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The timing of flowering depends on when and how gladiolus corms are planted. The principle is clear: the sooner you plant, the sooner they will delight with their luxurious inflorescences. But not everything happens according to our desire – in Our Country we are limited by weather conditions. Therefore, it is important to understand when to plant gladiolus seedlings and plant them in open ground.
How to determine landing dates in your area
The question of whether it is possible to grow gladiolus seedlings is often asked by gardeners. Let’s answer right away: you can. But why?
– Why do some plants, for example, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, grow seedlings? Yes, because their crop is formed for a very long time, when sowing seeds in open ground, it does not have time to ripen, – explains agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – And gladioli even without seedlings fit perfectly even in a short summer. Even late varieties that bloom after 120 days, that is, after 4 months from germination, when planted in early May, bloom by September. So is it worth the bother? However, if you really want to achieve flowering not in August-September, but in July, then you can plant them for seedlings.
But what is really useful to do is to germinate the corms before planting.
Gladioli are planted in open ground when the soil warms up to 10 ° C. In the middle lane, this is usually the first half of May. In this case, the timing of planting and germination of corms looks like this:
- for seedlings – the first half of April;
- for germination – the second half of April;
- in open ground – in the first half of May.
These are classic dates, but you always need to look at the weather. If the spring is long, cold, then it is better to postpone planting until the end of May – after the 20th.
By the way, gladioli can be grown at home – on the balcony or even on the windowsill. In this case, you need to choose hybrids of the series primulinus or dwarf varieties (1).
How to prepare corms for sowing
– Before laying the corms of gladioli for germination, they must be carefully cleaned of the husk. And carefully inspect – if there are rotten areas, cut them with a sharp knife to a healthy tissue, and sprinkle the cut with crushed charcoal, – advises agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova.
Then they are treated in the same way as with potato tubers. 2 weeks before planting, they take it out of the refrigerator, lay it out in a single layer in a box or a plastic container (just remember to sign where which variety is) and put it in a warm, bright place. By the time of planting, sprouts will appear at the corms and after planting they will quickly get to the surface of the soil.
It is sometimes advised to germinate the bulbs in wet sawdust, but this is a controversial method. The fact is that in a dry box, corms give only sprouts, and in a humid environment, they also give roots. And their roots are very fragile and it is likely that they will break during planting. As a result, the whole point of germination disappears – instead of accelerating seedlings, we will slow them down, because the gladiolus will have to grow new roots, and this takes extra time.
Before planting (it doesn’t matter, for seedlings or immediately in a flower garden), it is useful to soak the corms in warm water for 5 to 6 hours so that they are saturated with moisture. Then immerse for 2 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin solution (2) – this is protection against fungal diseases.
Tips for caring for gladiolus seedlings
What to grow. It is more convenient to grow seedlings of gladioli in separate cups. The best volume is 0,5 liters. So it will be easier to plant in a flower garden – if you extract plants with a clod of earth, the risk of damaging the roots is reduced.
The soil is suitable store – take universal soil.
How to plant. It is necessary to plant the bulbs to a depth of 12 – 17 cm (3), but this is problematic in a cup – its height is 14 cm and under the roots with such a planting (even with a minimum of 12 cm) there will be very little space left. Therefore, you will have to plant at half the height, that is, at a depth of 7 cm (the distance is always considered from the bottom). This will not affect the growth and development of gladioli, but the problem can still arise – with a shallow planting during flowering, under the weight of the peduncle, the plants collapse. You’ll have to tie them up.
Where to plant seedlings Gladioli love plenty of light, so keep seedlings on the lightest window sill – a south or east window.
What do you need while growing? Top dressing seedlings of gladioli are not needed.
“It is necessary to water as the soil dries out, but without undue zeal – excess moisture can lead to rotting of corms,” says agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – The rule is this: between waterings, the earthen ball should dry out completely, to the very bottom.
Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse
Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse: 13 – 14, 21 – 22, 25 – 26, 30 April.
Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground
Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground: 1 – 15, 23 – 24, 27 – 28 May.
Popular questions and answers
How to plant gladioli, she told us agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova.
Do I need to remove scales from corms before planting?
What to do if spots appear on the corms of gladioli?
How deep should gladioli be planted?
Sources of
- Dr. Hession DG All about indoor plants // M .: Kladez-Buks, 2002 – 256 p.
- State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation, https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii -i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/
- Kudryavets D.B., Petrenko N.A. How to grow flowers. A book for students // M .: Education, 1993 – 176 p.