Bulbs of all varieties and types of gladioli, like dahlia tubers, do not tolerate frost and die. Therefore, before the first frost sets in, you need to take care of your flowers. Many beginner gardeners have a question: "When to dig out the bulbs of gladioli?" As a rule, gardeners remember that they need to prepare the bulbs for winter when it starts to get cold.
Depending on the region and weather conditions, they begin to do this from the second half of September. There are varieties that are excavated already with the onset of the first frosts.
In any case, regardless of the variety and type of your gladioli, you need to remember and try to take into account the nuance that at least 30 days must pass from the moment of flowering to the moment when the tubers ripen. This is the minimum period, if done earlier, the corm will not have time to form and is likely to “overwinter” badly. There are situations when you see that the plant begins to hurt, then an early digging of the bulb can save the gladiolus, while the corm itself must be washed in special “medicinal” solutions.
When to dig out bulbs of gladioli?
Experienced flower growers, sharing their secrets of growing gladioli, often mention that in the first place you need to dig up bulbs of dark varieties (black, purple, brown-cherry) and varieties in lavender-blue shades. And the last to dig out the children who have grown up over the summer.
Need to guess when to dig out the bulbs of gladioli. It is best if it is dry weather. And if it rains at this time, you will need to more thoroughly wash the bulbs from the ground and dirt.
How to dig out gladioli?
In order to dig out gladioli, you will need garden pitchforks or a small shovel. Carefully dig a flower and pry it with a pitchfork. It is impossible to pull and swing the plant by the foliage. So it will be possible to damage the bulb itself and tear off the children who remain in the ground from it. They retain their germination in the earth for several years in a row and will sprout in a chaotic manner, spoiling the appearance of the flowerbed.
Preparing bulbs for storage
After you dig the bulbs, you will need to remove the stems and rinse them thoroughly. Then you need to process future planting material from pests. The most common pest that loves gladioli is thrips. It very often during the winter damages the bulbs. In order to avoid this, you need to dip the prepared tubers for 15 minutes in a solution of “Karbofos” or another drug. After that, repeat the procedure in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for several minutes.
How to store gladiolus bulbs in winter?
Bulbs should dry for at least 20 days. Before you send gladioli for wintering, all the bulbs need to be reviewed in a special way: remove the roots and scales.
Bulbs are best preserved in a double nylon (dark) stocking in a dry, cool place. For this, a basement, a garage, a cellar are suitable, most importantly, do not allow minus temperatures in this room. In other words, the "grandmother" method.
Well, now you know when to dig out the bulbs of gladioli and how to store them in winter.