Flowers of gladioli, or skewers, attract attention with their unusual appearance. The history of the name comes down to the similarity of the appearance of narrow leaves with a cold weapon - a sword. The tall stem also resembles a gladiator's sword. Gladioli are perennial corms. Spike-shaped inflorescences of various colors will not leave anyone indifferent.

When gladioli fade

The beginning of the school year is traditionally associated with the blooming period of gladioli. Lush, bright flowers with long peduncles belong to the Iris family. The flowering time of gladioli differs, depending on the variety.

Early flowering varieties open in the summer in the second half of July-August, while the late ones bloom by September-October. Gladioli have faded, what to do next? How do I dig up and store the bulbs or leave them in the soil? Despite the differing flowering periods, there is no difference in the subsequent care. In addition, there is no difference in grooming between cut plants and those grown to admire in a garden in the country.

Post-flowering care rules

Caring for gladioli after flowering consists of the following activities. For a faded plant, care consists in preparing for the wintering period and maintaining the ability to bloom for next year.

Gladioli

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By stages, the whole complex of measures can be divided into 3 parts:

  • creating conditions for the accumulation of nutrients by the bulb for wintering;
  • timely digging;
  • drying and preparation for storage.

What to do with gladioli after flowering? Creation of favorable conditions for the ripening of corms is to provide the conditions necessary for storing nutrients.

What to do when gladioli have faded? At this time, it is necessary to cut off the flowering shoots, forming a stump. This will allow the bulbs to avoid wasting nutrients to maintain flower stalks and seed formation. At the same time, the abundance and frequency of watering should be reduced, keeping the soil layer slightly moist.

Note! Reducing the concentration of water contributes to the processes of concentration of nutrients in the tissues of the bulbs.

Care for gladioli in the fall consists of watering and fertilizing. To lay healthy buds that can form flowers, a series of dressings are required. They are necessary to stimulate abundant flowering for the next season. Top dressing helps to stimulate the growth of small bulbs by allowing them to mature.

On average, it takes 35-40 days from the moment of flowering to digging out the bulbs. During this period, you need to carry out 2 top dressing with a solution of superphosphate (1 tablespoon per 7 liters of water) and wood ash (150 grams) at intervals of 2-3 weeks.

Superphosphate solution

A few days before digging, the plants should be treated with any means against pests. Such a preventive measure is necessary to prevent the transfer of pathogens from the excavated land.

Digging should be carried out based on the characteristics of the variety. For early and late species of gladiolus, the digging should be done at different times. The limiting factor for the timing of digging is, among other things, the climate in which the plants grow. If the cold comes early in the climatic zone, then it is advisable to dig it out in September.In milder climates, the maturation of the bulbs can be extended. It is necessary to remove the corms with great care, excluding damage.

Important! The formation of even small lesions can become a focus for the development of a disease-causing process leading to the spread of decay along the future seed.

It is to prevent injury that the bulbs must be removed along with the earthy clod. For late flowering varieties, the bulbs should be dug at the end of September, provided the weather is dry. You can determine the end of the ripening process of the bulbs by the appearance of the scales. In addition to the main bulb, a "baby" - a young corm can form. During the season, several such replacement corms are formed, growing in different sizes. The dark color and lightness in the separation of the baby from the main part indicate the completion of maturation.

Gladiolus corm

In cases of excessive watering or with prolonged rains, dark spots may appear on the scales, acting as a focus of infection with gray rot or botrytis. To prevent diseases in such conditions, you need to dig up the bulbs as early as possible.

The next step is to clean the bulbs from the ground and inspect for damage. To minimize damage, the clod must be cleared manually.

Note! Small and rotting specimens should be removed. Rot can spread to all other stocks. Small bulbs are considered not ripe, as a result, they will not be able to please with flowering.

After removing clods of soil, the selected bulbs must be rinsed with clean water. In addition, there are requirements for prophylactic treatment of bulbs against infection with infections or parasites. These measures are aimed at preserving and preventing the spread of diseases among other flowering crops. You can make the processing of corms by dipping in a solution of potassium permanganate for 10 minutes, at the rate of 1 gram of potassium permanganate per 2 liters of water. You can also use commercial disinfectants such as Maxim solution.

Before storing, the following steps must be followed:

  • Leave a stump of 1-3 cm in height from the stem (already cut up to 10-20 cm, depending on the variety);
  • Cut off the bottom and roots;
  • Dry the bulbs for 2-3 weeks at a temperature not lower than 25 ° C. You can also dry the corms for 5-7 days by exposing them to the sun outside;
  • The future seed should be folded for storage in cardboard boxes, placed in one layer, or hung in a woven bag or stocking. The room temperature should be in the range of 3-5 ° C. Keeping humidity low, coupled with a low temperature regime, will help protect the bulbs from premature germination.

Important information! Stored bulbs should be inspected periodically. If stains are found, damaged specimens must be removed. When germinating, carry out additional drying for several days and transfer to a room with an even lower temperature.

When storing bulbs in an apartment, each must be separately lined with newspaper or natural fabric. You cannot use plastic bags - lack of ventilation can lead to the accumulation of condensation and the development of diseases.

Storing gladioli

It is forbidden to store in a living room, since the temperature regime will provoke spoilage and germination of tubers. Compliance with simple requirements will preserve the health and strength of the bulbs, which, in turn, will delight with abundant flowering with bright flowers.

Pruning gladioli

After the flower has fallen from the peduncles, the following scheme for cutting shoots should be followed:

  • Using a sharp pruner or knife, carefully cut off the flowering shoot. The procedure should be carried out in the evening, so that during a cool night, resting from the heat, the plant is able to gently pull off the cut;
  • It is necessary to leave a stump from the peduncle, 3-5 cm high;
  • Cut the leaves to one level. Large-flowered varieties need to leave at least 20 cm, for miniature ones - 10 cm.

Experienced gardening tips

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It is not recommended to leave gladioli in the soil for the winter; they should be dug out due to the risk of frostbite.

You can start digging out the bulbs 3 weeks after flowering, but it is better to refrain from digging up this early due to the possible lack of time for ripening. You can help ease the process by choosing a pitchfork instead of a shovel.

It is also believed that the bulbs should be harvested in the period after the potatoes are harvested, but before the cabbage is harvested.

When observing the first signs of a fungal infection on the leaves, you must immediately cut off the shoots and store the bulb, separately from healthy specimens.

Collecting gladiolus bulbs

It is more convenient to initially cut off the stems and leaves of still growing flowers, since they can be broken during extraction from the ground. If you dig carelessly, you can lose children. In the event that children are not needed, you should not leave them in the soil. The cultures planted next year may be oppressed by the growth of young gladioli from the baby.

Breaking off rather than cutting off the stem is strongly discouraged. Thus, you can damage the bulb. For better root separation, take a week break.

For storage, it is better to choose breathable materials, such as dry straw packed in a wooden box or box. You can also store bulbs on the bottom shelf or refrigerator drawer.

Summing up, we can say that caring for gladioli after their flowering is not a difficult process. It consists in the timely cutting of peduncles. After that, it is necessary to apply the fertilizer mixture twice. This will allow the bulbs to ripen before the onset of cold weather. At the end of September, you should start digging the bulbs, inspecting them, cleaning and drying them before storing them. After sorting and culling, the remaining corms can be treated with antibacterial agents to prevent the development of infectious processes. Storage itself should be carried out in a cool room to avoid premature germination. Following the described scheme will allow you to get a healthy and strong seed for the garden, capable of blooming with bright colors.