When to dig up gladioli and how to store them

Gladioli should not winter in open ground. From the excess of moisture and low temperatures, the flower bulbs are sick, bugs are inflamed in them, and they begin to rot. Gardeners with years of experience are advised to first take care of dark varieties, and then all the rest.

The perfect time to collect the bulbs

Gladioli stop developing at low temperatures. It is recommended to remove the bulbs from the ground 50 (for early varieties - 30) days after blooming. Flowers are cut, leaving only the stems, so that the root of the plant develops better, and receive the maximum amount of nutrients.

Sometimes flower stalks of gladioli form too late, towards the end of summer, therefore they are advised to be broken off, otherwise the bulb will not have time to mature. Collect the workpiece in mid-late September, when the night temperature drops to +10 degrees.The plant does not tolerate + 2º, so they try to dig up all, even the smallest, bulbs as quickly as possible.

In cases where even in October the weather is sunny and dry, gladioli can be in the ground 40–50 days later after flowering.

Special situation
If the leaves are covered with brown spots or dry quickly for no apparent reason, it is recommended to immediately pick out the bulbs. Such symptoms indicate that the plant was affected by a fungus, and the seed can only be saved at the initial stage of infection.

Weather
The ground should not be too wet, so as not to stick to the workpiece, but not too dry. It is recommended to do the cleaning on sunny days without precipitation, otherwise there is a high probability of missing the children of gladioli, which litter the soil in the garden.

How to dig up the workpiece

Suitable forks with wide flat teeth or a regular shovel.

1. Shrubs gently dig in, trying not to hurt the root.
2. Gladioluses pull over the stalks, and shake off the ground.
3. Be sure to pick up small daughter seeds, which are considered the most viable and resistant.
4. If the stems are green, the flowers should lie down for a few days in a room on plastic wrap so that the nutrients pass to the root.
5. The yellowed aerial part is cut off immediately, leaving a centimeter tail over the tuber.
6. It is not advised to leave a stump longer than 1.5 cm. Thrips, attacking gladioli, live at the base of flowers, and can move into the bulbs, destroying all the seed.
7. Spoiled and sick blanks are collected in a separate container. Tear off and maternal bulb to protect the rest of the infection and fungus. The rejected material is burned.

How to dry

The first step is disinfection. Planting material derived from infected gladioli is treated with fungicides separately from the rest. For healthy blanks use a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid.

The roots of the bulbs are pruned, not too short, and the planting material is cleared from the ground. If necessary, you can rinse under a tap or in a basin. Dip in the solution for half an hour, and then proceed to drying.

Step 1: Ultraviolet
Bulbs soaked in disinfectant, sprinkle on baking sheets, sent by paper or napkins, and set in the sun.Bring into the house after complete evaporation of moisture, and shift into plastic containers or wooden boxes.

Step 2: Temperature
The bottom of the tanks should be mesh. The bulbs are laid in 2 layers, and transferred to the room for drying. Prerequisite - good ventilation.

The billet for 15 days should be stored at a temperature of + 25-30 degrees. Every few days planting material must be mixed so that moisture does not accumulate in the lower layer, and gladioli are saturated with oxygen.

The next 1.5 months, the billet should be stored at + 20-23 degrees.

Step 3: Careful control
Corms are recommended from time to time to inspect, removing sick specimens. Reddish or purple small spots indicate that planting material is affected by thrips. Blanks that have been eaten away from the inside, can only be discarded. The remaining instances can try to save:

• Transfer the tubers in plastic bags, several pieces in each.
• Sprinkle damaged products with insect spray or 4% Arirovo.
• Tightly tie the bags so that the tubers are soaked with the agent and the thrips are dead.
• Hold 30–60 minutes.

To be sure that the bugs do not return, you can immerse all the bulbs in hot water (about 50 degrees) for 5-7 minutes. Be sure to dry thoroughly so that the fungus does not start in the wet planting material.

Important: Valuable varieties damaged by thrips or disease are not discarded, but cut. Disinfect in potassium permanganate. Place the cut treated with green paint.

Storage methods

It is easy to determine that the planting material is ready for the last stage: if the old corm is easily separated from the new one, it is possible to pack the sowing gladiolus in a storage container.

Method 1
Useful cardboard boxes or wood, you can stock up on plastic containers. The main thing that they had holes for ventilation.

1. Wrap each bulb with a piece of newspaper or blank paper.
2. Put in boxes. For the prevention of pests in the container pour naphthalene. Alternative - 3-4 cloves of peeled garlic.
3. If it is damp in the basement, put a box with gladioli in the refrigerator. The bottom shelf is suitable for storing fruit.

Method 2
Bulbs wrapped in newspapers put in a vegetable net.Store in a basement or refrigerator at + 5–8 degrees, and the humidity is not higher than 85%. To scare off pests, add a few cloves of peeled garlic.

Method 3
Remove the top husks from the bulbs. Heat the paraffin wax and immerse each in a liquid medium. Do not wash off the protective film when planting.

Typical mistakes

1. Do not remove the top husks from the bulbs. It protects planting material from drying out. The exception is when paraffin treatment.
2. You can not store gladiolus in plastic bags, even with holes. They do not allow air to pass through, and condensate accumulates inside.
3. Sprouted planting material must be moved to a cool room with diffused light.

Harvesting and storing gladioli is not as troublesome and complicated as it may seem to novice gardeners. It is enough to remove the bulbs in a timely manner from the ground, properly dried and processed, and in the spring they will delight you with friendly shoots and beautiful flowers.

Video: how to dig and store gladioli