Pruning, digging in the fall and cleaning winter gladioli

Some garden flowers require special wintering conditions. So, the gladiolus beloved by many gardeners for the winter should be dug up and prepared for storage until the onset of the spring period. When digging plants need to consider factors such as sort of flower and the growing region, because the bulb harvesting period depends on them. It is equally important to organize the correct conditions for the wintering of tubers.

Digging Dates

At the beginning of autumn, flower stalks are cut off from all plants. It is not necessary to wait for the flower to open all the buds. Peduncles are cut with a sharp knife at an angle so as not to damage the leaves.

They dig up the bushes after about two weeks. A signal that it is time to remove gladioli for the winter is a decrease in air temperature to 10 ° C.

Depending on grade

When harvesting bulbs, it is necessary to consider when the flower has finished blooming. Different varieties have different flowering periods, and therefore it is difficult to determine the exact date for harvesting gladioli in the fall. Typically, they dig up tubers if more than a month has passed since the flowering was completed. During this period, the bulbs continue to ripen, accumulating useful substances for wintering. But still, plants should be removed before their leaves begin to fade.

You may be interested in:

The best varieties of gladioluses of Russian selection
It’s hard not to like gladioli, their powerful arrows, which are decorated with large, butterfly-like flowers. Flower…Read more…

Wherein you need to consider the following nuances:

• The first to dig early and medium grades. After them, later ones are dug up, as well as flowers grown from children.
• Since plants of dark shades (burgundy, black, purple, red) are most susceptible to diseases, they are removed first of all.
• Young plants, as well as those that have not yet bloomed, need more time to ripen the tubers. Because of this, such flowers are dug up at the very end. In young gladioli, the flower arrow often appears only at the end of summer.
• It is better not to wait for the full ripening of the bulbs, as this will allow you to choose a tuber along with the children. The ripened corms can scatter during harvesting, and children will have to look in the ground.

According to the growing region

In different regions of the country, periods of excavation of gladioli differ. But flower growers always adhere to the rule: the tuber fully ripens within 35-50 days after the plant has finished blooming. It should be borne in mind that the bulb ripens faster after the cut of the peduncle.

In the Moscow region, the flowering period of most plant species occurs in August. Therefore, it is necessary to remove gladioli for the winter during September.

Due to climatic conditions, only early varieties are grown in Siberia and the Urals, since they manage to grow and bloom in a short summer period. Often they bloom already in early autumn at the first frost. They dig up tubers before the air temperature drops to zero in the afternoon.

You may be interested in:

Gladioli: landing and care in the open ground
Gladiolus - pompous and beautiful flowers on a long peduncle, with high decorativeness and ability ...Read more…

In the southern regions of Russia, where the temperature is rarely minus in the winter months, you do not need to dig out gladioli for the winter. In order for the flowers to survive the frosts, it is enough to cover them with a film, agrospan or other covering material. If there is a chance that the winter will be cold, then when digging out, you should focus on the variety and flowering time of the plant. Bulbs are usually harvested from August to October. It is not recommended to keep them in the ground longer than necessary.

When breeding gladioli It should be remembered that:

• In the northern regions, flowers are planted quite late, and therefore sometimes tubers do not have time to accumulate nutrients in time before wintering.
• In the middle lane, the bulbs are harvested at the end of September. And at the same time, frosts become permanent.

If weather conditions did not allow the tubers to be left in the ground for the required time, experienced gardeners advise digging them together with an earthen lump and uncut stems. In this form, gladioli should be left in an insulated room for a little more than a month, only then processed.

Cleaning instructions

A shovel or garden pitchfork is quite suitable for digging gladioli in the fall. It is better to do this on a warm sunny day, because under such conditions, drying tubers will require less time.

Bulb Cleaning Instructions:

1. At least 20 cm must be retreated from the plant stem and a shovel inserted vertically. Gently shaking it, the lump of land needs to be raised along with the tubers to the surface. The lump is laid on a tarp, but not broken.
2. The earth is shaken off the bulbs only after it dries a little. Tubers are separated and collected by children. The stems are cut, retreating 5 cm from the tuber. Bulbs with signs of disease as well as old ones should be discarded.
3. To prevent gladiolus diseases it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment by soaking them in a solution of Fitosporin.
4. Flowers are distributed by grades and sizes.
5. Corms are dried and stored in a cool and dry room.

Preparing for the winter

During harvesting, gladioli should be shaken off from the remaining land and laid out in different containers. To avoid over-sorting before landing, all containers must be marked with inscriptions or tags. Young bulbs must be stored separately.

