How to store gladioli at home in winter

Every gardener sooner or later considers growing perennial gladioli outdoors. These flowers look incredibly beautiful, making them a truly unique addition to a flowerbed or rock garden. However, they are susceptible to cold, forcing florists to move them indoors for the winter. Proper storage of gladioli indoors during the winter is crucial.

Rules for digging up bulbs

When considering how to store gladioli indoors during the winter, it's important to carefully consider the procedure for digging the flowers from the ground. Gladioli are known to be very sensitive to cold, so it's important to dig them up before the first frost.

But don't rush to remove young bulbs from the soil—at least four weeks should pass after flowering for early varieties and about two months for late varieties. During this time, the bulb will fully mature in the soil and be ready for new conditions. Otherwise, it will rot and die.

Experts recommend digging up perennials in October, when the weather is dry but the heat has subsided. It's important to prepare the crop before the onset of severe cold weather. In temperate latitudes, this period occurs between the 10th and 15th of the second month of autumn. This is the best time to harvest the seeds from the soil.

But this procedure is only half the battle. The next crucial step is preparing the plants for the coming cold weather. To do this, the tubers must be thoroughly dried and then treated with antifungal agents. Only then can they be stored indoors for the winter.

Removal of gladioli tubers

Storing bulbs for the winter begins with digging the planting material out of the soil. This procedure is best performed after the substrate has thoroughly dried. Avoid watering it for several weeks beforehand. Using a garden tool, dig the soil to a depth of 30-40 centimeters and remove the bulb. Large bulbs should be removed first, followed by smaller ones. Remaining green stems are trimmed off before or during digging.

After this, the dug up tubers are cleaned of any remaining soil using a dry cloth. At this stage It is important to make sure that they are healthy and free from defects such as:

• traces of mold;
• putrefactive formations;
• ulcers;
• disease damage.

Drying dug-up bulbs can be done either indoors or outdoors. However, this is only possible in dry, warm weather over several weeks. To dry gladioli, use cardboard boxes lined with paper. Under good weather conditions, the seeds will dry within 14 days. During this time, the skin will turn brown and become rough. You can hear a rustling sound when touching it.

When grown indoors, the bulbs are dried at a temperature of 22-25 degrees Celsius. As the skins dry, the temperature can be increased to 17-18 degrees Celsius.

To prevent tubers from becoming infected with fungal diseases, they should be treated with fungicides before harvesting. A solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate is used for this purpose, preventing the development of pathogenic microorganisms on plants and creating a natural defense against dangerous diseases and fungi. The solution should be diluted in water, and then the tubers should be soaked in it for half an hour.

Finally, the treated bulbs are removed from the liquid and dried again indoors. If the skins are completely dry and begin to rustle, the planting material can be placed in a suitable place for long-term storage.

Pest control

Every caring gardener should know how to properly store gladiolus bulbs indoors during the winter and what to do. An important step in storing these flowers is protecting them from all kinds of pests, including thrips. To prevent damage to the plant by these dangerous creatures, treat the bulbs with Inta-Vir. Afterwards, dry them again.

As an effective protective drug, you can use ready-made store-bought or homemade products created based on the following ingredients:

• 200 ml of water;
• 1 head of garlic.

Finely chop the garlic cloves and then place them in water. After steeping for 20-30 minutes, apply the resulting solution to the bulbs. Remove the bulbs from the liquid and, once completely dry, store them away for future use.

There are other equally effective ways to protect gladioli seedlings from various pests. For example, can be treated with candle paraffin, which is preheated and used to treat the bulbs. Once the substance hardens, the tubers are transferred to storage boxes. This method prevents the tubers from developing prematurely—they won't begin growing before the set time.

Fighting parasites

If dangerous pests like thrips have already infested your crop, you need to know how to combat them and how to store diseased tubers over winter. Successfully overwintering your tubers depends on promptly identifying the parasites.

