Gladiolus bulbs sprouted in January what to do. It's time to check the safety of the gladiolus bulbs. What to do

Approximately two or three months have passed since the date of laying the gladiolus corms for storage, so today is the time to see how they are stored, if there are any signs of damage by diseases or thrips. In addition, the period of natural rest ends in January, which means that if proper storage corms can germinate.

Pathogenic fungi, thrips and other troubles

Bulb revision should be carried out several times during the winter.

Today you should carefully inspect the corms and if there is any doubt, remove the outer scales and inspect the corms.

Corms affected by fusarium, sclerotinia and botrytis can dry out, and this is easy to notice, as they become light, "empty".

Such corms (they are dry, shriveled, brown-black inside) must be urgently, immediately removed and, without any regret, thrown away. If burnt spots are visible on the scales, clean the corms from them.

If brown sunken spots - most likely from the defeat of bacteriosis - scab. Small spots can be cut out with a sharp knife, wiped with a solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkled with crushed charcoal (you can use an activated pharmaceutical charcoal tablet). Do not be discouraged, such corms in the spring can safely give normal sprouts. But an operation to cut out brown putrefactive spots caused by Fusarium or Botrytis will not help, since the hyphae of pathogenic fungi penetrate into the vessels of the plant and the infection will remain even if a rotten piece of corm is cut out.

Therefore, it is better, no matter how insulting, to immediately eliminate all corms affected by spots.

When corms are stored in warm conditions, thrips often begin to "work" - a small insect that safely falls under the scales of corms.

In storage, thrips begin to suck out the juices of corms, their surface becomes rough. With severe damage, the corms dry out. But they can be treated with insecticides. Naphthalene helps well, which can be poured into a bag with corms and tightly closed for up to one month. And then you can destroy the thrips and keep the corms until spring, and they can produce normally developed plants.

If the corms are stored, as they say, in bulk, that is, in several layers and it is wet in the store, penicillium mold can develop: bluish sporulation can form on infected bulbs, a “nest” of affected ones forms near one corm. They should also be destroyed, the rest should be dried and storage conditions should be improved (reduce humidity and temperature).

In January, until the kidneys began to awaken, they spend heat treatment babies, tubers, to destroy hyphae and spores of fungi and microbes. It has been established that when tubers are kept in water with a temperature of plus 53°C (for 30 minutes), the hyphae of pathogenic fungi die. Treatment hot water at a temperature of plus 55 ° C leads to the almost complete destruction of Fusarium and Botrytis spores, however, this temperature is not always harmless to gladiolus sprouts.

Therefore, it is better to use water with a temperature of 53 ° C and process the tubers for 25-30 minutes. It is necessary to monitor the uniformity of the water temperature. After heat treatment, the tubers should be quickly cooled in a flowing cold water and dry, then again placed in boxes or bags for storage until spring.

Gladiolus bulbs sprouted early, what to do?

Such a question can often be heard from "young" flower growers who are not yet fully familiar with the biology of this plant.

In fact, often already in March, at the beginning of April, stored in room conditions corms, rather long sprouts appear, although before planting them in open ground remains 1.5-2 months. This happens due to a violation of storage conditions, namely due to an increase in humidity.

The dormant period of the gladiolus consists of a period of natural dormancy and a longer period of forced dormancy. During the period of natural dormancy, the corm cannot germinate, even if it falls into favorable conditions for this. But the time of natural dormancy is short and different varieties equals 35-40 days. After that, the corm can germinate if there are suitable conditions for growth, namely enough heat and moisture.

With proper storage, when the temperature does not exceed 5-10 ° C, and the relative humidity of the air is 60-70%, the corms are in forced rest and do not germinate, since there are no conditions for growth. But when stored in unsuitable conditions for this, with high temperature and high humidity, growth processes begin, basically the sprout is greatly elongated, while the roots are not formed. This depletes the corm, when planted in the ground, it may not form inflorescences. What to do?

Some, seeing large sprouts, decide that such a corm should be planted in the ground as soon as possible, but with a lack of lighting and nutrition, the plants develop poorly and, as a rule, do not form flowers.
In order to detect trouble in time, it is necessary to regularly and quite often, especially closer to spring, view the stored corms. If the growth of sprouts is found, it is necessary to immediately decompose the corms in a dry, warm place and dry them for 3-5 days, and then place them in a place where the temperature is 2-7 ° C with low air humidity. 15-20 days before planting, namely from mid-April, the temperature in the storage is increased to 12-15°C, which contributes to the preparation of the corm for the formation of tubercles and germination.

