Advice from experienced flower growers on how to properly store gladioli at home in winter

In the fall, after digging up gladioli bulbs, amateur flower growers should take care of organizing a storage method until spring planting.

It is necessary to select a suitable location and create optimal conditions under which this wonderful bulbous crop will overwinter without loss.

How to store gladioli bulbs at home in winter? This brief overview contains useful information about the most popular options for wintering beautiful flowers.

Conditions for storing bulbs in an apartment until spring

In winter, complex biochemical processes take place in gladioli bulbs to form buds and lay down future flower stalks. In order for this invisible, but such important work to take place successfully, it is important to create the necessary conditions for the plant:

1. Room temperature. The quality of planting material depends on this important factor. Too high a temperature can cause unwanted “blind” buds to appear. Low temperatures below 0° have a detrimental effect on the bulbs: they freeze and subsequently soften.
2. Permanent storage mode. During winter “sleep”, plant bulbs lose moisture, which leads to their drying out. Temperature fluctuations negatively affect the formation of a strong tuber. At high temperatures, the tuber becomes dry and loses its life-giving power.And if you bring a tuber from a warm place into a room that is too cold, the flower buds may not wake up.
3. Air humidity. Planting material in an excessively dry environment can dry out; humid air causes mold and rot.

Preparation

Before laying for wintering, the dug tubers are inspected, diseased specimens are culled, and bulbs with damaged shells are removed. Preparation of planting material is carried out in two stages:

1. Air drying. The prepared bulbs are placed in one layer. Direct sunlight and precipitation are not allowed. It is allowed to wash overly contaminated specimens with running water. Drying is carried out for 7-10 days at a temperature not exceeding +25°.
2. Bulb processing. At this stage, the remains of stems, roots and covering scales are removed. If there are daughter bulbs, they are separated. For spring planting, children with a diameter of no more than 1 cm with a gray-brown shell are left. It is not advisable to preserve smaller specimens: in the spring they will produce weak shoots.

Prepared tubers are placed in boxes, baskets, boxes - in any container where there is opportunity for free air circulation.

Useful video on preparing bulbs for wintering:

Where can planting material be placed?

In order for the corms to “wake up” in the spring and turn into luxurious flowers, it is important to choose places with suitable storage conditions.

At home this could be:

• basement or attic of private houses;
• insulated loggia or balcony of city apartments;
• toilet or bathroom;
• pantry;
• hallway;
• kitchen refrigerator.

Features depending on location

There are several features of storing bulbous plants in private houses and city apartments.

Basements

Basic conditions for winter storage of bulbous plants in basements and cellars:

1. Constant cool temperature ranging from +4 to +7 °.
2. Humidity no more than 60 - 80%.
3. It is not recommended to place gladioli planting material in close proximity to vegetables.

   The limitation is due to the fact that root vegetables produce a large amount of moisture.

4. Availability of ventilation. Regular ventilation is a necessary condition for the preservation of gladioli tubers. Moisture will not accumulate on the scales of the bulbs, which provokes the appearance of pathogenic microbes.

In private houses, in addition to the basement, planting material can be placed for “wintering” in the attic or in an insulated garage. In the basement, planting material for bulbous crops is placed in separate compartments next to the exhaust vent.

Balcony or loggia

In regions with warm climates, boxes with corms can be placed on an insulated balcony or glassed-in loggia. In order not to worry about the safety of planting material during severe frosts, It is recommended to insulate the walls of the boxes with sheets of foam plastic.

For additional insulation, the top of the container is covered with a blanket or an old fur coat. In case of abnormal frosts, the bulbs are temporarily brought into a warm room

In a refrigerator

Experienced gardeners use the bottom shelves of a household refrigerator as a convenient place to store corms. There is always a stable temperature and constant humidity here..

In case of early awakening and the appearance of roots, you can move the bulbs to a higher shelf and thus lower the storage temperature.

Bulbs are packed in the refrigerator in several ways:

1. Each tuber is wrapped in thick paper or a paper towel. Old newspapers will also work.
2. Several holes must be made in plastic bags for ventilation. If using sealed plastic packaging, it is important to remove all air from the bag of bulbs.

   In this case, there will be less contact with the air and the risk of rot will be minimal.

Experienced gardeners do not recommend putting packages of bulbs in the vegetable compartment. Usually it is covered with glass and the tubers do not “breathe” there. It is best to place gladioli on a shelf above the vegetable compartment, where the humidity level is 70 - 80%.

Packages with corms are periodically unwrapped and checked for dampness.. If dampness is detected, the bulbs are dried and the paper is changed.

When to get it?

Gladioli are planted in the spring, when the soil warms up to 10 degrees. For central Russia, this period begins in mid-May. Before planting, the bulbs need a month to finally wake up.

In 30-40 days, tubers in the light accumulate a large supply of nutrients and germinate quickly. After winter storage, the tubers are taken out approximately in mid-April.

Useful tips

A few tips from experienced flower growers will help you organize storage correctly. corms during winter dormancy:

1. Regular checks of the condition of the bulbs are carried out once a month.
2. Recommendations for storing gladioli in bulk materials: sand, sawdust or ash cause conflicting responses. The high absorption of these materials leads to the appearance of excess moisture on the tubers. In addition, monitoring the condition of planting material is much more difficult.
3. If, upon inspection of the tubers, rot is discovered on some of the tubers, then you can try to revive such specimens. Damaged areas are carefully cut off and sprinkled with crushed activated carbon. True, such tubers should be stored separately from the rest.
4. Dried tubers are soaked in a stimulating solution for two weeks. Tubers treated in this way retain their germination.
5. In mid-February, when the first signs of gladioli growth appear, the tubers are moved to the “light” and scattered on the floor or windowsill.

Conclusion

Preserving gladioli until spring is a difficult task for an amateur gardener. Detailed information about different methods and conditions for wintering bulbs will help you choose the right option and properly organize the storage of planting material for this beautiful flower.