Gladioli are considered by many to be a symbol of autumn. Large bright flowers seem to be strung on a powerful stem that looks like a sword. For this plant, it received a second name – skewer. The flower is thermophilic and does not tolerate the cold at all. He cannot spend the winter in the ground, even with good shelter. Therefore, it is dug up and stored. Proper wintering is the key to lush flowering next season. Let’s look at all the subtleties of properly storing gladioli.

Dates for digging up planting material

It is necessary to dig up gladioli bulbs in the fall for storage for the winter in a state of full maturity. This means that they must fully mature and accumulate a supply of nutrients, without which they cannot overwinter properly and start growing in spring. On average, corms ripen 40-45 days after flowering. Ripe specimens are easy to identify by their appearance – the scales covering them dry up and darken, babies break off easily.

An important point. In order not to deplete the bulbs and allow them to prepare for wintering, plants should not be allowed to bloom until late autumn.

There are many varietal varieties with different flowering periods: from mid-July to mid-September. You should focus on them when choosing the timing of digging. But at the same time, we must also take into account climatic features. Corms are not frost hardy. If there is a sudden cold snap to -5-7° C, they will die. Therefore, they need to be dug up 40-45 days after the end of flowering, but at the same time take into account the growing region. We have compiled a table with approximate cleaning times.

Varieties with dark-colored flowers and early varieties should be dug up 40 days after the end of flowering. Late varieties can be left in the ground for 45-50 days. If autumn is rainy and brown spots appear on the foliage, which indicates a fungal infection, you should immediately dig up the corms. It is better to give them a chance to overwinter unripe than to throw away rotten specimens.

How to dig up corms correctly

To give the onions the opportunity to gain strength before wintering, the plant stems are pruned immediately after flowering. Only 30-35 cm are left above the ground. After 40-50 days they can be dug up. They try to choose a dry, warm day for cleaning. We have prepared simple instructions on how to properly dig up gladioli in order to preserve them in winter.

Carefully dig the ground around the bush. It is best to take a pitchfork for this, but you can also use a shovel. Try not to touch the corm.

Grasp the stem with the remains of the leaves with your hand, stick the tool into the ground towards the bush and gently pry it in. When rocking the bush, carefully remove the plant from the soil.

Shake off the soil from the bulbs, place them in rows on a spread cloth or film.

Take a sharp pruner or knife, cut off the stem, leaving a “stump” no longer than 2 cm on each onion.

Separate large babies from the main onion. Discard old dried specimens immediately.

If you had to dig up the corms in wet weather, dry them in a ventilated room.

How to prepare gladioli for storage

Before storing gladioli bulbs, they need to be prepared. They do it this way.

Gently rub the onions with your palms to remove any adhering soil.

Sort the corms. Discard all damaged onions and those with signs of illness. You can not leave infected specimens – they will infect healthy ones.

Take the kids away. Leave only those with whole skin scales. They will actively bloom next year.

Prepared onions should be sorted by variety so as not to be confused later. It remains to dry them, and they can be stored, but it is better to pre-process them.

How to process gladiolus bulbs to preserve them in winter

The processed planting material is best preserved. The treatment is carried out in this sequence.

Place the bulbs and babies in cold water. All baby onions that come to the surface are thrown away. They are considered non-viable. Rinse the planting material, remove it from the liquid and place it on cloth or paper.

Exactly according to the instructions, prepare a solution of any fungicide such as Fundazole or Fitosporin M. Instead, you can take a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate, then the treatment time is doubled.

Place the corms in it so that they are completely covered with liquid. Leave it for 30 minutes.

Remove the onions from the liquid, place them on cloth or paper to absorb moisture.

The dried material is sent to dry in a warm ventilated room. Here it is laid out in one layer at a short distance from each other. For the first seven to eight days in the room, it is desirable to maintain a temperature of about 28-30˚С, then it is lowered to 18-20˚С. Under such conditions, the bulbs should lie for another three weeks. It happens that it is not possible to ensure a high temperature at the beginning of drying, then its period is extended to 47-50 days.

