How to grow gladiolus seeds at home

A gladiolus in bloom is an unforgettable sight. The Chinese gladiolus is especially popular, coming in a variety of shades. Bright scarlet or orange gladiolus are common. Depending on the variety, the Chinese gladiolus can delight with its blooms from summer until the first cool days of autumn. This is a remarkable plant that thrives with proper care. Gladiolus is most often propagated vegetatively, but many are more interested in propagating by seed.

What do gladiolus seeds look like?

Before figuring out how to get gladiolus seeds, you need to know what they are. Only then can you begin to consider how to grow gladiolus from seeds. Gladiolus seeds resemble thin, small plates, no more than 2 millimeters in size. Embryos can be seen in the center of each seed. One capsule can hold approximately 200 seeds. Gladiolus seeds require special storage conditions. The air humidity should be sufficient to prevent them from drying out. If the seeds are too dry, good germination is not possible.

How to get gladiolus seeds

Not everyone knows how to grow gladioli from seeds at home from China. But first, a few words about the Chinese gladiolus itself. This plant is also known as montbretia. It can be found wild in the vast expanses of South Africa. Chinese gladiolus has a distinctive scent, which can remind many of saffron.

Chinese gladioli will germinate well from seed if propagated in late winter. This procedure can also be performed in early spring. If you're wondering what Chinese gladioli seeds look like, they're not much different from regular gladioli.

Seeds should be collected from uniformly colored plants growing nearby. This will increase the chances of the flowers grown from seed being the same color. Seeds are collected when the flowering period ends. Seed capsules will form in the place where the flowers once were. Remove the capsules from the plant with extreme care, then dry them and remove the seeds.

Rules for pollination of plants

It seems simple: after collecting gladiolus seeds, you need to learn how to plant them. But it's important to remember proper pollination. Decide in advance on the number of plants you'll need to pollinate. Cover the flowers with gauze. This is necessary to prevent bees from pollinating them. Once the pollen is formed, it's transferred to other flowers.

On average, a maximum of five plants are needed to obtain pollen using this method. This procedure is essential for anyone wanting to learn how to grow gladioli from seed at home. There is no other way to obtain seeds; self-pollinated flowers will not be able to form seeds. Growing gladioli from seed at home is not a difficult, but painstaking, process.

How to grow gladioli from seeds

If you love gladioli, you should know that planting and caring for the growing plant from seeds will go smoothly if you follow the basic rules. First and foremost, gladioli seeds should be sown in containers with high-quality soil. These containers should be placed on a windowsill with good lighting. Only then will gladioli propagate from seeds be successful.

Do you have gladiolus seeds and want to know how to grow them this way? You need to understand that seed propagation will not preserve the varietal characteristics. The chances of getting a plant with the same color, size, and growth habits as the parent plant are very low.

Growing gladioli from collected seeds

You already know the basics of gladiolus seeds: what they look like and how to harvest them. Gladioli from seeds and their cultivation begin when the substrate is ready. To prepare, combine river sand and compost in a 2:1 ratio.

A heteroauxin solution can also be used as an alternative. The planting material is soaked for approximately three hours. For those interested in how to grow gladiolus from seed, this is important information.

Gladioli from seeds: planting and care

Now you know whether it's possible to grow gladioli from seed. This method is used by breeders trying to develop new varieties with unique, distinctive characteristics.

Growing gladioli from seed also requires proper care. Fertilizing and watering are done using high-quality solutions containing all the components essential for vigorous growth. A good fertilizer is a zinc sulfate solution.

To make this solution, dilute 2 grams of the product in 10 liters of water. Proper watering and regular fertilizing will help the gladiolus grow and produce seeds quickly. The plant will produce healthy bulbs. Then all you have to do is wait a couple of years, and you can enjoy a beautiful flowering plant.

Well, you already know how to collect gladiolus seeds if you decide to propagate the plant this way again. As you may have noticed, propagating gladiolus from seeds at home is not a complicated process.