Every gardener who has seen gladioli at least once was probably interested in the peculiarities of growing these majestic flowers. In principle, this is not so difficult, since you just need to find a suitable place for planting, prepare the soil and take good care of the plant.
As a result, gladioli will bloom on your site, which will delight you every day with their flowering. If you are still determined to grow gladioli, the first step is to decide where you will plant these flowers.
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Gladioli - preparing for planting a flower garden
It depends on the site where you plant gladioli whether you can get healthy plants and whether they will delight you for a long time with their flowering.
If we compare gladioli with many other plants, then they stand out for their whimsicality. The first step before boarding is choose the right place for them. They grow best in a well-lit area where there is no shadow.
It is advisable to take this place for gladioli also because in such conditions the flowers demonstrate greater resistance to disease, and this is a guarantee that the corms can ripen well.
Special attention needs to be paid the presence of a shadow: even if it is very small, it will lead to a delay in flowering.
But this does not apply to the southern regions of our country, where rather hot weather prevails in summer. Therefore, a little shading will benefit them. Therefore, these plants do not require special care here.
Stagnation of water in the growing area of gladioli can lead to rotting of the bulbs. Therefore, you need to choose a site so that it is well drained... If this cannot be done in the chosen place for planting flowers, then you will have to prepare a raised ridge.
This need usually arises in the middle zone of our country. If these flowers are grown in hot, southern regions, then there is no need to deal with the drainage device, because otherwise you can get the opposite effect in the form of drying out of the corms.
After 4 years, it is necessary to find for gladioli new place... If they grow for too long in the same area, then this increases the likelihood of their being affected by various diseases. Moreover, even careful care will not save them from this.
The best predecessors for gladioli are tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, and legumes. If, when choosing a place for planting flowers, this moment is taken into account, then it will be possible to protect flowers from damage from such a dangerous pest as a wireworm.
When preparing to grow gladioli, you need to learn about the rules for caring for them. Then you can be sure that the plants will bloom for many months.
Soil preparation
Gladioli will feel best on your site if you add a small amount of black soil to the hole.At the same time, these plants will be able to delight you with abundant flowering in those areas where there are loamy or sandy loam soils.
It is believed that when grown in clay soils, they appear brighter. However, it will not be superfluous to add to the soil peat and sand or peat compost... This will help create a looser soil structure and avoid premature death of gladioli.
It is advisable to carry out a soil analysis during the selection of a site for planting gladioli, according to the results of which it can be concluded about the amount of trace elements and soil acidity. The most suitable are soils that have a neutral reaction (pH 5.5-6.5).
If the acidity indicator is too high, then it can be reduced by introducing into the soil:
- chalk at the rate of 110−160 gg / m;
- lime or nitrophosphate 25 g / m 1.6-2.4 cm below the bottom of the bulb.
Soil fertilization
The ideal is the soil, in the structure of which the earthen clods have a cross-section of no more than 3 cm, but at the same time it is not recommended that the soil is too loose or dense.
You need to prepare the site where you will plant gladioli in the fall. The first step is to dig up the area to a depth of 50 cm.This operation is carried out in combination with fertilization, which are used as:
- Superphosphate 40 g / m
- Bone meal 60-110 g / m
- Peat compost, humus, 27-30 g./m.
- Potassium salt.
In the first weeks of spring, you need a good loosen the soil to a depth of 27 cm. Further, the soil surface must be leveled with a rake.
Gladioli - preparation of planting material
Gladioli demonstrate unpretentiousness at any stage of their cultivation, including during preparation for planting in open ground. For this, activities are carried out such as:
Cleaning.- Culling.
- Soak.
- Germination.
- Prevention of possible diseases.
They have a positive effect on plants, since they allow you to achieve early and abundant flowering, while the planting material itself is strong and healthy.
Usually, when growing gladioli, one of the following methods is used: planting corms, children and seeds.
Growing gladioli from corms
When 2.5-3 weeks will be exposed before the day of planting, the corms are transferred from storage in a room where the temperature should be maintained up to 20 degrees Celsius.
