How to store gladiolus bulbs at home 

Gladiolus – bulbous flowers, tall, with large voluminous inflorescences. These flowers will definitely not get lost in the garden, they invariably become the center of attention, thanks to their bright colors and exotic appearance. Growing gladiolus is not difficult: they are not too whimsical, except for watering, tying and fertilizing, the plants do not need anything. FROMfalsities begin at the end of the summer season, when the flowers fade, the question arises of how to save the bulbs until next spring.

How to store gladioli in winter at home, how to properly collect bulbs, and what is preparing them for winter storage, you can learn from this article.

Cleaning and storage of gladioli

To the great regret of gardeners, it will not work to leave gladiolus tubers for the winter right in the ground – these flowers are too thermophilic, they will not endure frosts. Even in the southern regions with a mild climate, gladioli are dug up in the fall in order to inspect the bulbs, sort and remove diseased specimens, and separate large tubers and children (gladiolus tuber buds).

In the ground, the bulbs are saturated with moisture, begin to get sick with fungal infections, rot and deteriorate. Because of this, it is necessary to dig up gladiolus tubers every year in order to re-plant them in the spring in the same or another place in the garden.

The work of a gardener with faded gladioli can be divided into several stages:

1. Digging bulbs out of the ground.
2. Stem cutting.
3. Drying and sorting tubers.
4. Gladiolus disinfection.
5. Bulb storage.

So, before sending flower tubers for storage, they need to be dug up and prepared accordingly.

How to prepare gladiolus bulbs before winter storage

Preserving gladioli and their bulbs is quite difficult – the tubers are capricious and react too strongly to fluctuations in temperature and humidity. In addition, flower bulbs are a real “delicacy” for insect pests (most often, these are tips), they are often affected by rot and fungal infections.

Storing gladiolus bulbs is a difficult task, but quite doable. A large percentage of tubers can be saved if they are properly prepared for storage.

So, tuber preparation is as follows:

• The optimal period for harvesting gladioli is the beginning of October.. In most regions, it is already cool at this time, but heavy rains and frosts are yet to come. Different varieties of gladiolus differ in flowering time, so it is impossible to give an exact date for harvesting flowers. It is optimal if the bulbs are dug out a month after the last bud has withered. If the variety is late, and the cold is coming, you need to dig up the flowers as early as possible, regardless of the recommended time (frost is much more dangerous than premature harvesting).
• It is recommended to dig the bulbs with a pitchfork, but you can also do it with a shovel. 10-15 cm retreat from the bush and carefully dig in the ground, lifting it up. The hand is taken by the lower part of the stem and the bulbs are pulled out, trying not to damage them.
• The earth must be carefully scraped off, and the stems cut with a sharp, clean knife or garden pruner. It is recommended to leave stumps no shorter than 20 cm – so the bulb will not dry out too much, and you can attach a tag with the name of the variety and a shade of gladiolus to the rest of the stem (this will help when making a flower bed in the spring).
• Peeled and trimmed bulbs are inspected, trying to identify all diseased, damaged, rotten or eaten specimens by pests. If the defects are small, you can try to cut them out with a sharp knife, and fill the wound with strong potassium permanganate or cover it with brilliant green. At this stage, different varieties of gladioli are sorted, they are signed.
• Now you should separate the children and annual unripened bulbs. Children are stored in the same way as the rest of the tubers. The only recommendation: if possible, it is better to create slightly different conditions for tuber buds, with a temperature of about 5 degrees and a humidity of 85-90%. Corms that have not had time to ripen are unlikely to survive until spring if they are stored with the rest of the gladioli. It is better to preserve such onions in paraffin. You just need to melt the candle, grab the stem of the gladiolus with your hand and dip it into the liquid solution for a few seconds. Then quickly dip into cold water and put in a cardboard or wooden box.
• The main rule responsible for the preservation of gladioli until spring is that the bulbs must be thoroughly dried. The flower tubers are dried at room temperature – about 18-20 degrees. Do not remove the scales from the bulbs, otherwise the tubers will evaporate moisture too quickly and fade. Lay gladioli in a dry place on a shelf or on a table, provide them with regular ventilation and a constant temperature. So gladioli should lie down for about 20-30 days.
• After drying, gladiolus is best disinfected. This will protect them from fungus, rot, and the spread of infections. You can use a solution of potassium permanganate or chlorophos in the proportion of 20 grams per bucket of water. Corms are soaked in a disinfectant solution for 20-30 minutes. After that, they again need to dry thoroughly!

The preparatory work is over, you can start laying the bulbs for storage.

How to store gladiolus bulbs in winter at home

You can store tubers in different ways, but in order for them to last until spring and be healthy, you will have to stick to the following routine:

• air temperature – within 4-7 degrees;
• air humidity – at the level of 65-75%;
• complete lack of sunlight;
• possibility of ventilation.

Much here depends on the conditions in which the gardener lives, as well as on the number of gladioli. We can recommend some of the most successful ways to store gladiolus bulbs for the winter.

Storage of tubers in the ground

This method is good for regions with warm winters and mild climates. On the site, it is necessary to find a place with low groundwater and loose, well-drained soil.

Here they dig a trench, about 80 cm deep, its width should be at least 70 cm. Before the onset of cold weather, you need to put the tubers of gladioli in wooden boxes, sprinkling the bulbs with dry sand or sawdust. The boxes are placed in a trench and covered with dry foliage, a plastic film is pulled on top.

Flowers will be protected from melt water, light frost and precipitation. This method is good for those who do not have a basement on the site.

How to properly store bulbs in the basement

Not every basement or cellar is suitable for storing gladioli. Vegetables or fruits should not be in the storage at the same time as the flowers, since the fruits evaporate moisture, and its excess harms the tubers.

The basement must be equipped with a good ventilation system, it must maintain a constant temperature and humidity.

Boxes or boxes with bulbs sprinkled with sand or sawdust are placed on wooden pallets, grates to ensure air flow from below. Under such conditions, the maximum number of tubers will remain, they will practically not lose in volume, they will be healthy.

How to save bulbs until spring in a city apartment

Many summer residents live in the city, so they have to store flowers in an apartment. Of course, corms here will feel much worse than in the basement, but still it is possible to keep most of the gladioli in a city apartment.

There are several ways to store corms in an apartment:

1. On the loggia. Corms are laid out in one layer in boxes or boxes, put on an elevated place (stool, shelf). When severe frosts begin on the street, boxes with gladioli are covered with a blanket.
2. The range of room temperatures from 18 to 20 degrees allows you to store gladioli directly in the apartment. It is better to choose the coolest and most humid place in your home for this (toilet, pantry, hallway or vestibule). The bulbs are wrapped in paper and put in a plastic bag with many cut holes.
3. Gladiolus can also be stored in the refrigerator, because there is a stable temperature and humidity. They are also wrapped in paper and put in a bag or canvas bag.

Conclusion

It is necessary to store gladiolus bulbs at home correctly, then the planting material will be safe and sound by spring. Regardless of which storage method the gardener chooses, do not forget to regularly inspect the tubers, remove rotten or damaged specimens, and provide ventilation.