Gladioli belong to the warmth-loving flowering plants and are usually not frost hardy. Therefore, the bulbs must be dug up in the fall and wintered indoors. We have summarized how you have to proceed in this article for you.
In autumn, the gladiolus bulbs are dug up for the winter
When are the onions dug up?
After the gladiolus has faded, the flower stalk is cut off. Be sure to leave the leaves in place, as the bulbous plant needs them to store nutrients and trace elements in the tuber. In autumn the foliage yellows and turns brown. Now is the right time to cut off the leaves to a length of about four inches and dig up the bulbs.
Don't dig up too soon
Even if the gladioli are not very attractive with the foliage turning brown, you should not make the mistake of digging up the bulbs too early. Only the shorter days and the cooler temperatures encourage the gladiolus bulbs to grow vigorously. The longer the tubers stay in the ground, the more energy they can store for the next year and the more beautiful they will sprout again.
dig up tubers
Be careful when digging up the bulbs to avoid damaging them. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Insert a digging fork into the earth between the gladioli and lift them up slightly.
- Gather gladiolus bulbs from the loose soil.
- Pay attention to small bulbs and select them as well.
- Check onions for bug infestation or injuries.
The gladiolus bulbs form many small brood bulbs, which you can separate from the mother plant immediately after digging up and use for propagation.
drying onions
Before final storage, the onions must dry in an airy room. To do this, first roughly remove the soil and spread the gladioli loosely on newspaper. As soon as the adhering remains of earth have dried completely, they are removed and the gladioli can be stored and overwintered.
tips
You can transplant the dug up bulbs directly into flower pots. Gladioli take two to three years to flower. During this time you can take good care of your own offspring in the pot and plant them out together with the mother bulbs in the third or fourth year.