Until spring, inspection of corms must be repeated two to three times. We repeat: all diseased corms must be removed immediately.

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About the causes of early germination of corms

The reasons lie in the conditions of storage of planting material. The fact is that the dormant time of gladiolus corms consists of two periods - a period of natural dormancy, which lasts about 40 days, and a period of forced dormancy, the length of the latter depends on storage conditions.

The appearance of sprouts is possible only during forced rest. high humidity and heat during this period of plant life stimulate the beginning of growth processes.

Let's remember optimal conditions storage of gladiolus corms: the air temperature is not higher than 10 ° C, and the humidity is within 60-70%.

What can early growth processes lead to?

The young sprout is actively lengthening, while the roots are not yet formed. The roots are not immersed in the soil - a source of nutrition and moisture. As a result, the plant is greatly depleted, and planted in the ground, as a rule, does not form an arrow, does not bloom.

What to do?

The opinion that sprouted tubers should be placed in the ground for further growth is erroneous, since the lack sunlight and energy in the early spring period will not allow corms to mature enough, develop and bloom at the right time. It is unlikely that such plants will be able to wait for flowering.

So, let's list the correct actions:

  • sprouted bulbs must be well dried, for this they are laid out for two to three weeks in a dry and warm place;
  • then they should be sent for storage to a place with low air humidity and a temperature not exceeding 5 ° C;
  • within two to three weeks before planting in open ground (each region has its own time), the planting material should be at a temperature of about 15 ° heat, this will prepare the corms for awakening and further germination.

What conclusions can be drawn

The first is to provide plants right conditions storage. The second is to conduct a regular and thorough inspection of the planting material during its storage, in order not to miss the moment when corms begin to germinate.

I line my gladiolus corms (a small amount) with paper napkins, put them in a closed plastic box from under the cake and send it to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for storage. This is how I store gladioli of local zoned varieties.

The thaw, which suddenly appeared in February, made many gardeners worry. Dahlia tubers and gladiolus bulbs, sensing spring, began to wake up ahead of time and sprout. How to return them to a state of rest, says agronomist Boris Alekseev.

GLADIOLUS

If they began to germinate in February-March, then they either belong to early-flowering hybrids, or were stored in too warm conditions. Ideally, gladioli are taken out of storage and peeled only on April 10-15. Then, being in the light and warm, late-flowering hybrids begin to wake up, and early-flowering ones find the presence of arrows up to 5 mm high, breaking through from the first days of April.

Solution. In the case when the sprouts broke through a month and a half ahead of time, one thing remains - to transfer the bulbs to a cooler place than where they have been lying until now, with an air temperature not higher than 3-4 degrees. For example, on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. If you see that the sprouts have stopped growing, then everything is fine. Bulbs can be left there until mid-April, in order to be planted in open ground in the first decade of May.

dahlias

How to deal with them depends on the size and general condition of the root tubers.

Big, healthy and juicy

They, unlike gladioli, in which it is by no means possible to check the sprouts that have broken through, have “seven lives”, that is, new ones grow in place of the broken ones.

Solution. Therefore, now it is better to remove the sprouts on large specimens so that they do not draw moisture from the root tubers, depleting and drying them. After that, it is necessary to create cooler storage conditions for dahlias until April, when it will be possible to begin their germination.

Small, weak and frail

Such root tubers require other ways of salvation from drying out.

Solution 1 . The meaning of this method of saving the root tuber lies in planting. We cut it by a third and disinfect the cut with coal, iodine or brilliant green. We fill the pot with earth, but not more than half the height, and plant the prepared tuber in it.

When the kidney, initially not exceeding a height of 1-2 cm, begins to grow, the soil will have to be constantly poured little by little. If this is not done, then the roots that appear above the tuber simply will not grow or will turn out to be weak and short, which will affect the state of the new nest, which in dahlias is formed on top of the old one.

Solution 2 The essence of this method of nursing is cuttings . It is possible when a weak tuber has the strength to immediately give 3-4 sprouts, with which you can both preserve this variety and rejuvenate the tuber itself.

