Bright, attractive with bright lush flowers, gladioli are rightfully considered the kings of garden beds. But low temperatures are detrimental to them.
Therefore, in order for flowers to again delight the eye with a riot of colors in the new season, it is very important to organize proper storage of gladioli bulbs during the winter.
We will tell you further how to store gladioli bulbs in winter, when to take them out and plant them.
Content
General rules: at what temperature and humidity should the bulbs be stored?
In order for gladioli to please with their lush color in the summer, it is important to provide the necessary storage conditions for the flower bulbs during the winter:
Temperature range from +4°С to +6°С. At temperatures below normal, flower tubers freeze; at temperatures above normal, they begin to germinate.- Air humidity 65-70%. High humidity (substantially higher than normal) stimulates the growth of fungus and mold that destroy planting material.
If there is insufficient moisture, the bulbs will simply dry out.
- Lack of sunlight. The ideal place to store gladioli is a dark corner. The sun's rays activate the growth process, which is completely unacceptable for the flower during the winter dormancy period.
- Good ventilation. The result of the lack of a natural flow of fresh air is increased humidity, which has an extremely negative effect on the condition of the planting material (the bulbs simply begin to rot).
- No rodents. When organizing the storage of gladioli tubers in a private home, it is very important to choose places that are not accessible to rodents (for example, a cemented basement or garage).
Before storing gladioli bulbs for winter storage, the selected place must be thoroughly ventilated, swept, and, if necessary, treated against mold and mildew. Cleanliness is the main condition for the preservation of flower tubers.
How to prepare for storage?
The preparation of gladioli bulbs for winter storage takes place in several stages.
Sorting
All bulbs dug up on a dry, fine day are carefully inspected. Separate tubers affected by rot or other diseases, cut with a shovel. Such seed material is carefully cleaned from damaged areas and treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or ash.
Drying
The sorted tubers are sent for drying (this process helps to destroy the larvae of pests hiding in the peel of the onion). To dry, flower tubers are laid out in one layer in high cardboard boxes. The prepared container is stored for a month in a dry, dark place, at an air temperature not lower than +22°C.
Treatment
Is it necessary to treat the bulbs and with what before storing them? Treatment of flower bulbs with disinfectants (Homa, Maxima, weak solution of potassium permanganate) is mandatory.
It is this that helps preserve the tubers from fungal infections., capable of destroying all planting material.
After processing, the planting material is dried for another two weeks in a dry, dark place, after which it is sent to a permanent winter storage location.
How and where to keep it in winter?
One of the important conditions for high-quality storage of gladioli is the correct container. To prevent the tubers from rotting, you can store them in:
- cardboard boxes,
- vegetable nets,
- linen bags or paper bags.
There are a lot of places where you can place prepared containers with flower bulbs for the winter.
In the apartment
You can store high-quality seed in your apartment in a secluded, dark place where the air temperature does not exceed +10°C (as an option, you can use a pantry or a darkened, insulated loggia).
Bulbs laid out in one layer on the bottom of the box, sprinkled with wood ash or sand on top (pre-disinfected in the oven). If the room temperature drops below normal +10°C, cover the box with flowers with a blanket or move it to a warmer place.
Paraffin coating will increase the safety of seed material in apartment conditions. Dip the gladiolus bulb into paraffin melted in a water bath for a few seconds, after which it is immediately transferred to a vessel with cold water. Read more here.
In a refrigerator
Before storing the flowers in the refrigerator, each bulb is wrapped in paper and then placed in a vegetable drawer located in the lower compartment of the refrigerator.
It is very important to regularly ventilate flower tubers during storage.so that they don't get damp.
If necessary, the damp paper is torn off, the bulbs are dried, again wrapped in clean, dry paper, and again sent for storage in the refrigerator. Details - in this article.
In the basement, cellar
A basement or cellar is the best place for quality storage. gladioli bulbs. It is in the basement that the required temperature and humidity are naturally maintained.
Flower bulbs are laid out in mesh or wooden boxes in a single layer, after which they are placed on racks or stacked one on one.
When to get it in the spring?
Gladioli bulbs are taken out from storage in the spring, one and a half months before planting in open ground. Most often, the start of preparing plants for planting begins in the first week of April.
Sprouted flower tubers are planted no later than mid-May. In forty days, gladioli bulbs manage to form powerful sprouts with a reserve of strength for active development and flowering. Read more Here.
What diseases can there be and what can be done about them?
Most often, during winter storage, gladioli bulbs are affected by gray mold and thrips.
You can determine that planting material is infected with gray mold by the characteristic gray spots with fluff covering the flower tubers.Mold very quickly increases the affected area, turning dense bulbs into soft lumps.
To prevent the spread of gray mold, during storage the bulbs must be regularly reviewed, the affected tubers must be removed in a timely manner, and the humidity level must be adjusted (if necessary, the planting material is transferred to a drier place).
Damage to bulbs by thrips (a small insect pest) is determined by small black dots.
There are several ways to remove parasites hidden in the husks of flower tubers:
place the infected bulbs in a glass jar, cover with cotton wool generously moistened with alcohol, and seal the jar with a lid;- place the seed in Decis solution for forty minutes (two ampoules of the substance are dissolved in 10 liters of warm water);
- Soak the onions for five minutes in Actellik solution (2 grams of the substance per liter of water is enough).
After processing, the bulbs must be dried at a temperature of 20°C + 35°C in a dark place for two to three days.
Preparation for landing
After long winter storage, before planting in open ground, gladiolus bulbs must undergo a step-by-step preparation process.
Inspection
Each bulb is carefully inspected for damage by fungi and pathogenic bacteria. Defective planting material is separated from the total mass, but is not thrown away. Spoiled bulbs are treated with special antifungal drugs, after which they also take their place in the flower bed.
Stripping
Each bulb is carefully cleaned of dry scales. This is necessary so that nothing interferes with the active germination of new flower shoots. Also, putrefactive lesions are clearly visible on the scaled tuber.
Etching
Immediately before planting gladiolus bulbs in open ground soak for one hour in a solution of fungicide or insecticide. This treatment helps preserve planting material from infection by pathogenic bacteria and fungi (especially important if flower tubers were already affected by thrips or other diseases last season).
Germination
In order for gladioli to bloom as early as possible, the flower bulbs must be germinated before planting in the ground.
Disembarkation
The crucial moment is planting in the ground. In order for gladioli to delight with lush color throughout the summer season, the bulbs are planted in light sandy loam soil rich in humus, in a bright and sunny place.
Flowers are planted at a distance of 15 cm from each other. The holes are pre-watered with water and filled with a 2 cm layer of river sand. Having lowered the gladiolus bulb into the hole, sprinkle it with sand another 2 cm, after which it is carefully buried with earth.
The first shoots can be expected 2-3 weeks after planting. Experts do not recommend planting gladioli in the same area for several years in a row. Pathogenic microflora accumulates in the soil, negatively affecting the condition of the flower.
Adviсe
Once every three weeks, planting material is checked for putrefactive lesions. If the tuber begins to rot, cut off the damaged part with a sharp knife and sprinkle the cut with ash. The treated bulbs are separated from healthy seed into a separate container.
If the flower bulb has dried out during winter storage, before planting it in the ground, it must be soaked for half an hour in cool water with the addition of a growth stimulator.
Conclusion
Compliance with all the rules for storing gladioli bulbs will help prepare planting material for the new season, strengthen the strength of the plants, so that they will once again delight you with the beauty of their lush colors in the new summer season in garden beds.
