How to plant gladiolus bulbs correctly?

According to legend, gladioli grew out of swords of two friends, who were executed when they refused to fight against each other in gladiatorial fights. Since the time of the ancient world, this flower is a symbol of pure friendship.

Nowadays gardeners are interested not in what they symbolize, but in how to plant bulbs of gladioli. These plants are tender enough and demanding, so choose a place ahead of time.

Choose a place

Since these flowers can grow 3-4 years in one place, and some species - and up to 7 years, it is better to learn in advance about how to properly plant gladiolus bulbs and what a landing site will be optimal for them.

Gladiolus love a lot of light, but do not tolerate drafts, so the best option will be the sunny side of the site, protected from the wind. A strong wind can easily break the stems of flowers because of the high sailing of their inflorescences.

Another important thing is that the flowerbed is located in an uninhabited zone. Stagnant water affects the bulbs of the plant badly. Also, high beds should be made if the groundwater is too close to the surface. It is necessary to ensure regular watering, especially in dry summer.

According to its composition, an ideal soil for the gladiolus is a slightly acidic environment. On acidic soils it does not develop at all, but on alkaline soils it often hurts. Therefore, before asking yourself how to plant gladiolus bulbs, it is best to check the PH of the soil.

Selection of planting material

An inexperienced floriculturist finds it difficult to determine the choice and purchase of gladiolus bulbs, so it is better to deal with reliable and reliable suppliers and horticultural farms.

In its structure, the corms of this flower is the basis of tuberous leaves, in the upper part of which the main kidney is located, and in the lower part - lateral (sleeping) buds. It is the central bud that gives the stem, and the lower ones form small tuber-babies.

Bringing beautiful inflorescences bulb on average lives 3-4 years, after which it loses vitality, becomes large and flat. Buying large flat bulbs with a large Don, you can not guess how to properly plant gladiolus bulbs in the spring, because they still will not give color.

Also, with suspicion should be treated small bulbs, which are gently called "girls", as they appear when the plant is poorly thinning, or when the technology of its growing is not right. They are cheap, but they will not bloom.

A good planting material is tall bulbs with well-developed lateral buds, which bloom at least once.

Preparing the bulbs for planting

To really prepare the bulbs for planting begins in late autumn, when it is recommended to decontaminate them before drying.

If there is a threat of infection of the site with thrips, then you should hold the corms in a solution of 0.2-0.3% carbophos for 30 minutes. If there is no such threat, then to increase the resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases, bulbs should be left for a couple of hours in a solution of potassium permanganate (2 g per 1 liter of water) or infusion of garlic (100 g per 3 l).

Before thinking how to plant bulbs of gladiolus, you must carefully prepare them. 2-3 weeks before planting, the bulbs are peeled and checked for damage or decay.

If any, then cut them carefully, and grease the incised place with greenery or sprinkle with crushed activated carbon. Soft and rotten bulbs should be discarded.

In order for flowers to quickly grow, experienced gardeners maintain their tubers for 13-15 hours in a solution of wood tar (800 g diluted in 10 liters of water). After this, it is recommended to put corms on the window sill on the sunny side, so that they start the roots.

Planting gladiolus bulbs

Before planting bulbs of gladioli in the spring, you should check how warm the soil is. Ideal when the earth at a depth of 10 cm was heated to +10 degrees, but if the spring could not be planted, it is recommended to do this until the first half of June, otherwise they will not be able to form a strong corms until the fall.

The well for planting becomes 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 for the best growth, experienced gardeners are advised to plant in the first row low grades, and after them - more stalwart.

This will save large flowers from possible strong gusts of wind. To understand which side to plant the gladiolus bulb, you should determine where it has the root stump. It is recommended to pour a bit of sand and 1/3 of mineral fertilizers right into the hole, then pour with warm water, stab the tuber and sprinkle with the soil.

At first, until the leaves are pierced, you can cover the flowers for the night with a film.

Small secrets of planting gladioli

Gladiolus is a caring and short-flowering plant. Many gardeners refuse to grow it on their flower beds because of the big "fuss" with him. There are little secrets about how to prolong flowering for the whole summer and limit the care only by watering.

• To the plant quickly went into growth, seasoned flower growers advise how to put gladiolus bulbs in sawdust. It is recommended to do this in early April, so that the tubers grow enough to be transplanted into the open ground.
• A week before planting in the ground, the bulbs should be placed in a box or box with the donut down, and sprinkled with well-moistened sawdust. This will provoke a rapid growth of rootlets. After they proklyutsya, preparing holes, although many fans of these flowers for planting make deep furrows.
• Put in small holes in a small amount of mineral fertilizers and sand will help to avoid additional fertilizing in the summer and release once again from watering. And in the event that it makes landing at an interval of 10 days (until the end of May), you can admire the blossom gladiolus until the end of summer.

These additional measures will free the gardener from unnecessary trouble. There are also secrets about how to protect these plants from pests.

Diseases and pests

The most dangerous pests for the gladiolus are slugs. They eat up its leaves and gnaw on the tubers, which can completely destroy a beautiful and healthy flower. In order to protect flowers from their invasion, it is recommended to sprinkle the land around a large salt or mustard.

Any scalding spices do not allow slugs to get close to flowers - they corrode their bodies. It is easy to get rid of a bear with the help of "Medotox", dissolving it in water and sprinkling the affected land.

If there are children or pets on the site, it is better not to use toxic substances, but to arrange traps. To do this, near the flowers, bowls of water are piled, where the pests creep in to get drunk, but they can not escape any more.

To protect flowers from fusariosis and rot, it is recommended to plant around the flower bed calendula or marigolds.

Digging bulbs

To know how to plant bulbs of gladioli, you should understand how to dig them. Once the plants bloom, the stems must be cut to form a bulb. In early October, bulbs are dug out to plant them next year. Before this, 10 days should not be watered. The dug out bulb cuts the leaves, she herself wipes her hands off the ground. All the planting material is stored in a cellar - until the next spring.