Gladiolus, planting and care

This article considers how to grow gladioli. Planting and caring for them do not require special skills, the technique of growing can be easily mastered.

A little about the plant

Initially, the gladiolus was known as a medicinal plant, whose corms were sold as amulets. Wild wild gladioluses are quite widespread in nature. Planting and caring for these plants in the gardens of Europe and the emergence of a cultural gladiolus date back to the late 18th century. Modern gladioli are the result of many years of selection of flower growers all over the world. Especially popular in Europe have won breeders selected melkotsvetnye gladioli with miniature flowers of bright colors, often with spots, specks or fringing, reminiscent of orchids. These plants are up to 100 cm tall, with sturdy thin stems and light, elegant inflorescences.

Biological features

Gladiolus is a tuberous perennial plant of the tangent family. It has a very wide range of colors and shades. Blossoms in July - September. After spending a whole supply of nutrients for vegetation, the corms die off, but a thickening is formed on its apex, formed at the end of vegetation into a new corms, at the base, tubers or babies are formed. The stem of the gladiolus is smooth. It ends in a spicate inflorescence, consisting of about twenty flowers, the arrangement of which in the inflorescence is different. Gladioluses with one- and two-row and the next arrangement of flowers are especially appreciated.

Gladiolus: planting and care

These flowers are photophilous, heat-loving and demanding of humidity. Well bloom on loamy or sandy loamy soils rich in organic substances. Not bad endure a slight shading the second half of the day. The gladiolus breeds by babies growing around the mother bulb, and also by adult corms. The optimal time for planting is the end of April, when the soil is heated to ten degrees. It is necessary to know how to properly plant gladioli depending on the soil and the size of the bulbs. Large corms on cultivated loams are planted no deeper than 8 cm, on light soils - from 12 to 15 cm, the children are planted not deeper than five centimeters. Bulbs are planted at a distance of about 10-20 cm when planting. In the second half of the summer, it is desirable to apply the basic mineral fertilizers to the soil . The top dressing is combined with watering and is carried out during 3-4 leaves, budding, and also after flowering.

To improve the quality of planting material in corms growing from children, in case of their flowering, the stems are removed. After flowering, all the peduncles are removed, not permitting the ripening of the seeds. Dig up the corms around October. The stem is cut 5 cm above the corms. Then the corms should be washed, dried and disassembled in size. They are located in boxes with a mesh bottom or in cloth bags. Optimum conditions for their storage: dry ventilated room, temperature 4-9 ° С. As a result of repeated use of large corms as a planting material, the bulbs age. These large, but flat corms do not give already high-quality flowers and are easily affected by diseases. Growing gladiolus from a very small baby is not advisable, because by the time the corms reach large sizes, it will already become old.

Care for gladioli is reduced to weeding, loosening and watering during a drought. Do not water too much with a jet of water, as the plants in the heavily soaked soil easily overturn, especially in the midst of flowering. If necessary, they are tied to supports.

Growing flowers should be with love, this approach requires and gladioluses. Planting and caring for these flowers should be carried out carefully and gently.