Grasping the sprout as close as possible to the place of regrowth, we break it off, dip the cut into the “root” so that the drug does not get on the bark, and plant it in a pot with light sandy soil, which excludes jamming. It remains to water the stalk, cover with a transparent cup to create a moist environment inside and wait for it to take root. Usually this happens easily and quickly, so that by the time it is transplanted into the ground, the plant already reaches 3-5 cm and has 2-4 leaves.

In autumn, after flowering, gladiolus corms are dug up and stored. In winter, they are at rest, and are best preserved at temperatures from +4 to +10 degrees. Bulbs awaken in spring, timidly releasing green "beaks" of sprouts. It is believed that corms with small sprouts and roots take root better and bloom faster, so gladioli must be germinated before planting. It's bad when the bulbs sprout ahead of time, so balance is important here: do not rush and do not delay. "Mom's cheat sheets" will help you navigate 😉

The germination period is counted from the date of planting

In order not to be unfounded, I would immediately like to refer to sources. We analyzed a lot of literature on floriculture before starting to write an article: the magazines “Flower”, “I love flowers. Gladiolus” and “Garden. Garden. Flower garden”, the book “Your favorite roses, dahlias, gladioli”.

  • In open ground, corms of gladioli begin to be planted, as a rule, late April - early May. In central Russia, a favorable landing time begins approximately May 10. And if the spring turned out to be cold, you need to have time to plant gladioli no later than June 15 otherwise they won't bloom. It would be useful to look into the weather forecast to determine the date of planting and, accordingly, germination.
  • 20 - 30 days before planting Gladiolus bulbs are starting to sprout. Dry scales are removed, trying not to damage the sprout. Sick specimens are discarded. Onions with minor damage are treated: “ulcers” are cut out, and then they are smeared with brilliant green or sprinkled with ash / crushed coal.

So, the start date for the germination of the bulbs should be determined by the date of planting. If you plan to plant gladioli in a flower bed on May 10, then on April 10 you can prepare for germination.

Germination? Easily!

When the bulbs are peeled, you can begin to germinate them. Two methods are most common: simple germination in boxes in the light and in wet sawdust.

On the picture: Germination of gladioli in wet sawdust.

Germination methods:

  1. Growing in boxes. Bottom wooden box or cardboard box is lined with dry newspaper. The bulbs are placed upside down. The boxes are placed in a bright place where direct sunlight does not fall. Light must be diffused.
  2. Germination in sawdust. Sawdust is poured into a plastic container and moistened. The bulbs are placed side by side in wet sawdust, sprouts up. The container is also placed in a bright place, but not in the bright sun.
  3. On wet cloth. You can also germinate gladioli on a damp cotton napkin. Moisture is very insignificant, so the roots do not outgrow, and the sprouts have time to stretch to the optimum height - 5 cm.

Note: If gladioli were stored at the right temperature in winter (4-10 degrees Celsius), then at the end of March they are brought into the house (or taken out of the refrigerator) and stored at room temperature until early April. These are the recommendations in the book "Your Favorite Roses, Dahlias, Gladiolus" (

Planting material stored all winter at room conditions (by the window or balcony door) should be given more attention. When the bulbs are still stored, from time to time you can take them out and check for damage by diseases and pests. During winter storage, the bulbs can get sick, dry out, and germinate prematurely.

Before laying for germination in wet sawdust, gladioli bulbs can be treated with the preparation "Maxim Dachnik" or "Fitosporin" in order to get rid of pathogens and pest larvae.

If the bulbs were germinated on time, then by the time of planting they have small roots and sprouts (one or more) 5-10 cm high.

Gladiolus - decoration of the garden. It is best to prepare gladioli for sowing in March.

Despite the fact that these flowers are usually prepared for sowing in March or April, and planted in the first half of May, it happens that the bulbs have sprouted already in March. Experienced gardeners know that this is common for gladiolus if corms are stored at room temperature.

Why flowers start to sprout prematurely

This happens if the storage conditions of the bulbs are violated. If you store gladiolus bulbs at room temperature and high humidity, they will begin to germinate as early as March.

During the period of natural and forced dormancy, the bulb cannot germinate. Natural dormancy lasts 40 days. At this time, the corm will not germinate, even with favorable conditions. But after natural dormancy, this can happen, so that the flowers do not germinate ahead of time, the bulbs need to be immersed in forced rest. Bulbs should be stored at a temperature not exceeding 10 ° C and 60-70% humidity.