Proper drying

This procedure is mainly used for tubers of past seasons. The process can be divided into the following steps:

1. Bulb drying outdoors. The place should be well purged, since the presence of wind will significantly accelerate the removal of excess moisture. The duration of such drying is about two days.
2. The tubers dry either under a canopy or in a room with a good ventilation system for about a month.
3. Peeling bulbs of soil residues. The procedure should be carried out carefully so as not to peel off the husk.
4. Tubers placed in a clean container are dried for 6 to 8 days.

Keep in mind that the drying time depends on the weather. A temperature of 22 to 32 ºС is best suited. In this regard, the exact timing of the preparation of gladioli for storage each time is determined strictly individually. Young bulbs should be dried for a month at a temperature of 25 ºС.

Disinfection and post-treatment

Disinfection mandatory for any planting material. Processing of tubers is carried out by thirty percent infusion of garlic.To prepare it, you need to insist in 100 g of water three large cloves, about 30 g of garlic.

The average holding time of tubers in such a liquid is 8 seconds, but the period directly depends on the size of the gladiolus. Two-second processing is enough for children. The solution is very hot, and therefore, when working with it, you must follow the protection of the hands. To do this, it is recommended to use tweezers or rubberized gloves.

Experienced gardeners apply paraffin treatment. Such a shell protects the bulbs from external influences and mold, from which they are very difficult to protect. To implement this technique, you need to melt a few candles in any suitable container. After this, paraffin should be slightly cooled and tubers should be dipped in it. Gladioli are laid out on a solid surface and left to form a tight, impermeable shell.

Storage organization

The main requirements for the location of the proposed winter storage of gladioli are the same as for the storage of tubers of any other plants. This room should be cool and dry. In addition, it is necessary to ensure normal air circulation.

Room conditions

Bulbs can be successfully stored in a city apartment. For this, places like:

• Tambour or hallway. The tubers need to be individually wrapped in paper and folded into a plastic bag, in which the holes are made in advance.
• Gazebo. Bulbs in one layer are stacked in boxes and placed on any elevation. In severe frosts, containers are brought home and left at the balcony door.
• Windowsill.

During storage, seed should be periodically checked and diseased gladioluses removed. If this is not done, then the disease can affect all the bulbs.

Compartment for vegetables in the refrigerator

In the refrigerator, gladioli are stored in the vegetable compartment. Before being placed in the chamber, each bulb is wrapped in a newspaper. Humidity must be controlled, otherwise the tubers will rot.

If mold appears on the bulbs, then the gladioli must be re-dried and wrapped with new newspapers. In high humidity, the paper should be updated at least once a month.

It is strictly forbidden to store tubers in the freezer. Such storage will lead to the death of flowers.

Cellar or basement

The best places to store gladioli are considered the cellar and basement, because there is a fairly low air temperature and a constant level of humidity. This allows you to safely save the bulbs until spring with virtually no loss. Tubers are wrapped in sheets of newspaper, laid in boxes, which are then stacked on top of each other. This saves space and provides good ventilation.

Placing fruits and vegetables near gladioli is not recommended, as they give off a lot of moisture. Excessive moisture leads to mold on the tubers. In this case, the bulbs must be sorted, removed, diseased, healthy dried and wrapped in a new newspaper.

Pest and disease protection

During wintering, gladioli can suffer from thrips and other pests. Thrips penetrate the husk and suck out all the juice from the bulb, as a result of which it dies. Protect tubers from pests and diseases in the following ways:

• Garlic. Cut cloves must be laid in the container where the bulbs are stored. During the inspection of planting material, all dried garlic is replaced with fresh garlic.
• Paraffin. A paraffin film protects gladioli from moisture loss, as well as pests and infections. During the spring planting, it is easily removed by hand. But you need to consider that this tuber will not save the diseased tuber.

If pests have appeared on the flowers, then treatment with Tsineb is recommended.Tubers should be immersed in it for half an hour, and then dried for 2-3 days in a well-ventilated area. After the procedure, they are again stored.

Quality of planting material

The quality of tubers depends on several factors. First of all, you should pay attention to the age of gladioli. The most valuable qualities are possessed by young plants that have not yet bloomed.

The size of the tuber is very important. Small bulbs with a diameter of not more than 4 cm with a bottom diameter of less than 1 cm are considered the best.

Tubers with fully formed root tubercles possess good germination. Scales covering the onion should have a golden yellow or reddish hue, be shiny, without dark stripes and spots.

Gladioli decorate any garden plot. But so that in the summer they delighted their owner with a magnificent appearance, it is necessary not only to trim them in the fall, but also to organize good storage conditions in the winter months. In addition, care should be taken to protect delicate tubers from pests and diseases.