Since the bulbs of the gladioli are sensitive to frost, they must be dug up in autumn and overwintered in a frost-free room. If the storage conditions in the winter quarters are too warm, the first shoot tips will appear as early as March and the gladioli will sprout. If you want a particularly early gladiolus bloom, you can take advantage of this and drive the gladiolus in a targeted manner.
Early gladioli are more likely to flower
Driving gladioli in the pot
You can start planting gladioli in pots for outdoor use as early as March. Because the bulbs don't stay in the planters all summer, you don't need very large pots. It is enough if the onion and the sprouting roots find enough space.
Follow these steps:
- Cover the drainage hole of the flower pot with a potsherd.
- Conventional potting soil, which you mix with a little sand, is suitable for cultivation.
- Place the onion in the pot with the shoot tip up.
- Cover only about two-thirds with substrate. This promotes rapid sprouting.
- Pour gently and keep moist but not wet.
It is advisable to plant the gladioli sorted by variety and flower color and to label them accordingly. This is necessary so that you have free creative freedom later when planting out and can place the gladioli in the bed according to their color where their color matches.
Put the pots in a warm and bright place. Here the gladioli sprout after just a few days and literally shoot up.
Plant gladioli
The gladioli that have been driven should be carefully accustomed to the changed conditions in the field. Place the pots in a sheltered, sunny spot on the patio whenever temperatures permit, but initially bring them indoors overnight. Only when there is no more threat of frost after the ice saints can the gladioli be put in their summer place in the bed.
tips
Note that the gladioli start to sprout as early as March or April if you prefer the onions. It is still too early to put them outdoors, as the gladioli are very sensitive to late frosts. However, if you simply let the bulbs continue to drift in winter storage, the shoots will wilt and there is a risk of fungal infections if the humidity is appropriate.