Unfortunately, thrips are a relatively inconspicuous insect, able to camouflage itself in gladiolus seedlings, so growers often fail to notice them when inspecting the bulbs. To avoid storing affected bulbs alongside healthy ones, carefully inspect each section after removing them from the soil.

To combat thrips before moving the bulbs for the winter, it is necessary to use a highly effective product. For example, you can use:

1. Alcohol solution. Experienced gardeners claim that alcohol is the main enemy of any flower pests, and thrips are no exception. To get rid of these pests, simply place the tubers in a glass container, then insert a swab soaked in alcohol, and seal the jar tightly. Within a few hours, the dangerous creatures will emerge and die. If this doesn't happen, the procedure can be repeated.
2. Actellic. This solution should be diluted with liquid at a rate of 2 grams per liter. Then, place the seed in the solution and soak for five minutes. Then, dry the bulbs at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius.
3. Decis solution. This solution is sold in hardware stores and comes in ampoules. Two ampoules are diluted in 10 liters of warm water, after which the excavated seed is placed in the prepared solution. After 30-40 minutes of treatment, the tubers are dried.

Storage conditions

To preserve gladioli over the winter, it's important to pay attention to the storage principles and conditions. These plants can easily survive the winter not only in a cellar, basement, or other dark space, but also indoors. However, certain storage conditions must be met, including maintaining the required temperature, lighting, and humidity.

First of all it is necessary to take care of the temperature regimeIt's no secret that gladioli can be stored longer in a cool environment with a temperature of 4-12 degrees Celsius. If this temperature rises above this level, the tubers will begin to sprout green shoots, which will lead to their death.

When storing the bulbs indoors, it's best to place them on a glassed-in balcony using wooden boxes with ventilation holes and a lid that allows air to pass through. This is necessary to prevent the plants from suffocating. The box should be moved to the balcony and placed on a shelf. If the temperature on the balcony remains below freezing, the bulbs should be covered with a warm material, such as old clothing or a fur coat.

Each seed should be wrapped in newspaper and placed in a plastic bag. Small holes are made in the bag to allow air to circulate. Each bag is placed in a separate compartment and stored there until spring. Gladioli are easily stored alongside fruits or vegetables.

Common mistakes

Many novice gardeners make a lot of mistakes when they begin to figure out where and how to properly store gladioli for the winter.

Examples of these situations include::

1. The club material is removed from the soil too early, which prevents it from drying out properly.
2. Before placing the bulbs in storage, the gardener did not treat them with fungicides and insecticides.
3. The required temperature conditions for storage on the balcony were not met.
4. The seed did not receive the required amount of air, which is why it suffocated.

Additionally, some gardeners fill the box or bag containing the tubers with sawdust or soil, believing this will provide reliable protection from the cold. However, this approach often leads to negative consequences, such as moisture penetration. In this case, the bulbs will rot much faster.

Helpful tips

To avoid such unpleasant situations and maximize the productivity of gladiolus bulb storage, consider several recommendations from experienced gardeners. It is generally accepted that planting material will survive a long winter if it is regularly aired and checked for rot or damage.

If rot appears anywhere on a bulb, don't rush to throw it in the trash. There's another way to solve the problem. To do this, remove the affected part and treat the tuber with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then, sprinkle the affected part with ash and place it in a different location to prevent infection of healthy bulbs.

Gladiolus tubers often dry out. If this happens, don't panic. Simply soak them in cool water for half an hour before planting them outdoors. To promote rooting, you can dilute the water with a rooting stimulant.

As warmer weather returns in spring, the tubers will begin to sprout too quickly. To ensure this process proceeds as quickly as possible, it's best to move them to a brighter, warmer environment and maintain them there for several weeks.

Protecting gladiolus bulbs from winter damage is easy. Simply follow proper storage guidelines and care. This way, the bulbs will thrive year after year, producing healthy, beautiful flowers the following warm season. The perennials' immune systems strengthen with each passing year, making propagation possible. Soon, these beloved plants will transform your garden beyond recognition.