If the storage conditions of the bulbs are violated, they germinate, while only the sprout lengthens, and the roots do not develop. This is harmful to the plant, as it depletes it.

What to do with early germination? You can't plant a bulb in the ground. There is still little light and nutrition, the plants will grow poorly and do not form flowers at all.

To avoid early germination, closer to spring, you need to look at planting material more often. If there are sprouts there, they must be dried in a warm place for 2-3 days, and then removed to a place where the temperature is not higher than 5 ° C. 2 weeks before planting, the bulbs can be transferred to more comfortable conditions- 15°C. This will prepare them for germination.

If you can't wait to land

Some sprouted bulbs, already peeled, can be planted in peat pots. Using them, you do not have to transplant, as the flowers do not like her very much. However, the plants will need extra care - there is very little natural light, and the plants are sun-loving. The place for bulb pots should be cool and well lit. You do not need to overdo it with watering, otherwise the leaves will stretch out a lot, which can lead to a break after planting in open ground. It should be borne in mind that such early gladioli will not bloom this year.

After landing in open ground, it is advisable to cover young gladioli from the sun and wind. You can grow gladioli in tubs in the country or on the balcony in a flower pot.

Is it possible to grow flowers by March

It is possible, but this process is very complicated and requires a well-equipped place. In order for gladioli to grow in winter and please with their flowering in March, they need good lighting, comfortable temperature, humidity and constant ventilation. In an apartment, it is almost impossible to achieve all the conditions for growing gladioli at a time when in nature they are still supposed to be at rest. This requires a special greenhouse with lamps, heating, constant humidity and ventilation. Often, by March, gladioli are grown exclusively for sale, and not for their own pleasure. The process itself is labor intensive.

It is difficult to prepare the material for planting. To obtain beautiful bouquets from gladioli in March, corms should be dug up in the first half of September, and planted by early December. Since there is little natural light, it is necessary to additionally use artificial light. It is turned on no earlier than a week after the bulbs have finally sprouted.

How to plant gladioli (video)

Preparing bulbs and soil for planting

Whatever the decision about which month to grow gladioli by, when preparing the bulbs for planting, several conditions must be observed:

  1. A month before planting, you need to bring the material home.
  2. Gladiolus bulbs must be free of scales. Sick bulbs are thrown away, but if the lesion is small, you can cut it out. The place of the cut is smeared with green paint.
  3. Peeled bulbs cannot be planted immediately. You need to hold them in boxes in the light until they germinate. After that, the germinated corms of the plant are planted in a pot.

The soil before planting gladioli should be thoroughly prepared. A good choice places and lands are the key to successful cultivation of gladioli. What do we have to do?

  1. Choose a well-lit place.
  2. Dig up and clear the beds for future crops from weeds since autumn. The depth of the dig is about half a meter. In the spring, you don’t need to be so zealous, you can dig not so deep.
  3. You can add fertilizers to the soil, such as phosphorus or potash. Lime or dolomite flour is added to acidic soil. AT clay soil add peat mixed with sand. You can fertilize gladioli with humus, but you can’t add fresh organic matter, it harms the plant.
  4. Gladiolus should not be planted after root crops, as there may be a risk of wireworm infection.
  5. It is best if melons, legumes, strawberries, and garlic used to grow at the site of the future planting of gladioli. Dahlias and zinnia are also safe neighbors, since they do not have common diseases with gladioli.

How to properly store gladioli (video)

Planting bulbs

The optimal bed width is 1 m. Planting depth depends on the soil. The heavier the earth, the less deeply you need to plant gladiolus bulbs. Smaller bulbs should also be planted at shallower depths. Usually the depth varies from 8 to 15 cm.

In one row, the distance between plantings is 15 cm, and between rows - 25 cm.

Before planting the bulbs, the groove should be well watered and the bottom covered with a layer of sand of 1 cm.

Gladiolus feel good if planted in moss.

Moss has the ability to retain water, this will help to avoid overdrying of plants in a drought.

Top dressing with humus should be introduced when the seedlings grow at least 10 cm.

If all the conditions for planting are met, the soil is properly prepared, then the gladioli will bloom at the right time and give good bulbs for sowing next year.