This point needs to be given special attention, since at elevated temperature conditions favorable conditions are created for more active root growth. High humidity can provide a similar effect.
After that, the bulbs remove the scales covering them... This must be done carefully so that the sprouts are not damaged. As a result of this operation, it is possible to identify diseased bulbs, protect them from pests and achieve an earlier flowering.
Planting material that has not been sorted is put aside and subsequently burned. High-quality planting material should be placed in one layer in clean, dry boxes.
Corms should lie in them sprouts upwards, while diffused lighting should be directed at them. As a result of this procedure, the plants will be able to bloom a week earlier than usual.
If the gardener does not have a goal to achieve an earlier flowering of gladioli, then you need to get the material from the storage when 7-10 days remain before the day of planting.
Best used for planting bulbs 2-3 years old, since the plants obtained from them bloom most brightly and abundantly. In turn, they form the largest number of children, while the proportion of rejected bulbs is minimal.
The fact is that the older the planting material, the more difficult it becomes for it to resist diseases. Therefore, material that is stored for 5-7 years is more susceptible to disease than corms of 2-3 years old.
Growing up from kids
The preparation of corms begins 10-12 days before planting in open ground: here everything happens in the same way - children need peel off... Given that they have a very hard shell, you need to be very careful here.
To begin with, the children are looking for the top, which looks like a tubercle. Next, you need to pick out the scales, while trying not to injure the growth point, and start pulling down. Sometimes it is extremely difficult to avoid damage while removing the scales.
In this case, you can place the material in a 0.05% slightly warm solution of potassium permanganate or 1% solution of ordinary baking soda for 11-17 hours. As a result of this procedure, the shell will become more pliable, so it will be easier to remove it.
If you have prepared too many children for planting or you do not have enough time to clean them manually, then you can proceed as follows: the tubers need to be placed in a warm or cool room for germination.
When there are several weeks left until the day of disembarkation, the children need to be thoroughly washed and allowed to dry. After that their placed in a transparent bag, where you first need to make holes for ventilation.
Then they are stored directly in the bag at room temperature, waiting for their germination. For this, the bags must be placed under diffused light.
The technology for germinating babies in a cool room is almost the same, except that you need to do it a month before planting day. Such a long time is necessary due to the fact that tuber germination will take place in cooler conditions.
How and when to plant gladioli
For many flower growers, not only the cultivation techniques and care of gladioli are of great interest, but also the choice of the right time for planting.
The importance of this point should not be underestimated, because if you plant flowers too early, there is a chance that they will die. It is also wrong to delay the planting time, since in this case you may not wait for the blooming of gladioli at all.
When determining the moment for planting flowers, it is necessary come from the climatic zone and weather conditions. The easiest way to determine the time is based on the temperature of the depth of the earth, at which the plants will be planted.
Considering that for flowers this is a depth of 12-14 cm, for them the optimum temperature will be at least + 10 degrees. Typically, such conditions in Crimea, Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia are created during the period from 14 to 16 March. In the northern regions, you can plant flowers from mid-May to June.
In the middle lane, you can already plant gladioli in the beginning of April and up to mid-May. Moreover, it is best to choose varieties for planting with a late flowering period - 110-120 days.
If you use varieties for planting that differ in flowering time in the interval of 10-14 days, then these plants can begin to bloom profusely at the same time.
It is recommended to plant plants in advance prepared pits or grooves that are necessary sprinkle with wet sand by about 0.9-1.2 cm. In this case, the sand will act as a protective cover that will not harm flowers with an unformed root system.
The desire of many gardeners to grow gladioli on their plot is quite understandable if you remember how beautiful they look. However, in order to enjoy their flowering, you must first get acquainted with the agricultural technology of growing these plants.
In this regard, they there are a lot of features, therefore, if you do not want to be disappointed with dead flowers, then you need to first find out exactly how to plant these flowers correctly.
Every factor, including site selection, soil preparation, care, can greatly affect how plants turn out and how long they will delight with their flowering.
Therefore, only strict adherence to the agrotechnology of growing gladioli allows you to count on the fact that they will become one of the main decorations on your personal plot.
