How To Grow Gladiolus Bulbs

 

Gladiolus plants are a member of the Iridaceae family. Gladiolus plants are also known as sword lily and flag flower. This plant is actually a fast-growing plant and they grow from two to five feet tall adding drama to the border. Gladiolus plant is actually native to Europe and South Africa. The following are the basic information about gladiolus plants;

The botanical name: The botanical name is Gladiolus palustris.

The common name: The common name is Gladiolus.

The plant type: Bulbotumer or corm.

The mature size: The mature size is about two to five feet.

The sun exposure: The plant actually prefers full sun.

The soil type: The plant does well in sandy loam.

The soil ph: This should be between 6.0-6.5

The blooming time: The blooming time is June through frost.

The flower color: The flower colors are yellow, red, pink, green, purple, white and orange.

Plant hardiness zones: USDA hardiness zone 7 to 10

The native area: Gladiolus is native to South Africa and Europe.

Plant toxicity: The plant is toxic to humans, pets, and livestock.

Furthermore, the plant actually produces flowers that always open from the bottom to the top on a sword-like stem, and then adding drama to the landscape and bouquets. 

Gladiolus varieties

There are different varieties of gladiolus. The following are the varieties of gladiolus;

-         Atom' Gladiolus variety: Atom' Gladiolus has red with picotee white border.

-         'Boone gladiolus variety: 'Boone gladiolus is yellow with coral accents and the plant is said to be hardy to zone six. Below is the image of 'Boone gladiolus.

-         Green Lace' gladiolus variety: Green Lace' gladiolus is ruffled chartreuse blooms.

-         Lucky Star gladiolus variety: Lucky Star gladiolus is unusual for its fragrance, it has white with red throats.  

How to grow Gladiolus

According to most gardeners, gladiolus plants make excellent vegetable garden companions. Gladiolus plants will attract pollinating insects to increase the tomato yields in your vegetable garden and the bold blossom colors will not get lost between your rows of squash and beans. You can plant the gladiolus corms in the gaps where you have yanked out your faded spring vegetables like lettuce and peas. Make sure you keep the gladiolus plants off the ground by staking the gladiolus plant with half-round plant stakes, single stem supports or hoop stakes.

Light requirement

Like I said earlier Gladiolus plant does best in full sun, although if it's not available the plant can still flower in partial shade.

Soil requirement

Actually any soil that is well-draining is okay for growing gladiolus plant bulbs. Gladiolus plant can tolerate shallow planting, placing the plant bulb at least six inches under the soil’s surface will provide support to the emerging shoots.

Water requirement

Water the plant well at the initial planting, after that water the gladiolus plants every week.

Temperature and humidity requirement

If you plant the gladiolus bulbs too early it will not reward you with earlier blooms. Just try and wait until the night temperatures gets to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit before you set out the gladiolus bulbs, make sure you choose a spot in your garden that receives at least 5 hours of full sun each day. The plant actually blooms from July until frost. On the other hand, the gladiolus plants don’t actually bloom continuously, you can plant new corms every 2 weeks to extend the blooming season.

Fertilizer requirement

Make sure you fertilize the newly emerged gladiolus plant shoots with a balanced 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer.

How to prune gladiolus

You can easily pinch back dead flowers after they have withered. If the gladiolus plant is done blooming, you can cut back the bloom to ground level with a garden shears, unless you actually plan to dig and store the bulbs.

Gladiolus propagation

To propagate gladiolus plant start with premium sized gladiolus corms, they actually produce more blooms on heftier stalks. If the weather in your area is dry at planting time, make sure you water the gladiolus bulbs once, after that don’t water the gladiolus bulbs again until you see shoots or you may encourage rot.  

Disease control in Gladiolus

Gladiolus plant is like any other plants that also face some disease challenges. The following are the pest and diseases that attack gladiolus plants;

-         The botrytis leaf stem and corm rot of gladiolus:

The symptoms: This particular disease is caused by Fungi. The disease will appear on the flowers, stems, leaves and corms.  Some of the flowers of the plant will turn papery brown and also covered with gray, fuzzy masses. Also a tan to brown spots with target-like appearance will develop on the gladiolus plant leaves. During periods of extended cloudy humid and wet weather, the disease is very troublesome.

How to manage and control it: The control of this disease can be achieved with the use of fungicide sprays during the plant growing season. You can apply the fungicide sprays as soon as the symptoms are visible. Make sure you check the label for dosage rates and safety precautions.

-         Fusarium wilt yellows of gladiolus:

The symptoms: What you will observe is the paling and yellowing of leaves which will progress until the entire plant final die. Some of the gladiolus plants may wilt in the middle of the day and then recover at night. Also the infected corm will show a brown rot at the basal plate extending upward.

How to manage and control it: Actually controlling this disease is really very difficult because the pathogen is commonly found in the soil. Prevention is actually one of the key strategies for the control of vascular wilts. Make sure you avoid planting the corms in infested soil. Try and avoid root injuries by carefully handling the plants, this root injury can make the fungus to enter the plant. Rotation is also essential since the repeated use of the same area can greatly increase the amount of the disease. You can also use resistant varieties if it is available. Make sure you also remove infected corms. A study has shown that chemical controls are not really effective for these fungi.

-         Gladiolus corm storage rot:

The symptoms: During storage the gladiolus corm may become soft or appear to be covered with bluish-green masses of fungal growth.

How to manage and control it: Make sure you carefully select the clean and well-ripened corms for storage during digging. Also make sure the gladiolus corms are cured for 3 weeks at 80 F, with artificial heat if possible. Try as much as possible to carefully inspect the gladiolus corms after storage and also destroy any corms that don't appear healthy.

-         Rust on gladiolus:

The symptoms: What you will see on the gladiolus plant is a rusty spots of dead tissue that will develop on the leaves, this is usually after the period of rain.

How to manage and control it: Actually this particular disease is not a serious disease and the disease can be minimized by watering the gladiolus plant early in the day or by avoiding overhead irrigation.

-         Gladiolus Mosaic:

The symptoms: This particular disease is caused by virus. The disease will appear as a light and dark green mottling on the leaves. 

How to manage and control it: Make sure you remove infected plants as soon as they are detected.