Grow Gladiolus
Gladiolus, also called gladiola or glads, are commonly grown to be cut and used in flower arrangements. Majestic in size and stature, glads range from 2 to 5 feet (0.6 to 1.5 m) tall and have trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of all colors except blue. The gladiola is a tender perennial corm, also called a bulbo-tuber, that cannot withstand freezing.
Contents
Steps
Plant Gladiolus
- Buy gladiola corms from a local garden center or nursery. You can buy them from mail order companies, but it's best to purchase hand-picked corms to ensure they are of the highest quality.
- Look for plump corms with thick centers for best the quality bloom. Avoid flat corms.
- Base the size of the corms that you purchase on the size of the glads you want to grow. Choose corms with diameters of 1/2 to 3/4 inches (1.25 to 2 cm) to grow flowers from 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 m). Corms with diameters of 1 inch (2.5 cm) or greater grow larger flowers.
- Store gladiolus corms in a cool, dry environment where temperatures do not fall below freezing until you are ready to plant them.
- Choose a site that receives plenty of sunshine. Glads prefer full sun but will tolerate partial shade.
- Till the soil to a depth of 12 inches (30 cm).
- Amend the soil if necessary to provide good drainage. Gladiolus grown in soil without adequate drainage are more prone to disease.
- Add organic compost, decomposed manure, ground bark or peat moss to the soil if drainage is a problem.
- Raise the level of the gladiola garden 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) to elevate the plants from standing water if puddles still remain on the soil surface 4 to 5 hours after a heavy rain.
- Plant corms in the garden after the last frost. Plant additional glads at 2-week intervals to extend their blooming season. Stop planting in mid-June to ensure the plants have ample flowering time.
- Dig holes 6 to 7 inches (15 to 18 cm) deep and space them 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) apart.
- Place one corm in each hole with the pointed side, or growth point, facing up and scar side facing down.
- Fill the holes back up with soil. Thoroughly water the entire area.
Care for Gladiolus
- Mulch the soil around and between the plants to control weeds and conserve moisture. Glads often loose ground to weeds.
- Water gladiola plants with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water each week during periods of insufficient rainfall.
- Spray or dust plants with a pesticide. Use one that contains carbaryl or malathion when the gladiolas are around 6 inches (15 cm) tall to protect them from thrips.
- Thrips are tiny insects not visible to the naked eye. They cause streaky white leaves and discolored, misshapen, unhealthy flowers. Thrip control must be preventative because once signs of damage are visible, it is too late to save the flowers.
- Stake the individual plants as they grow taller. You can also use stakes and twine to create cluster staking if you are growing several glads close together. Staking and tying these tall flowers helps to minimize storm and wind damage.
- Cut the flower spikes when 1 to 3 florets are open. The remaining flowers will continue to open in water.
- Harvest the flowers during early morning or evening hours when they are at their freshest.
- Cut the flowers with a sharp knife at a diagonal angle. Take care to leave at least 4 to 6 leaves on the plant to mature and nourish the corm that is still growing beneath the soil.
- Remove leaves from the bottom 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) of the stems and put them in warm water.
- Leave the flowers in a dark, cool area for several hours before exposing them to light and arranging and displaying them.
Dig, Dry and Store Glad Corms
- Dig gladiola corms just before first frost. Make sure you remove the complete corms with all smaller cormels surrounding it. Shake off the loose soil and cut the stems from the corms.
- Dry the corms in a warm, well-ventilated area for 2 to 3 weeks.
- Clean the corms by dusting off remaining dried soil with your hands. Break apart the old dried corms off of the new corms and remove loose husks. Leave wrapper husks attached during storage. The new corms are called cormels.
- Sort out, clean and label the small cormels for planting next year. Cormels will not produce flowers the first year they are planted, but will grow into larger corms for future year's flowers.
- Store corms for the winter. Dust them with the same insecticide you used to protect the plants and keep them in a dark, cool, well-ventilated area where they will not freeze.
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