Gladioli are among the most popular flowering plants and enjoy unbroken popularity. The life energy and magnificent bloom originates in a small tuber, the gladiolus bulb.
The bulbs are the power plants of the gladiolus
The onion botanically
The gladiolus bulb is a storage organ in which the gladiolus stores starch and minerals for the next growing season during the dormant phase. The onion enables the gardener to easily cultivate frost-sensitive plants such as the gladiolus in our latitudes. The small tuber is dug up in autumn and allowed to hibernate in a frost-free room. Next spring, when there is no longer any threat of late frost after the Ice Saints, the gladiolus bulb is planted again and will sprout again within a few days.
Botanically speaking, gladioli bulbs are not real bulbs like our onions, but rhizomes with restricted growth. These have the property of forming numerous small daughter bulbs with which the gladiolus can be propagated without any problems.
shift flowering time
Unfortunately, the flowering period of the gladiolus is quite short and lasts just two weeks in many regions. However, you can take advantage of the rapid sprouting of the gladiolus and thereby shift the flowering period from late spring to October.
If you want gladioli to bloom very early, you can put out the bulbs as early as March. Placed two-thirds in a flower pot with conventional soil, the gladiolus sprout almost explosively at the room window. If you transplant them outside after the ice saints, you can soon enjoy the flowers.
To extend flowering into fall, plant the bulbs a week apart for a longer period of time. As a result, the gladioli germinate with a time delay and you can enjoy the attractive flower stalks for weeks.
Gladiolus bulbs also thrive on the balcony or terrace
Onion plants do not necessarily have to be placed in the garden. The gladioli can be cultivated excellently in planters on the balcony or terrace and set attractive accents. It is only important that the balcony is sheltered from the wind and sunny, so that the needs of the gladiolus are met. You also have to be careful when watering: gladioli need sufficient moisture, but if they get waterlogged, the gladiolus bulbs quickly start to rot.
tips
Onions have two recognizable sides: the roots develop from the flat side, while the leaves and flowers grow from the top. Therefore, always place the onion in the ground with the flat side down.