Everyone who grows flowers on their garden plot has at least once encountered the question of how to store gladiolus bulbs. They should not be left in the ground, because they will not withstand even the first frosts, therefore they are dug up in the fall. But not everyone knows what to do with the bulbs of these flowers. Caring for them is a troublesome business, but if the gardener has a desire to delight himself with an abundance of unusual, bright colors next season, you will have to try a little.
Bulb handling before storage
So, before deciding how to store the bulbs of gladioli, you must first properly prepare them for the upcoming winter. First you need to dig them out of the ground as carefully as possible, without damaging the integrity. Perhaps the most important factor determining the time for digging bulbs is the timing of cut flowers. Also of great importance is given to the particular climate of the region. The bulbs of gladioli are removed from the ground no earlier than a month after cutting flowers, so you should not tighten the stems with pruning. After all the onions have been dug, it is necessary to proceed to their primary processing. It includes two stages: washing and drying. One of the secrets of how to store gladioli bulbs is the correctness of these procedures. This is important, since it is the treatment that does not allow rot to appear. Rinsing consists in the fact that the bulbs are lowered for half an hour into a manganese solution. Then they are removed and carefully placed on the fabric, it is important that it absorbs water well. You can use gauze. Bulbs should dry completely. If at least one of them decays, there is a risk that everyone will disappear.
Bulb sorting
After all the planting material dries well, it is necessary to sort it. But immediately it can be noted that this procedure does not affect how to store the bulbs of gladioli. Rather, it is needed so that the gardener himself is well oriented in the spring and knows what to plant and with what. The simplest thing you can do is simply separate the kids from the adult bulbs. Also in a separate group you can add the largest onions.
Bulb Storage
After our seed has been washed, dried and taken apart, you can go directly to the question of how and where to store gladioli bulbs at home in winter? The easiest way to put them in a cardboard box with holes in the lid. These holes can be made from the sides. They are needed for ventilation. If this method was chosen, it is better to pre-wrap the bulbs in the newspaper. In addition to cardboard boxes, wooden boxes and drawers are also good. The optimum storage temperature is 5 degrees. Therefore, it is best to place the drawer with bulbs in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator or put it in the cellar. Once a month they are taken out, checked that rot does not appear, if the bulbs are wet, they are dried a little. It remains only to find out how to properly store the bulbs of small gladioli, that is, "children." They are not recommended to be packed either in a box or in a vegetable net, especially in plastic bags. Paper bags will come to the aid of gardeners. They can be made from newspaper or printing paper. Like adult shaped bulbs, "kids" also need to be ventilated periodically.