When to dig and how to store gladioli? Advice from experienced gardeners

Before the onset of frosts, do not forget to take care of your gladioli. Of all the garden flowering plants about them, we remember the last. And very often in novice amateur gardeners, the question arises whether to dig out gladioli. The answer is unequivocal: it must be done necessarily. Cold? So, it's time to dig the gladiolus. If this is not done, the bulbs will die during the frost, and in the spring you will again need to buy planting stock.

When to dig and how to store gladioli?

Digging gladioli, as a rule, begin already from the second half of September. A cleaning of some varieties occurs when the first small frosts occur. Always take into account the fact that from the moment of flowering to the maturation of the corms, it must take at least a month. It's minimum! Previously, you can dig a plant only if you notice obvious signs of illness on its leaves. Perhaps you will be able to save this bulb by washing it in special solutions. If you know about when to dig and how to store gladioli, you will not have any difficulties in growing this beautiful flower.

Experienced growers try first of all to dig gladioli of dark varieties (violet, black, dark cherry) and lavender-blue. In the last turn dig up grown up over the summer children. Do it best in sunny weather, when the soil is dry. If it rains, the bulbs will need to be washed from the mud. To dig a plant it is necessary for garden forks, поддевая from below. To pull or pull the leaves gladiolus is not recommended - you will damage the bulb and "lose" the children, which, unlike adult bulbs, retain their germination for several years and will germinate in spring in a chaotic order.

Preparation of corms for storage

When to dig and how to store gladioli? Science is simple, you will certainly cope with this task. After you have dug out the plants, you need to remove the stems and wash the bulbs themselves with water. The next stage will be processing them from pests. The most frequent and common "guest" in gladioli is thrips. And in order that during the wintering, he does not damage the bulbs, they need to be lowered for 10-15 minutes in a solution of "Carbophos" or another drug that you can buy for these purposes. After this, it is necessary to hold the bulbs for a few more minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and, without washing them, decompose them to dry.

The bulbs dry for 20 days at a temperature of about 25 degrees. Then you need to revise everything, remove the roots and "husks", throw out suspicious specimens. This is done so that eggs do not remain under the scales, otherwise the pests hatched in the winter will suck out all the juices from the bulb.

Storage of corms

The most effective method is "grandmother's". We take the bulbs and put them in a double dark kapron stocking or in a grid. Keep them in a cool place. It could be a basement, a garage, a cellar or even a lower shelf in the refrigerator. The main thing is to be dry and cool.

Now you know about when to dig and how to store gladioli. The methods are simple, and you can save your favorite varieties and again enjoy their flowering.