflorescences, regardless of whether they have already faded or not. It is necessary to dig them out even before steady colds come. Freezing to two degrees below zero does not cause the tubers any harm, but with a more serious drop in temperature they should be covered with mulch.
The gladioli, the storage of which has already been planned, are dug up in a certain order. The first to dig early and middle varieties, after them comes the turn of the later, and the last to dig those that were grown from children. If you are dealing with varieties whose digging times are similar, it is best to start with dark and lavender-blue flowers, as they are more susceptible to fungal diseases. The process of digging corms is best done in warm, dry weather, since in moist soil you can lose a lot of children who can germinate in this place for the next three years, which will clog clean-planting plants. However, if you are already running out of time, you need to dig up on time, regardless of weather conditions.
The gladioli that you plan to store must be carefully tucked away with a shovel along with a piece of soil. Then it needs to be gently shaken out over the film, this will avoid scattering the children in the garden. After this, you can use the secateurs to get rid of the stems, leaving hemp 0.5-1 centimeters high. In adult plants, the maternal bulb and roots must be removed immediately. In tubers grown from children, you just need to cut the roots, and before planting they can be removed completely. After cleansing, all the bulbs must be carefully examined, and it is better to burn the sick and infected.
Gladioli, the storage of which depends on proper preparation, must be washed in running water, and then held for 20-25 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate. After the tubers have dried, they can be sent directly for drying to a warm place (the temperature should be 25-35 degrees Celsius) for two to three weeks. After this, drying is carried out for another 4-6 weeks at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Twice a day, the bulbs need to be ted to dry evenly.
How to store gladioli in winter
Drying is an important stage of preparation, since the condition of tubers in winter storage, as well as subsequent growth and flowering, depend on it. Poorly dried bulbs can suffer from fungal or bacterial infections and die. That is why it is better to dry them than vice versa. After drying, they need to be sorted into bags or boxes of varieties, on each package it is necessary to indicate the grade and color, and then send them to storage in a cool dry place at a temperature of 3-7 degrees Celsius. If these conditions are not met, then the active growth of root and stem tubercles begins.
During storage, it is worth checking monthly planting material for the appearance of diseases. You should not have problems with how to store gladioli in the apartment, since for a small number of tubers you can allocate a place in the refrigerator.
The following year, all healthy bulbs are planted.