Good afternoon, my reader. Gladioli, thanks to their luxurious inflorescences, adorn any landscape, but when cultivating this plant, it is necessary to master the techniques of digging and storing the bulbs.
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The timing of digging gladioli
To obtain high-quality planting material, it is necessary to cut the inflorescences 15-40 days before the planned digging of the bulbs, which will ensure the formation of strong healthy tubers.
The timing of excavation depends on the region:
- the middle Russian strip is the end of September before the first autumn frosts;
- Moscow region - cleaning is carried out during September;
- Ural, Siberia - it is necessary to dig up gladioli in the first half of September;
- south of Russia - bulbs can overwinter in the soil, but when expecting a cold winter, it is recommended to dig them up in October.
Digging, decontamination, pruning of dug out bulbs
To dig up gladiolus bulbs, choose a day with dry weather. In order not to damage the plant, the shovel must be stuck vertically, stepping back 10-15 cm from the stem, and carefully remove the tubers.
The bulbs are shaken off the soil and washed. Experienced gardeners immediately sort them by size and put them in different containers. With a small amount of planting material, you can skip this operation and store everything in one place.
It is important to disinfect the corms for the prevention of the appearance of harmful insects and the development of various infections. They use different means:
- Pale pink potassium permanganate solution. The tubers are immersed in it for one hour.
- The drug "Maxim". It is necessary to dissolve 4 ml of the fungicide in 2 liters of water and keep the harvest in the solution for 30 minutes.
- "Trichoderma veride". Dilute 1 tsp. l. biological product in 2 liters of settled water. The bulbs are soaked for half an hour.
- Iskra, Fitoverm or Intavir. Prepare the solution in accordance with the instructions. Immerse the bulbs for 30 minutes.
- You can soak the tubers for 5 minutes in water heated to 50 degrees.
After disinfection, the stem is trimmed. In this case, you can leave a small tail (20-50 mm) or cut off the shoot completely. Using a pruner, trying not to damage the bottom, separate the new tuber from the old bulb. If this does not work, then leave the material until the drying stage. You do not need to peel the husk.
Drying gladiolus bulbs
To ensure high-quality storage, it is important to dry the gladiolus corms well. In sunny weather, without rain, they are kept in the open air for two days, and then moved to a room with a temperature of 20-25 degrees and good ventilation. Drying takes 30-45 days.
For bulbs that have not been removed from the bottoms and young nodules, after drying, you can cut the roots and separate the children. All material is carefully examined, removing specimens with signs of damage, rot, diseases.
What to do with the kids
When digging, gladiolus tubers are often removed from the soil along with numerous children. It is recommended to separate and sort them. Excessively small, as well as damaged bulbs are thrown away. Only large specimens with a diameter above 32 mm are left.
Babies also need to be washed, disinfected and dried thoroughly. In the spring, they are planted, receiving gorgeous choice flowers. They keep the dried children in the refrigerator below, ensuring the temperature is at least minus 10 degrees.
How to store
It is impossible to place gladiolus corms in plastic bags, as they can completely rot under such conditions. Only healthy planting material is laid for storage.
You can wrap each onion in several layers of newsprint and fold it into a heavy cloth or paper bag. It is recommended to sprinkle the tubers with powdered "Karbofos", which will protect them from thrips. And also for the prevention of fungal infections, fresh garlic cloves or dried mint herb are placed next to it. The condition of the planting material is checked monthly.
Most often, gladioli are stored in a cellar in wooden or plastic boxes. The room must be well ventilated and dry. In your own home, you can keep in a cool pantry, entryway, doorway.
For storage in an apartment, the bulbs wrapped in newspaper are placed in a wooden or cardboard box and installed on a glazed loggia, placing a piece of foam plastic down. If there is a sharp drop in temperature in winter, the box must be wrapped in a blanket or brought home.
Competently organized cleaning, disinfection, drying of gladiolus corms allows next season to get high-quality planting material, providing magnificent flowering of luxurious plants.
Do you know how to store gladioli in winter?
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