The optimal microclimate for storing gladioli at home

The ideal conditions for storing gladioli after harvesting are a temperature of 3 to 7° C and a humidity of about 70-80%. You need complete darkness, then they won’t start growing. Planting material should be inspected regularly. This should be done at least once a month in order to notice the problem in time. Corms that have begun to deteriorate should be immediately removed from the rest so that they do not infect them. For prevention, you can put several cloves of garlic on healthy specimens.

Where and how to store gladioli in winter

The dried planting material is placed in a container where they will be stored. These can be cardboard boxes, wooden boxes, etc. It is important to lay the onions in only one layer and so that they do not touch. It is best to arrange them by variety and be sure to sign them so as not to confuse them in the spring. Sometimes they are also sorted by size, but this is not necessary. Let’s list where and how to store gladiolus bulbs after digging in winter.

In the basement or cellar

The microclimate here remains stable throughout the winter, which is important for corms. The only negative point is that high humidity is possible. Therefore, you need to know how to properly store gladioli and their babies in the cellar in winter.

Containers with onions should be placed on the uppermost shelves, where the optimum temperature for the flower is set.

It is desirable to make the bottom of the boxes or drawers mesh to ensure sufficient ventilation of the contents.

Do not place corms near containers with vegetables or fruits. They “breathe” while releasing moisture. Excessive moisture is harmful to tubers.

You can sprinkle the bulbs in containers with sawdust or clean sand. The filler will pick up excess moisture.

In an apartment

There are few options for storing gladioli bulbs in the winter in an apartment, because the conditions for such storage are not very suitable. It is necessary to find the coolest place with a relatively stable temperature. This could be a window sill, a place in front of a balcony door, even a wardrobe or something similar. The main thing is that there are no heaters and a source of high humidity close to the boxes. An important point. To prevent the onions from sprouting, each of them is tightly wrapped in black paper or placed in linen bags. It is advisable to cover the container with nodules with light-proof material.

In the pantry

If there is a cool pantry, it will be the best place to preserve corms. The method of storing gladioli tubers in winter at home is very simple. Each onion should be wrapped tightly with paper before putting it in boxes. This will protect her from light. The packed nodules are placed in one layer on the bottom of the container. You can do it differently. The corms are placed in a box and covered with dry sawdust. It’s important. In this case, it is impossible to fill it with sand – in dry air, it will begin to draw moisture from the stored tubers.

In the fridge

One of the easiest ways to store gladioli in the winter in an apartment is to put the onions in the refrigerator. Here they will be in optimal conditions for themselves, but you can pack them a little, because there is not enough free space in the refrigerator. Before laying, it is advisable to wrap the tubers with paper, then put them in a plastic bag or paper box. Holes must be made in the walls of the package to remove excess moisture. Put the container in the vegetable compartment or on a shelf at the bottom of the refrigerator. It’s important. Do not place pots next to them that have not cooled down.

On the insulated balcony

On a closed balcony or on a warm loggia, corms will stay well in a box covered with dried sawdust or calcined sand. But you can put them out of boxes, paper bags, etc. The container must be covered with light-proof material or put into a drawer closed with a lid or doors. It is necessary to monitor the temperature on the balcony. If it starts to drop too much, the planting material is wrapped in an old blanket or something similar.

What to do if planting material is infected

During winter storage, the tubers are periodically inspected and discarded. It often happens that pests are found in them. They are usually thrips. If the problem is noticed in time, there is a chance to save the planting material. First of all, you need to remove all infected specimens. The remaining onions are treated with “HOM”, diluted strictly according to the instructions. After that, they can be stored further. The infected corms are wrapped in cotton wool soaked in alcohol and left for 10-15 minutes. After that, the cotton wool is removed, the bulbs are washed and dried. They are stored in a separate box.

Source: https://dzen.ru/

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